Another Valentines Day

This Valentine's Day has got me thinking about Valentine's Days gone by and of where my life has been the past Valentine's compared to where I am now and where I'm going. I thought it would be a fitting time to tell a Valentine story from my past that will tie in nicely with my Valentine story this year.
It was February 1994 and I was at a dance at the Star Valley High School Annex building, a Valentine's Day dance. Not a formal dance~just an annex dance, but these were "the place to be" on a Friday night! I was 15 years old. My friend Shanie and I got a ride from her dad to the dance and our friend Leda said we could get a ride home with her and her brothers. So at this dance there was a boy that I really wanted to dance with, and a couple of times I almost went and asked him to dance but my courage wasn't quite there. I'd never met him before so the chance of him asking me to dance wasn't oh so high. I finally decided that the dance was almost over and I had to meet him so being the brave girl (that I was forcing myself to be) off I went to ask him to dance. He was surprised that I was asking him instead of one of his friends but he said yes and then I waited while he wrestled with his friend Jason to give him his hat back then out to the dance floor we went. I don't remember the song, I can't believe I don't remember the song, but for the sake of letting the story flow we'll say it was probably a Bon Jovi song:). We introduced ourselves then he propped his head on mine and chewed his gum through the whole song~and I was giddy! When the song ended we did the high school kid protocol and I went straight back to stand with my friends and he went right back over to his group of friends & shortly after that the dance ended. As Shanie and I were leaving with Leda I was kind of kicking myself for not talking to him more, and thinking that at school on Monday I'd have to be creative to find him. Then we got to the car and there he was!! I was happy to find that he was one of Leda's brothers and would be giving us a ride home! I am sure I was much too nervous to say anything on the rest of the car ride but just sitting behind him was ever so thrilling! A few days later he called me and the next few years were a whirlwind of wonderful wistful happy first love memories being made. Really wonderful the memories we made, keep in mind that we lived in one of the most beautiful places I can think of so so many of these memories take place with gorgeous backdrops, beautiful mountain trails, meadows by the river, breathtaking sunsets. Oh, and a blue car. I'm so thankful that he was in my life then.
Then we were out of touch for a decade. (I will gloss over the "end"~we were so young and immature and I was a brat).
And recently he has walked back into my life. And I am amazed at how lucky I am to have a chance to be that silly, giddy, twiterpated, smiling , laughing girl with him again! I am amazed at how it feels like it still just fits after all this time and I am amazed at the depth of my feelings after all this time. I think maybe you can only fall in love like that once. And how lucky are John and I that we found our way back to it?