Think of your longest relationship: describe how your love has changed over time, did you go from the giddiness of infatuation, to mad passion, to deep respect, esteem, and friendship? Tell us about your love story.

Tonight when I got home, dinner was waiting for me; braised lamb chops, steamed veggies, multi-colored baby potatoes.  You know what else?  A cake; yellow with green frosting.  A belated birthday cake made by my husband.  He said he’s never made a cake before and wanted me to have my birthday cake.  He even made it gluten-free (something new we’re trying).  It was de-lish!

We met in July 2004, and the day after he called to introduce himself we had our first date.  It was almost like two dates for the price of one.  A late morning breakfast that went well into the early afternoon; a short break and then an evening with backyard barbecue and a movie. 

After a year of dating my husband-to-be said, “we should move in together.”  My reply, long before it was made popular by the Beyoncé song, “if you like, then you gotta put a ring on it.”   We married 16 months after we met. 

The last ten years our lives have taken some twists and turns we could not have anticipated.  Parenting our grandchildren, bankruptcy, cancer, loss of business, unemployment, infertility, buying a house.  I’m hoping that the really hard stuff is behind us; sometimes it feels as though we’ve lived at least two lifetimes in the short decade we’ve been together.

Perhaps it’s because we met when we were older (in our 40’s), it seemed as though we went from infatuation to deep respect and esteem, sooner than we might have had we met in our younger years. We continue to learn about each other; how best to talk about difficult things, how to take care of each other in a way that is loving and respectful of the other’s needs and desires. 

Our life together is quieter than it was in the beginning.  We seemed to have found a pace that makes sense for us.  Thank you, Steve.  I love you.

That’s Amore…bloggers stories:

• Bitten | Views Splash!

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  • It Ends | Flowers and Breezes

  • “Relationship” Now Arriving at Imaginination Station | Lead us from the Unreal to the Real

  • “Relationship” Now Arriving at Imagination Station | Lead us from the Unreal to the Real

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  • My Girl | The Shotgun Girls

  • Five Things People Say To Social Workers

  • On Being an Anecdote | Elizabeth Merritt Abbott

  • A Different Kind of Love Story | Ramblings from a Frazzled Mind

  • Should I Ask Her Out Again? | Views Splash!

  • What is Love? | Crawlspace Sleepyhead

  • Love stays strong | Emovere

  • Daily Prompt: That’s Amore | Basically Beyond Basic

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  • LOVE SUCKS | Hastywords

  • Haiku: That’s Amore | Mirth and Motivation

  • That’s Amore: Daily Post | Destino

  • Flutterbies | Lingual Tornado

  • Swirling in the Time of Internet | Kosher Adobo

    • Daily Prompt: That’s Amore- The Psychology of Changes in Love | Journeyman

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    • Eddie And Flipper, Reverse Revolution | The Jittery Goat