"Some Enchanted Evening" Submissions
Set 1

"Some Enchanted Evening" Home

My husband and I met at a silent retreat at a convent. It was March, 1997. We were at a weekend silent retreat at the convent of the Little Sister of the Poor, an order of Episcopal nuns, near Baltimore.

Before the silence began, all 15 participants introduced themselves. Turns out he and I went to the same church. I had seen him but he didn't know me. We started talking and kept it up into the chapel. We were severely admonished by Fr. Edward.

Back at our home parish in Washington, I asked a good friend if my husband was straight or gay since there are many terrific gay men in our parish. His response, "Straight but eccentric."

We celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary on July 4, 2003. Thank goodness we were both chatty when we shouldn't have been.

Beverly Dame, Lyndonville, VT

My 35th birthday was coming up and I had been alone for a couple of years. I decided that it was time for me to meet a decent man. I believe the best way to meet the best people is to let the people you know, trust, and love offer introductions. I threw myself a "Bring a Date for Deb" party on my birthday. I offered prizes to anyone who brought someone that I hadn't met before. A few friends brought guys, a couple brought boxes of dates and one brought a dip (she misunderstood).

As the party was getting underway my phone rang and a man asked to speak to my brother in law, Denny. After taking the call Denny left my house and returned shortly with another car following. I watched from the front window as a very good looking, well-dressed man got out of the second car and came to the door with my brother-in-law. Denny introduced me to his co-worker John who presented me with a birthday gift! Needless to say Denny won the door prize and 10 and a half years later John and I still spend our birthdays together. And I would like to publicly thank Denny for the best birthday present ever.

Deborah Poncelet, St. Paul, MN

"Mexico and Minnesota, connected by love!" My fiancé and soul mate, Sasha, and I met in San Antonio, Texas while we were attending a Sunday meditation session at our Buddhist Center. She had recently moved to San Antonio and had just recently begun to attend the Center so that Sunday after the meditation session while getting a glass of water at the kitchen, we introduced ourselves and after a few minutes we started talking about our lives as if we had been with each other forever.

From the moment I saw her I knew that I had been with her throughout many lifetimes because I had never felt so happy and comfortable with anybody else in my life. That day we stayed talking for a few hours and have been together ever since.

I am originally from Mexico City and she is from Minneapolis but our love and ancient connection is so strong that each of us travel over a thousand miles away from our hometowns to find each other.

San Antonio is a very romantic city and we are both very happy that we met there. We spent many romantic evenings walking by the River Walk, eating Mexican food at the restaurants by the river, listening to mariachis and dancing to Latin Music.

We always remember that from the moment we started talking we noticed how many things we had in common, for example we both speak each other's languages, we both had traveled to different countries, she had studied in Spanish in Mexico and knew my culture very well; I had lived in the Midwest before and had spent two years in northern Europe where her ancestors are from.

Every day that we are together is full of love, passion, and happiness. People always tell us that we look as if we were on our honeymoon and that is exactly how we feel. We are always grateful to have the opportunity to spend everyday together and love each other immensely.

Sasha and I are expecting our first baby in a couple of weeks and are planning to get married at a beach in Oaxaca, Mexico in May.

Aaron Guevara, Minneapolis, MN

You just never know what is going to send that love trill tingling down your spine and straight back into your heart. Back in May 1976 I was visiting my friend David Weiner on Friday afternoon before I had to go to work at Cambridge State Hospital. A knock came at the door and I opened the door to see this wild-haired redhead, with full red beard, wearing a white shirt, sleeves rolled up, blue jeans, red suspenders, with a backpack and a German Shepard. The afternoon sun shined through his red hair, beard, and red arms. Then he smiled and I melted! He said he was Tom Nelson and he had just hitch-hiked back from California and thought he should stop in and let his friend David know, and to catch up on everyone. We all talked and the more he said the more my heart melted. I knew right then that this was the man for me and I would marry him someday.

I went to work, and didn't see Tom again for a few months. We met again on the Cambridge baseball field where a bunch of us were playing softball. I took right field and Tom center field. That same stirring came to my heart as we played, smiled and laughed. I even coaxed his dog Duke to sit by me in the field as we played ball, this seemed to impress him. But Tom was off again and not to be seen for a couple months, later I learned he was up north, buying land. The next time he was in town he asked my friend David if he knew where I lived. David told him sure, and mentioned that I could use some help cutting firewood and fixing some frozen water pipes. Well Tom showed up at my door with a smile, axe in hand, and plumbing tools. We spent the next month getting to know each other, then he took off in the 1977 blizzard, hitch-hiking back to California to visit his parents. We wrote love letters for the next two months, which I still keep in my drawer.

My "North Woods Man" came back, we moved up north to 40 acres near Sebeka MN, build a 14X16 foot "home" with no electricity or running water, and got married at the Wadena County Court House Oct. 6,1977. We have 5 great children, and the home is much larger and has all the modern conveniences! After 25 years the thought of Tom in blue jeans, white shirt and red suspender sends that trill deep into my heart, and I smile. I am blessed by him everyday!

Katie Nelson, Sebeka, MN

This is a true "70's story". I was at a wild party at my shrink's house. (see, I told you it was a 70's story). Across the room a short, skinny guy with hair down to the middle of his back walks over where I am sitting on a sagging couch. I start to get up to talk with him, he leans over to talk to me over the din of "Jefferson Starship". Our lips met.

Our lips have been meeting for the last 26 years. (with shorter hair and a few more pounds).

Diane W. Carr, New Hope, MN

It was Halloween when my good friend from graduate school casually introduced me to his best friend Brian. Brian was Indiana Jones, and I was a Flying Elvis -- complete with wig, parachute, and battery powered lights. Brian thought I was too tall, he says. How would he know with those 70's style clogs I was wearing?

But height was no object the next time we met. It was much more fun without our Halloween masks -- and should I say, without the clogs? Soon, on the wishbone from the holiday turkey, he wished that I was "the one". Turns out, he got the long piece.

One year later Brian told me about his wish while down on one knee. "Will you make my wish come true and marry me?" he asked. I said yes without a single doubt.

As a girl I thought Indiana Jones would make a great catch! The real Brian is even better.

Kim Farris-Berg, Minneapolis, MN

As my husband is delighted to tell anyone who asks, we met because I "picked him up on Hennepin Avenue" in 1981. If the truth be known, it was actually the intersection of Hennepin and Franklin Avenues and not what one might otherwise assume. He had called my organization because he registered to attend one of our educational programs up in Brooklyn Center and was looking for someone to catch a ride with from south Minneapolis because his car had been stolen. I agreed to pick him up on the condition he show up at 7:15 a.m. so I would not be late to staff the program. He was there on time, but was practically silent all the way to the hotel and keeping the conversation going was a lot of work. I thought he was the quietest man I'd ever met. As I found out much later, he was barely awake at that hour and found himself "defenseless" in the company of a perky morning person.

We kept running into each other at a number of work-related events the next couple of years and exchanged only pleasantries. In October of 1983 we attended the same national conference in Chicago. He was in a group of people that the CEO of our organization knew very well, so he was around at social gatherings, etc. One afternoon she and I were tired of attending the many, many meetings and decided to play hooky. She had run into my husband-to-be and invited him to go along with us to the Museum of Natural History. Shortly into our tour she grew tired and sat down on a bench, saying she'd catch up with us in a few moments. So off he and I went while she soundly slept for at least 1/2 hour.

That gave us enough time to enjoy each other's company (he was talking and alert then) which we did. In fact we had such a good time we made plans for a date, which for various [reasons] didn't happen until early 1984. We were married in 1987, have 2 children and are avid Morning Show fans -- even if one of us isn't quite awake!

Heidi Simpson Tjeltveit, Minneapolis, MN
Heidi's story was chosen to be retold at the live show in Worthington, Minnesota, on Friday, February 14, 2003. Read the script.

While in college I played basketball. To make some spending money I was given the job of answering the phone in the evening at the field house, a phone that never rang. During my "work time" I would study and watch intramural basketball teams play. One night, while I was working, a player suffered a nasty sprain and began to hop toward the training room for some ice. Because the training room was down a flight of stairs I offered to fetch the ice for him. As he soaked his ankle I sat with him and chatted. I learned he was a Fertile man... from Fertile, Minnesota. Though I had never seen him before I began to see him at our practices. Some may have thought him a stalker, I knew better. Through the power of pain I had met my love.

Karen Simmons, Waseca, MN

There is such a thing as love at first sight! I would like to start by saying I was a farm girl come to the big city (Minneapolis) to live and work. I was reserved and rather shy and would never consider taking a ride with a stranger until...

I worked at a grocery store and was in uniform and on my way to work. As I came out of my apartment building, Mike came out of the one next door. We said "hi" (I thought he was really good looking) and went on our way. I had walked about a block when he drove by in his car ('69 Mustang Convertible!) and asked if I wanted a ride to work (about 4 blocks away). I said "No, that's okay, it's not far". He said, "I going there anyway to cash a check". I thought to myself "what can happen, it's 4 p.m. and he looks honest" (dumb, or what?! - I knew better!) I kept my hand on the door handle the whole way there, but I had read him right, he was honest. He asked me out and one week later proposed to me. I said, "YES!" and we were married 5 months later! All of this in 1971! We have been happily married for 31+ years, have two wonderful sons, a daughter-in-law, and a grandbaby on the way. In closing, I didn't read him quite as well as I thought. He wasn't honest with the "I have to cash a check" part, he had $100 in his pocket already!

Debbie Robinson, Finland, MN

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