And They Call It...Puppy Love

(Blog Challenge: Describe your first love...)

I'm truly a romantic at heart. I read a variety of series growing up and always loved the plot line that dealt with the budding romance. Lurlene McDaniel, Ann M. Martin...I created perfect relationships in my mind and decided that my love life was going to be epic. I would have great loves. Not just simple loves but great ones.

One of the first memories I have goes all the way back to preschool. We carpooled out to my preschool. Higglety Pigglety. There was a small group of children whose mothers rotated each week. We'd pack into the car, backpacks ready to go, and chat all the way down the gravel roads. One young boy, let's call him Boy A, had my undying love. I vividly remember coming home from preschool one night and getting ready to take a bath. I always had the best talks with my mom while getting ready for the bath. I'd usually perform a dance or two to my Little Mermaid soundtrack, have a discussion about how to do my hair, decide which roll-on soap to use (thank you Avon), you know...girl stuff. This particular evening, though, my mom informed me that Boy A's mom had talked to her about having a play date. I was elated. I could not believe I was going to get to go over to his house! After an extensive conversation about the event, I remember telling my mother,

"I think I should bring Swiss Cake Rolls. That would really make him happy."

When the day arrived, I packed my little sack up with Swiss Cake Rolls and practically bounced to his house. It wasn't epic. Pretty sure we played with baseball cards all day. But it was the beginning of a long line of puppy love memories. 

Elementary school, middle school, and high school brought it's own set of great loves (or so I thought) and great heartaches. I don't think I ever prepared myself for that. We'll put Boy B, Boy C, and Boy D in there. In the stories I read there was always a happily ever after (except in Lurlene McDaniel...those usually just ended tragically). It never crossed my mind that my heart could be broken. And it was. In the worst way. My first love was in high school and in my mind it was epic. I fell in love and I fell hard....never thinking that I would be faced with heartache. Boy E. I don't really want to write any more than that. I think it's pointless to dwell on the past. When I remember high school, I remember it fondly. I look back on those years with no regrets. I loved, loved hard, and was taught great lessons about dusting myself off when I got knocked down. 

And it brought me to Boy F. He doesn't need to remain nameless. Without all those other roads, I never would have made my way to Doug. And we'll save that love story for another day.