The Hopeless Romantic by @karilemor #RomanceGems

This was a post I wrote six years ago on my original blog The Hopeless Romantic. Back before I had anything published and had absolutely no people who knew who I was. I thought it might be nice to revisit.  It was one of the most romantic things to ever happen to me!

Feb. 14, 2014

So it’s Valentine’s Day.  That means we must discuss love and romance, right?  Of course.  I originally had this plan for my blog to make a list of the things that I found very romantic.  But when I woke up this morning, my plans changed.  Why did they change?  My husband.  He’s not some debonair Romeo who swept me off my feet or some Valentino with smooth moves.  He’s just a regular guy.  But sometimes he does something so amazing it just blows my mind.  And it happened again today.

Let’s go back in time and I’ll fill you in on our history.  Nothing glamorous.  We met in college in a History class.  He sat in front of me and would always turn around to hand me the attendance sheet.  He’d smile and I’d smile.  I really never saw much except the back of him.  But he had great hair and *ahem* a really cute butt.

I had a weekend job and so during the week I always went to the library every night, to the third floor (the quiet floor) and settled into the cubicles.  Some nights he would show up and sit near me.  It wasn’t until years later, he confessed he wasn’t there to do work.  Unless you call trying to get my attention work.  And often, on Monday nights, I would invite him back to my room to watch Remington Steele.  No, not in reruns, these were the original episodes.  Yes, that makes me very old.   Remember this little tidbit as it will come up again.

So flash forward a few years (okay maybe more than a few) to Christmas and he and I and our three children are sitting around the Christmas tree.  They are unwrapping gifts and he has gotten each of them some dvd from the $5 bin at WalMart.  I open mine, wondering what he has picked out for me.  I stop and stare and the kids just nod and go on opening.  But my heart stops, too.  He’s gotten me a whole season of Remington Steele.  He remembered.  Seriously remembered.

Flash forward a few more years to our 25th Anniversary.  We had a huge party (orchestrated by my oldest with the help of her younger siblings, and apparently my husband) but the thing I loved most was the card he got me.  Here it is:

Yup, cute little picture, but the sentiment is what has made me keep it still.  The inside reads:  

Turns out the millionth kiss is even better than the first.  Happy Anniversary.

But then my husband continues to write:  

Especially knowing there are a million more to come.                 *swoon*

Okay, so I’ve established he has his romantic moments.  No, our marriage wasn’t filled with little things like this every day, but they pop up every now and then.  So let’s fast forward to today.  No, actually I need to give you a tiny bit of backstory first.    I started reading romance novels when I was twelve and loved anything to do with romance.  I had a friend in High School who always teased me about it but one day gave me a cute little poster with a cartoon character riding in a hot air balloon throwing hearts out to scatter and float in the bright blue sky.  The poster was titled:  The Hopeless Romantic.

Yup, that’s where I got the name for this blog.  It describes me perfectly.  I had mentioned this poster one time to my husband when I first started the blog and said I wished I could find something similar again. I honestly didn't think he was listening.

Okay, now we can flash forward to this morning.  It’s yucky with snow and ice, and I’m groggy so when Hubby says good bye in the morning, I haven’t realized it’s Valentine’s Day.  Once I get up and get going, I head to our spare room (now that the kids are all gone we actually have one) and sit down at my computer.  It takes me a while, but I realize there is something leaning against the wall.  It’s a painting.  And as I get closer, I realize it is a hot air balloon with someone throwing hearts to flutter in the wind.  And one of the hearts has some words on it:  JM to KL, Forever and Always.  That’s also what it says on the inside of our wedding rings.

The painting is by my niece who is an artist and it’s obvious my husband has conspired to have her do this.  I had no idea.  And the thought and consideration, and LOVE that went into doing this astounds me.  And I feel guilty because with all the snow we’ve gotten here lately, I haven’t even had a chance to get him a card.  But he has been so amazingly supportive of my writing that I figure a great gift will be my writing something for him.

So here it is.  Thank you, hon, for almost twenty-seven years of marriage, three beautiful children, a life of love, fun, and romance and making me always feel like the sexiest woman on earth (which I know I’m not).  You are the rock that grounds me and gives me strength in times when I feel I can’t go on.  Thank you for loving me as you do and putting up with all my quirks and bad habits.  I love you very much and will continue to love you Forever and Always.

And thanks to all who stuck around for this much too long blog.  Have you any romantic stories to tell?  Let me know.  I’d love to hear them.

Shameless plug: If you happen to be near Jacksonville, Florida, I will be signing books at JAX Bookfest at the Main branch Library on Sat. Feb 29 from 10 - 3.   I will have copies of my new book, True Dreams, even though it's not technically out yet!! Hope to see you there!

Last But Not Least!

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First Prize  - ~$20 Amazon gift card

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Coffee and Conversation with the #Romance Gems

It's time for Coffee and Conversation with the Romance Gems! So, grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join us for some fun. This month's topic is: Best gift given or received

It’s the season of giving – no, not Christmas! Rather the weeks that hold Mother’s and Father’s Day here in the USA. A time when many exchange gifts. So, tell us, what is the best gift you’ve ever given or received? A macaroni necklace or diamond ring? A vacation, poem, card, pet, or warm hug?

“Playing Santa one year, I gave my daughter a saddle. Santa had skipped her Christmas morning, but when she returned to my house, Santa had left the saddle. Unfortunately, at that time, he didn’t leave the horse.” ~ Jan Scarbrough

"The best gift I've ever received for Mother's Day was my first child. She came eleven days earlier than expected and was born the day before Mother's Day that year. An amazing gift that keeps on giving joy!" ~ Bonnie Edwards

“When my three children were younger, my husband would take them on Mother's Day and go visit his mother. This would leave me alone to have some time for myself. I saw them every day all year long so the gift of alone time was fabulous.” ~ Kari Lemor

“I don't have children, and my parents are long gone. However, the best Mother’s Day gift I've ever received was when my stepson wished me a Happy Mother's Day and went with my husband and me to take me out for dinner. It was the one and only time he'd ever acknowledged me as his step-mother.” ~ Constance Bretes

"The best gift I ever gave was to my mother. She'd been struggling financially since my father's passing a few years before. I happened to be blessed with a very decent advance on a book deal and used it to pay off all her debts just in time for her 75th birthday. They say money can't buy happiness but I think, in this case, they were wrong." ~ Nancy Fraser

"A gift that stands out for me is one I gave my elderly aunt back in the 1990s. For years she'd been writing poetry and had been offering it for publication in her church bulletin and in various periodicals in exchange for free copies. She would make Xerox copies of these poems and send them to me, the niece who got her writing gene. So one Christmas I compiled her poems into a booklet we were able to mass produce via our computer. We slapped a cardstock cover on it, picking up the title from one of her poems (The Golden Hour and Other Poems by Marie Gray) and comb bound it. We put 30 copies of the book in a box and sent it to her for Christmas. You would have thought I'd given her a million dollars. I don't think I've ever given or received a gift that brought me so much pleasure." ~ Cheryl Bolen

"When I was a teenager, I showed horses. One Christmas my parents went in and got me a beautiful show saddle with sterling silver decorations that I'd been told we couldn't afford. Best. Gift. Ever." ~ Karen Whiddon

"I have two favorite gifts, but there’s a common theme. The first was when Mr. H. gifted me my first RWA (Romance Writers of America) Conference trip back in 2010, held at Disney's Swan & Dolphin Resorts. I was a newbie writer—totally overwhelmed—yet the experience gave me the inspiration and push I needed to finish my book. Next was when my daughter surprised me with a 'girl’s getaway' to Disney. My grown-up daughter, buying us matching t-shirts and mouse ears? Magical memories, indeed!"
~ Kathryn Hills

"The best gift I have received is my birthday gift in 2001. My Hero and I went on a 25-day tour of Ireland, England, Scotland, and one town in Wales. It was a lovely tour and I hated for it to end. This was not our first British tour, but was the longest. Hero and I saw lovely places and hope to return someday."
~ Caroline Clemmons

"The best gift I’ve given was a few years ago. I made two recipe books for my daughters. The pages were filled with hand written recipes from their great grandmothers and other family members. When they opened them on Christmas morning we laughed and cried over the memories. Putting together these books was a labor of love and I’m glad I did for my daughters. Now they have a tiny reminder of the women who came before them." ~ Lucinda Race

"Growing up a girl, I was never given Santa presents that weren't specifically made for XY gene types. I begged for Roc'Em Soc'Em robots for 3 three years, from aged 5-8. Never got it because it wasn't a girl themed toy - so I was told! Flash forward 30 years and I mention this around the in-law table one night before Christmas. On Christmas morning there was big, red-bow-tied present under the tree for me, with a card that read: Sorry this took so long, Love Santa. Yup, you guessed it - Roc'Em Soc'Em Robots courtesy of my very own Santa spouse. Best. Gift. Evah!!!" ~ Peggy Jaeger

"My favorite Mother's Day gift was a preschool plaster hand-print impression from both of my sons. They are adults now, with large manly hands, but I still get teary-eyed at the memory of those tiny hands clutching mine."
~ Connie Vines

"In the movie, Shall We Dance starring Antonio Banderas and Susan Sarandon, there's a line Sarandon says that really explains the greatest gift I've ever received. The line goes like this, 'I wish I could give you a gift that comes in a box.'
Well, I wish I could tell you about a gift that came in a box, but the greatest gift I ever received was my husband. Through thick and thin—a lot of thin in the beginning—we've had each other. I've always thought it was Destiny... Fate lending a hand. When he was in high school he bought his first car. He'd been cleaning the car and had removed the back seat. The gleam of gold caught his eye. He found a small plain gold wedding band. He picked it up and put it on his key ring where he carried it for many years. When we "found" each other, we wanted to be married to each other. We didn't think about nitpicky details like planning a wedding. We just wanted to belong to each other. We got a marriage license and met with a the minister who asked if we had rings. After a moment of hilarious blank looks at each other, Larry pulled out his key ring and removed the gold band. The minister smiled and began the ceremony. When Larry slipped the gold band on my ring finger, it fit perfectly, and I wear a small size. That was over 40 years ago. Even though I have a more expensive, rather unique ring now, I still wear the plain gold ring too. It's my Cinderella ring. P. S. One of these days, I'll write a book entitled The Cinderella Ring!" ~ Joan Reeves

"When my husband was in the Army he had a short layover in Iceland. He bought me a blue carnation and gave it to me when he landed in Dallas. He still gives me blue carnations."
~ Karen Kelly

"I always think the best, most meaningful gifts don’t carry a hefty price tag, but have a lot of thought involved. I take credit for this one. My father-in-law was a carpenter who built many homes in the area over his career. After he retired, I got his kids together to compile a list. It took a while, but they all helped snap photos of every home their father ever built, which I mounted into an album (pre-digital days) as a Father’s Day gift. It was so cool to see his reaction as he flipped the pages, viewing photos of his legacy. He could not believe they remembered them all, even some he had forgotten about." ~ Kathleen Lawless

Okay, it's your turn to join the conversation! We'd love to hear from you. Add your comments below or send via email through the "contact us link on the bottom of the left sidebar. You can also make suggestions on what you'd like to discuss here in the future.

Thanks for joining us!

~ The Romance Gems ~

Don’t forget our Heroes & She-Roes Contest! BUT HURRY! This contest ends on Wednesday, May 29. For a chance to win a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card and Bundles of Ebooks, click here to enter our RAFFLECOPTER