Did anybody ever carve your initials plus other initials in a heart on a tree? Or perhaps you did the carving. Maybe that’s an old fashioned way of being romantic that has gone by the wayside as maybe it should for the health of our trees. 🙂 Mother Nature carved the heart in this tree. I spotted it a few years ago at the edge of the road in front of a neighbor’s house and took a picture. I kept thinking the neighbor should carve some initials in it, but instead a year or so ago, he cut the tree down. Romance is so hard to orchestrate. LOL. I did have Michael, my deputy sheriff character in my Hidden Springs Mysteries, wonder in the upcoming book, Murder Is No Accident, if he had ever carved a heart with his and Alex’s (the girl he’s always loved) initials in a tree. He can’t remember since he had a traumatic head injury as a fifteen-year-old and lost some memories. You’ll have to read the story to see if he asks Alex who would remember.
My book celebration giveaway is still going on. You can check out the prizes, a beautiful Gaither Homecoming Bible and a sterling silver mobius necklace along with one of my books, on my News & Events Page. Easy to enter. Just leave a comment here or send me an e-mail from my contact page. For fun, I asked readers, if they wanted to, to share a first romance story.
K. strolled down memory lane and came up with a very first romance.
My first love? Hmmm…. It was when I was just 5 years old. We lived overseas and the lady who helped Mother was from that culture. She brought her 5 year-old son with her. The two of us didn’t know each other’s language but per the parents’ stories, we were inseparable when his mother brought him over. Communication of ‘love’ rarely requires words.
I suppose she’s right. When you like someone you find a way to communicate.
Then Helen shares the kind of story I was sort of expecting to see.
Catch and Kiss
Fourth grade recess consisted of girls and boys running around the play ground. The favorite game was boys chasing girls and if caught, a peck on the cheek sent flurries of girly giggles and bravado boys sticking out their chests.
“Who do you want to catch you?” Linda asked.
“Either BoBo Lee or Billy Lewis; how ’bout you?”
“Randy”, she said, smiling.
Billy attended our church and was super cute, blonde, like me, and shy. BoBo liked his lunch and anybody else’s. He wasn’t as swift of foot as Billy. Tomboy that I prided myself on being, I didn’t slow down to be caught. But captured I was and kissed on the cheek by …Billy. I remember it to this day and wonder where and who Billy is kissing today. School girl crushes crinkle my wrinkles at my age as I remember catching and kissing.
Thanks for your story, Helen. Brought a smile to crinkle my wrinkles too. I don’t remember any boys chasing me down to give me a kiss in fourth grade, but I do remember passing those notes that so and so liked so and so. We were all little matchmakers in my school. I settled for the easy path and had the same boyfriend for six years. It was “Ann likes Ben” and “Ben likes Ann.” Then cruelly when I was in 6th grade I told those matchmakers that Ann didn’t like Ben anymore. Somehow he survived. LOL.
I’ll share more first romance stories in the next couple of weeks while my Celebration Giveaway continues. Deadline to enter is March 4, 2017 at midnight EST. You must be 18 to enter and the contest is open to USA and Canada. More details on that News & Events Page.
As always, thanks for reading. Some of you have told me you don’t have first romances to share, but isn’t it wonderful that there are all kinds of ways of being loved? The very best is being loved by God.
Comments 16
I can’t find where your giveaway ends. I’ve been so busy I have not had a chance to catch up on emails till now.
First romance was 6th grade. His name was James Monroe believe it or not. 😊
That was 62 years ago!!!
Back then one could find great prizes in bubble gum machines and I would find quite often on my desk at school trinkets of various kinds. The one I remember most was a yellow stoned ring that turned my finger black! 😊
He invited me to a movie downtown which we walked to. I can remember, to this day, holding hands as he walked me home. Oh my!
Author
What fun, Karen! I remember those prizes in the bubblegum machines, but I didn’t often have a penny or nickel or whatever to put in one. When I did, I seemed to only get gum and no prize. The best I remember they had them mixed. But your romantic fellow must have been persistent to get you good prizes. That memory of holding hands with the first boy sweet on you must still make you smile. Made me smile just imagining it.
The giveaway deadline in March 4 at midnight EST so you still have time to enter. In fact you can count this comment as your entry. I’ll throw your name in my drawing hat. Always good to hear from you, Karen.
Traveling down memory lane is always fun. My first “romance” started in 3rd grade. We were in the same class. At recess one day he kissed me. I had such a crush on him for many years. I am so looking forward to your next adventure with Michael and Alex!
Author
Another first kiss sort of like Rory’s, Maria. Sounds like your crush didn’t end with that kiss. I hope you will enjoy going back to Hidden Springs for a mystery and maybe a little more romance.
When I was 8 years old I fell in love with the boy across the street from my Aunts house. He used to chase me a lot and one day he invited me to lunch at his house and when I walked in the door he pushed me against the door and kissed me. He was a few years older. I was crazy about him. Sadly he moved away and I never saw him again. I wonder where he is today. I have never forgotten that special kiss.
Author
Those first kisses can be exciting, Rory. Or scary. I’d have probably been scared by a boy wanting to kiss me when I was 8. LOL. Those first love memories can be fun. Thanks for sharing yours with us.
My first love was in third grade. Michael sat behind me and I turn around and smile at him. Sometimes to get his attention I snitch his # 2 pencil. He always said now P a m e l a like it was molasses . Swooning was going on😊. He was a cutie. Memories are fun.
Author
Now P a m e l a. I love that. Maybe I’ll have to use that in a story some day – that the hero speaks the heroine’s name like it was molasses. Such a fun memory, Pamela. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I told you about how I met my husband but there’s a crush that I had from kindergarten to high school. Poor Danny , he put up with me for years! I moved to the next town in third grade and we met up again in Jr. High. I sat near him in a lot of classes and pestered him. He was such a nice guy ; he was never mean. I wish I wasn’t such a little pest! He became a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force . I remember him telling me in Algebra class that he wanted to fly in the Airforce.
Author
Fun story, both the one about how you met your husband and this one about Danny. Sounds as if he knew what he wanted to do at an early age. I’m sure he has fun memories about the kid that had the crush on him in jr. high, Paula.
Ahh, young romance!
I remember being such a tomboy. All the boys tried to chase me with snakes. I say tried because I didn’t run! I would stand there and take the snake away from them! None of them liked that so they quit paying attention to me. It took me a while before I figured out why!
Cute stories, great post!
Blessings~
Author
Now that’s a real tomboy, Robbie. I never wanted to grab a snake, so I would have been running. You should have found something scary to chase them with. Then they would have had to pay attention to you again. Always fun to see your comments, but remind me not to play with you if you’re going to play with snakes. LOL.
I really enjoy your posts. 🙂 Have a blessed day!
Author
Thanks so much, Melissa. I do appreciate your comment. I have fun with you and all the other readers here on One Writer’s Journal. Maybe I should change the name to One Writer and her Friends.
Great post, Ann! My hubby carved our initials in a tree in Colorado after we were first married. Young and crazy about each other, we loved the idea of our initials in this beautiful spot. Well, nearly forty-two years later and not so young, we are still crazy about each other.
Author
That’s so romantic, Melanie. The initials in the tree and that you are still crazy about each other 42 years later. Some loves last and last.