A Story of How We Met:
I’ve heard about love at first sight. And while I believe it can, and has happened, for many couples, that wasn’t the case for me and my husband. At all.
Our relationship didn’t start off as a whirlwind romance or an instantaneous attraction. It was more like a bumpy road. One filled with misplaced assumptions, misunderstandings, and a few missed phone calls.
Misplaced assumptions
I graduated from high school in June 1988. After a bad break-up from my long-time boyfriend a few months earlier, I had no desire to spend my summer looking for love. No, my months before college were going to be filled with lazy days spent reading and fun times with friends.
Or at least that’s what I had planned.
Then one Sunday morning I was introduced to Clint George. To be honest my first impression of him was not a positive one. Sizing him up while our pastor welcomed him as the newest member of our congregation, two differing thoughts ran through my head: he’s cute (albeit short) and he’s wearing a pair of Wranglers so he must be a country boy (of which I’m not a fan). For those two reasons, plus my already stated goals of a romance-less summer, I looked away.
I wasn’t interested.
That is until I started spending time with him at church and really got to know him. From that, I quickly learned I had misplaced assumptions where he was concerned — there was actually no height difference between us, and he wasn’t as much of a country boy as I’d first believed. Much to my surprise, we had a lot in common.
A misunderstanding
Discovering that Clint wasn’t who I thought he was, my feelings toward him began to blossom. The only question was: did he feel the same about me?
It didn’t take long to find out.
A group of us were hanging out one night and someone let it slip that Clint had asked about LeeAnn. He wanted to know if she was going to be at the next social function we were having.
But which LeeAnn? LeeAnn or Liana (pronounced Lee-Ann-A)?
Hoping the messenger hadn’t left off a syllable, I questioned him about the exact name Clint had said. Much to my dismay, he confirmed that Clint had asked about LeeAnn. No ‘a’ at the end included.
I was devastated by the news, and slowly accepted the fact that even though I was into him, he wasn’t all that into me.
Story over.
Or was it? When my phone rang a few days later, the last person I expected to be on the other line was Clint George calling to ask me out on a date. When I let him know he had the wrong LeeAnn, he told me no, he had the right one. I was, in fact, the one he’d wanted all along.
A few missed phone calls
We officially started dating shortly after that, spending the last few days of summer together. Then college started.
Once the fall session got underway our schedules became so busy we didn’t talk or see each other for three straight weeks. The only things that let us know we were still interested in one another were the messages of missed phone calls we’d receive from roommates. There were times I wondered if this might be a sign. Perhaps we weren’t meant to be a couple? However, when we did reconnect, we picked up right where we’d left off and it was clear to me it was meant to be.
It would take several more months before those three magical words – I love you – fell from our lips, but once they did, it only cemented our desires to be together for a lifetime.
Not all relationships begin in full love mode. That certainly wasn’t the case for me, nor is it the case for Nicki Mayfield, the main character in my upcoming novel Perfectly Placed, either. When Ben Carrington enters her life, Nicki isn’t all that captivated by him. To her, their relationship is completely platonic. But once they start spending time together things begin to shift. Little by little Nicki realizes Ben really is a good guy. One that might even be able to help her, if she’s willing to take the risk.
Will she? Will they? Find out when book 2 in the Hopeful Heart series, Perfectly Placed, releases July 5th.
About Liana: Liana George is a sought-after speaker, blogger, and author. Before pursuing a career in writing, she was a professional organizer and is the former owner of By George Organizing Solutions in Houston. Her debut novel, Perfectly Arranged, Book One in the Hopeful Heart Series, was released in October 2021 from Scrivenings Press. When she’s not putting things in order or scribbling away, you can find her reading, traveling, or watching tennis.
Liana’s Website Liana’s Facebook
About the book – Perfectly Placed (Book 2 in the Hopeful Heart series:
Nicki’s tasked with making New Hope the perfect place for orphaned children.
So why has everything gone wrong?
Six weeks after leaving China, Nicki Mayfield returns to complete two critical tasks: restore order at New Hope Orphanage and reconnect with the little girl who stole her heart. However, between a stubbornly stone-walling supervisor, missing documents, and personal tragedy, Nicki faces challenges at every turn. Is she the best person to bring order – and longevity – to the place these children call home? Then, with the help of an unexpected ally, Nicki makes a life-altering decision that upends her well-planned life and the lives of those around her. Will she lose it all, or has she found the way to save what matters most?
Can’t wait for the drawing? Worried you won’t win? Haven’t read book 1 yet?
Get your copy/copies now! Perfectly Placed – Print Perfectly Placed – Ebook
Liana’s books – BarnesandNoble Liana’s books – Scrivenings Press
Question for Readers: How did an important relationship in your life take shape? Was it fast friends, love at first sight, or developed over time?
Come back July 1st for part 2 with Liana!
For Tom, he said he knew on our second date that he wanted to marry me. Took me a few months longer.
Love isn’t always instantaneous. I’m just glad you came around 🙂
For my husband me, it was fast friends, because we both agreed that’s all we wanted. Then fast love. We married nine months after we met.
Wow! That’s awesome!! It was meant to be 🙂
My husband said he noticed me the first time we met. We joined the same bowling league and he said he noticed me at the very first meeting. I honestly didn’t notice him right away or pay any attention to him. But he started intentionally talking to me and getting to know me, and after a few months we started going out. The rest is history!
So sweet! I know exactly how you feel. Once we get to know him (our significant other), we know he’s a keeper 🙂
Thank you for having me on your blog this week, Shannon! I love meeting your followers and talking with them 🙂
I saw my husband across the high school campus on his first day and thought, I’m gonna marry him. Based solely on his hair. Thankfully, his personality was even better than his hair. We married four years later. He has no hair now. But he still has the personality and very pretty eyes. And dimples and a cleft chin 🙂
Oh, that’s hilarious!! I can tell from your description of him you’re still madly in love just as you were in high school 🙂
met on a blind date arranged by a friend! dated off and on for over a year and he proposed on Valentine’s Day when we were watching scary movies! was married for 8 1/2 years before divorcing.
I’ve never been on a blind date! I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but at least you have an interesting story to share.
My relationship with my husband developed over time. I am pretty sure he set his sights on me early in our senior year of high school. I had my eye on someone else who wasn’t interested in me at all. A friend finally set up our first date, the senior prom, and the rest is history!
Your first date was prom?? No pressure there!! I guess it was a good things didn’t work out with the first fella 🙂 Sounds like it was meant to be!
Well, that was enjoyable. I’m glad to hear and I’m happy you two are so well-matched. I appreciate how supportive I can tell he is of your writing. You have many outstanding talents and invest them well, but a godly, wise husband also knows how to make his wife shine and isn’t intimidated at all when she does. Kudos to both of you!
Oh, so sweet, Delores!! Thank you! Yes, God perfectly matched us together and I’m grateful every day that He did. I’m blessed beyond measure 😉
I was married to an abusive man for 11 years, so after our divorce, I was through with relationships. I was dealing with my ex husband’s felony child abuse case for beating my daughter, and a friend of mine who works at our local library introduced me to a man who was a former police officer dealing in child crimes, thinking he might could give me some advice. We became friends and would see each other at the library a few times a week. Two years passed and he called me one day. His car had broke down, his friend had chemo, and he wanted to know if I could take them. Of course I said yes, and we started spending four hours a day, two days a week together. I started having feelings for him but I was afraid to be in another relationship, so I didn’t say anything. He ended up going on vacation with me to see my best friend because I needed someone to help with the driving, and I ended up telling him how I felt. July 2nd we will be dating 3 years. My daughters love him and consider him their father, and he’s the best thing that has ever happened to me!
I’m so glad God redeemed your first marriage with a wonderful man! I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that. I pray you’ll continue to be blessed by your relationship now and that wedding bells will ring when the time is right 🙂
My relationship with my husband happened very gradually (at least for me)! He had feelings for me, but I kept saying we were just friends, until one day, I realized there was more to it. Now we’ve been married 28 years, have been through both us having cancer and I’m so very thankful to have a husband who’ll stick by me through thick and thin.
That is a huge blessing! Love doesn’t always strike right away and it sounds like the arrow hit right when it was supposed to. So glad you’ve been blessed with so many years together 🙂
I met my husband on a blind date. We found out we had a lot in common. Despite our fears about a relationship we knew we were meant for a life together. Great like grew into love as the months have gone by.
That is wonderful! I’ve never been on a blind date but it sounds like yours was a huge success. So sweet that great like has grown into so much more 🙂
We met through friends and just hit it off right from the beginning.
Wonderful!! When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be 🙂
Sparks flew from the beginning between my husband and me, but the road to “I do” wasn’t completely smooth…especially after he said those dreaded words, “Let’s be friends,” a few months into our romance. Hurt, I took him at his word and started dating someone else. He changed his mind and started wooing me with a whole lot of enthusiasm. We’ll celebrate our 34th (!!) anniversary in August!
Sorry you had to hear those three dreaded words but glad he wised up and realized what a catch you were/are! Congratulations on 34 years 🙂
I am somewhat introverted so for me it takes me time to develop strong relationships. Having been hurt in the past, I am very cautious about who I let in.
Cherie, that’s completely understandable and wise! I hope someday though, you’ll be able to find that lasting and strong relationship!