Aw, I think that's cute! For my bday I was sent a huge bouquet of white Oriental Lilies and roses which I love, plus the cutest squishiest teddy bear and a bunch of Godiva chocolate truffles....it wasn't from a boyfriend, just a friend who wanted to make my 40th special and memorable for me, but if it had been a romantic gesture from a bf, I would have been a goner right then and there. lol....I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.

40th?? So are you admitting to being in your forties?

That's so sweet Cin.

Yes Gable, that's a hint. Now send me some damn flowers! lol.

Summer, I am not IN my 40's. I just turned a young 40, as in 25! Which is 30 years younger than Gable, btw.

Well. I've had two proposals, though I really hammered away for a couple of more, but oh well.

My first husband, I met in the Navy.  10 years older. Hollywood good looking.   Described by other people as good people.   A really nice person, but after the Navy, I wanted to go home.   It had always been my plan.   I was in love with this guy, but he was born and raised in California and said he would never go live in New York.   I wanted to be with my family.    So, I made plans to leave, and he cried, but my mother made me feel guilty when I called her and was overjoyed that I was coming home and was making the right decision.    So, I packed up and was set to leave.   My mother insisted on coming out and driving across the U.S. with me.   I told her no, all I would be doing is crying and wanted to be alone, but she insisted I was too young and thought we were going to have a good time.  I explained to her slowly I was not planning on having a good time, I was planning on being miserable and I might try making her miserable too while I was at it.   So, we were set to leave.   "Randy" and I said goodbye at the car and right there I knew I was making a mistake and I suggested we just unpack and I stay, but he said we should give ourselves a chance.   That was in May.    He gave me a call in January, but I had had two dates with another man and thought this might be it, so I told Randy, not now.   He called in May.    I went out for a visit.    In July, he called up and said come back out and live with me.    Packed up my stuff, he flew out, we drove back to California in two and half days.    I began to rethink my decision, and the homesickness began to return.     The relationship didn't feel quite the same, mostly homesickness in the way.    A couple weeks later, we lived in the San Jose area, we went to Disneyland, and on the way home I was tired, excited to be with him and laid across the stick shift and put my head in his lap and well, take it from there.   And he proposed, but he said he didn't want to have to do anything to put together the wedding.    So two weeks later, I set up an appointment with a Notary Public in Monterey and we dressed up and drove down.   He was nervous and argued with me  and I was upset with his attitude and argued back, but he smiled and laughed during the vows.   A couple of weeks later his sister made us a wedding cake, and my mother was upset when I called home to let her know the news.    I also didn't feel in love anymore, but he was a really, really, nice guy.    I still wanted to date other men.

Somethings about my second husband were similar.    He was extremely intelligent, genius level, but impossible.    I felt like I was dating a brick wall, but I was in love, and thought brick walls weren't all that bad anyway.
He joined some stupid encounter group called LifeSpring, got involved in the organization, shaved off his beard, and the day before Thanksgiving, came to my apartment to announce he could no longer see me.    I hit him a couple of times and he just took it and was crying too.   Then I hit him some more.   We worked together, and saw each other everyday, but we never spoke to each other.   I was very professional, and I joined lots of dating services.    Nine months later, he asks me at work if I would like to go to dinner, I said yes.   He's getting more and more serious, and as always, I throughout the dating, I had pushed for marriage, but I can feel the feeling of love waning and I'm saying to myself, no, no, I can't let the feeling go.     Anyway, the day after Thanksgiving, he drives me on Highway 1, up north of San Francisco.   It's very curvy.   It's a drizzy, cool, overcast day.   I'm a little carsick.   He drives for what seems forever on this beautiful highway and finally pulls over onto a long bluff, and he pulls out a picnic and we take a walk down the bluff, really beautiful overlooking the Pacific and he has wine and we're eating, and I know something is up, but really don't know what it is, and he pulls out a ring  and says he's ready to commit his life to me.     I had mixed feelings of euphoria and, well, depression.    I'm sorry.

But the next proposal that comes my way, the man is going to be my best friend, and I am going to be in love when I get married, and I'm not going to be depressed, because it will be the right decision to make.   He will also be geographically desirable.

Thanks Gable!! They smell GREAT!