Happenstance Romance?

With Valentine's Day looming on the horizon, I am going to write about something today that some of you will think is sweet, and some of you will think is nauseating. I am going to reflect on when I first met and fell in love with my husband. Now, if you are part of that group that says "Oh gag me...you two are too much already, so sappy" or "give it time you are still newlyweds," then sadly, I must tell you to take a long walk off a short pier. I am giving you fair warning that you should stop reading now, because the story of how we first got together is the stuff that ABC family and Lifetime movies are made of. Real "chick flick" stuff!

Anyway, I will ignore those of you who are green-eyed cynics and continue on. Since around August of 2004 I have been completely and utterly in love with Kenneth Dell Isola. If you really want to go back, I have had a crush on him since we met in 1999, but 2004 was when we became true friends and the proverbial instance of being swept off my feet occurred.

I will never forget the moment when I realized that I was over-the-moon, out-of-my-mind in love with him. (That's right I remember the exact moment, deal with it!) We were not even dating yet (forward, I have always been!), but just hanging out as friends. We both worked for the same company and happened to be working at the same outdoor summer event. And when I say happened to be working the same event, what I really mean is I finagled it that way so that I could see him. Anyway, it was the end of the night, the event was over, and we were sitting on the hood of his car just talking. And not that shallow, try to impress the opposite sex kind of talking, but really talking and listening to each other. This is still one of my favorite qualities about my husband to this day. He doesn't do fake, he doesn't try to impress, he is always just 100% himself. That night we talked about our interests, families, even what we wanted out of life. Oh readers, this is when I was hooked. A man who was honest, sincere, kind, and not to mention totally easy on the eyes!!

Before I knew it, summer had become fall, and I had yet to find a way to cross what I like to call "the friendship bridge." You know that line that appears somehow when you are friends with someone first? I couldn't just leave it to chance! I had to get us together in some sort of date-like scenario/environment. Something at night, and definitely something separate from work. So I did what any sane, together, 21st century, modern woman would do. I met up with him on a Friday and invited him to a birthday party for my roommate being held the next night at my apartment. Sounds fine right? Except for the fact that this party had yet to exist! No guests had been invited. No food had been purchased. Hell, it wasn't even my roommate's birthday! But Mama always taught me to go after what I wanted, so I sprung into action.

I ran home to my roommate and enlisted her to calling everyone we knew. A hodge-podge guest list it was, but that didn't matter. He was coming to my place! In less that 24 hours! We exploded into Johnny's Foodmaster, scared half the population of the Republic of Cambridge, and grabbed whatever we could that was edible. I called my more boozey-oriented friends and make them promise they would supplement with whatever they had in their liquor cabinet. Ok, guest list, food, and drink were taken care of. Now eight hours remained for what was most important: picking out my outfit and doing my hair!

Cut to later that night. Bestill my heart! He arrived at the party, cooly and fashionably late, looking too adorable. I knew right off that it was a good sign I wasn't the only one who took extra care on my appearance! I was my graceful and charming self. Which, if you really know me, means I only tripped/dropped things/nervously laughed for half of the time. But it didn't matter. He was still super attentive and interested in hanging out with me. A guy who liked me despite myself! I knew I needed to marry him! But I calmly reminded myself to take one step at a time. Like securing a second date :)

And I knew he was hooked too, because he was the last one to leave that night. Ok, actually he didn't leave, he crashed at my place. We were drinking wine and talking so late into the night that I couldn't let him drive. But I can honestly say that I am a good girl. I made him sleep on the couch. He still teases me to this day about that, but I know that he liked me even more because I did! It was only our first date after all! But what an amazing first date it was. I went to sleep that night tingling from the excitement. I had liked him for so long and I finally broke some ground! I'm not even sure if he knows it, but I laid awake all night, knowing he was just outside my door, my mind racing and heart pounding.

That first night led to a more traditional second date, dinner and a movie. And so on and so on. Our courtship was nothing short of lovely. Each moment we spent together we fell more and more in love. Dating led to a committed relationship. A committed relationship led to living together. Living together led to adopting dogs together. And finally marriage. We have been married one year, three months, and two days. And every night when I lay in bed next to my husband I still tingle, my mind still races, and my heart still pounds. He is truly the love of my life. A good man, no a great man, whom I am so lucky to have. And to think, none of it ever would have happened if I hadn't thrown a last-minute, fake party! Take that Martha Stewart!

Happy Valentine's Day Ken. I love you always.