Love is in the air… it’s a cliché, but especially true this February. Valentine’s Day is approaching fast. Our Stop in the Name of Love event happens this Saturday. Our bridal supplement is right around the corner. And, to top it off, my 19th wedding anniversary is just days after all of these.

You have all read about the four foot stencil on our office wall that reads “I have an idea.” Vicki, who I can only describe as the glue that holds our office together, emailed me “I have an idea!” I could read the excitement in her email!! Let’s do a Facebook contest to kick-off our upcoming bridal supplement and ask soon-to-be brides to share stories of how they met their true loves. And….Vicki added…we could choose a winner, give them an engagement photography session with Jeff Weese of Joslex Studios and then follow the happy couple in the Update through their big day. “LOVE it,” was my reply.

As I thought about how to share information about this promotion, I decided the best way was to tell my own story of how I met my love.

It’s 1986, and I am 17-years-old and about to walk the “runway” in a bridal show (of all things). When I look up from fastening my shoe, I see the most gorgeous guy ever! With a big grin, he reached out to shake my hand and said, “Hi, my name is Michael.” My heart fluttered, but my head said, “Play it cool.” I nodded, turned around and proceeded down the runway.

Now, I’m going to switch the narration of this story to the sarcastic point-of-view of our 15-year-old son. “Yea, my mom wouldn’t give my dad the time of day, even though she wanted to. So he tried picking up two other girls. When neither of them would have him, he tried my mom again. Mom said ‘Yes’ to a movie, and the rest is history. So what’s the lesson of the story?” he always adds. “It’s like this: You go to the cupboard for chips and there are no chips. So you look for crackers. When there are no crackers, you look for a fruit cup. When there’s no fruit cup, you settle for the dust. My mom is the dust.”

Even though there’s a crumb of truth in his version of the tale, his lesson is a bit exaggerated. I let him tell it his way though knowing that one day the tides will turn, and he will have a teenager to recount tales about him. I know I’ll eventually have the last laugh.

So, if you’re a soon-to-be bride, visit us at www.Facebook.com/theshoreupdate and share the story of how you met your true love.

Until next time,
Cheri Hoffman, Shore Update owner and team member, and third choice who is still #1 in Michael’s heart.