Love Love Love!!

What an amazing response to this contest… almost 250 entries! It was incredibly uplifting and heart warming to read so many tales of love and my lonely heart has been given fresh hope – I am now convinced beyond a doubt that love at first sight and the finding of soul mates do in fact exist, as I read the proof in multiple first hand accounts!

All entries are available for viewing in the comments section of our blog. They range from the romantic, stories of chance and coincidence, humorous, and a few arduous tales of persistence paying off.  I would like to also believe that those who took the time to write in found a deeper appreciation for how fortunate they are to have such a story to share. Our winner reminds us that falling in love can happen each day if we’re open to the possibilities of love and look to find romance in the every day things people do to make us feel cared for and special.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day, and that love surprises you at least once…

Here are the winners, randomly selected by a panel of hopeless romantics.

FIRST PLACE:
Submitted by Franci

Was it when I first touched his soft hair? When our knees touched as we shared a book? Or as we drove together on that day to the publisher, and Clapton’s “Layla” played on the radio? The day he rescued me when my car broke down? Or the night we kissed in the darkened studio? Or was it yesterday, when he tucked our children into bed, cleaned up the dinner dishes, and sat down to talk to me before we curled up together for the night? Actually, he just drove up, and there’s butterflies inside….

RUNNER UP:
Submitted by Sara E.

I was 15 years old when my family decided to take a weekend vacation, camping on Pismo Beach. While there I met a boy who was 17 at the time. From the moment I saw him, I had butterflies. His name was Matt. Long story short, we had a few conversations and a couple laughs throughout the weekend. Sunday morning, we packed up and prepared to hit the road. Before I left I went to say goodbye to my new friend (and hopefully exchange numbers), but his camp site was empty; he had already packed up and hit the road. What a hopeless feeling I had (but then again everything feels hopeless when you’re 15). The only thing I really knew about him was that he happened to live about an hour from me. Every Monday when we got back from our weekend, my English teacher would have us write a journal entry about our weekend adventure. I wrote the silliest puppy love essay (which is hilarious now!). After school, I went to develop the photos I had taken over the weekend. To my surprise, the boy had snapped a picture of himself as a joke when I wasn’t looking. I kept that picture in my drawer for 2 years. One day my mom was cleaning and found the picture. She thought nothing of it and placed it in our picture box along with the other odds and ends she had saved over the years (like my artwork, poetry, and journal entries). Another year goes by, and I finally turn 18. One night, a friend of mine invited me to come to a party with him and his friends. As soon as I arrived, he introduced me to his friend from out of town… and sure enough it was him! Three years later! It’s been six years since that day we met again and we’ve been inseparable since. A couple years back my mother decided to move out of town. While moving she gave me that box of all the odds and ends to store at our home. There it was, his picture and my journal entry; my mom had saved them both. I framed them together and they are above our nightstand. It always reminds me that love will somehow find its way to where it belongs.

RUNNER UP:
Submitted by Sherry B.

A chef at a local family restaurant that my parents and I ate at frequently kept looking at me from behind the counter one day. It somewhat made me nervous and a bit uncomfortable so while my mom paid the bill, I decided to walk on ahead out to our station wagon parked in the lot. Suddenly this mystery chef popped out the back door of the restaurant and said hi to me. I certainly never would’ve guessed that this chef would’ve captured my heart the way he did. But the moment I “KNEW” I was in love with him was when I stopped at the restaurant one morning before my college class to have breakfast by myself. I sat in the booth and smiled at him from behind the counter like I always did. Starting my day seeing him in the morning always made me happy plus he was a fantastic cook so I enjoyed eating his food. The waitress brought my breakfast and I began eating when I noticed a piece of paper wrapped in wax paper underneath my omelette. It was a note from him that said “This is made w/Love!” I have carried that tiny 2×3 note everyday in my purse for the last 23 years!

NOTE TO WINNERS: We have  your email address from your entry and will be contacting you soon to deliver your prize! Thanks so much for participating!