Love Fireworks: "The Moment I Knew I Was In Love Was When..."
Fireworks don't just happen on the 4th of July. They happen every day to people--like these Betty readers--who have fallen head-over-heels in love.
By Faye Brennan, BettyConfidential.com
I'll admit it -- I get choked up on the 4th of July when the black sky above me erupts with beautiful flashes of light. Fireworks are an exciting display that overwhelm the senses. They're magical and so different than anything you come across in everyday life. I can't help that they evoke a feeling in me that anything is possible.
Perhaps that's why Katy Perry wrote a song about them.
I get the same feeling from time to time, but it has nothing to do with celebrating America's independence. It happens during those rare, but unforgettable moments when I realize I am completely, unabashedly, "there are 100 butterflies in my stomach" in love with someone. I call that "Love Fireworks."
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The last time I felt them was about three years ago. I had only been dating my boyfriend at the time for a few months. We were soberly walking home from an uneventful night at the bar with some friends. As we made our way home hand-in-hand along the dark streets of Boston, I realized that there was absolutely nowhere else I wanted to be -- being there with him in that moment was just too perfect. It was then that I realized, "Wow, I really love this person," and it happened to be the first time I said it out loud.
Like real fireworks, our relationship eventually fizzled out, but that moment will stay with me forever.
I know I'm not the only one who has experienced "Love Fireworks" first hand, which is why I asked some of our readers to share their own stories. Here they are below:
"My husband and I were pretty freshly dating and I dared to invite him to a family holiday function. It ended up being one of those bad holiday gatherings -- an aunt and uncle were fighting and not speaking, children were crying, someone was mad at someone else and blew the whole event off, and everyone was very tense. My boyfriend was at the front of the house looking out the window. I thought he was staring at the outside wishing to be anywhere else. I went to check on him and he said, 'This is prefect, this is my dream house and what a great family.' I knew then, this was the man for me. He didnt see us for all the minor issues of the day, he just saw us as a family." -- Amanda O.
"My boyfriend had gone camping in New Mexico with his friends. I was really missing him but he wasn't due home for two days. When I got home that day, he was waiting for me in front of my apartment with a bucket full of wildflowers from the mountain in New Mexico. I was so surprised he was there! I loved that my apartment was full of these beautiful flowers that looked like sunflowers (my favorite)." -- Dawn Q.
"When I was growing up, my dad used to buy me a lot of beautiful jewelry. My favorite piece was a big pair of diamond earrings that he gave me for my twenty-first birthday. Eventually, my house was robbed and they took all of my jewelry. One day I got a card from my guy that said, 'I know these aren't as big as what your father could get you, but I want to help you start building that jewelry collection again.' In the box was a pair of diamond earrings. It meant so much to me because I know it wasn't easy for him to be able to afford those. I started crying and melted inside. I haven't taken them off since. Of course, there were so many other signs, but it was right then I knew he was the one." -- Tracy G., 31, CT
"I can still remember it like it was this morning. I had been head over heals for a guy that was a coworker. One day, I bought tickets to Mama Mia, and jokingly asked him if he would like to go on a 'Date' with me. The next morning I was at work sitting in the teacher's lounge, when I received an email from him. It read, 'I wanted to ask you a question and hope that this doesn't affect out friendship. But, I was wondering if we could make the 'Date' into a real Date. I have to admit that since the moment I met you, I fell completely in love with you.' I can't even explain the feeling that rushed through my body when I read the first lines. It felt like someone had strapped me to a seat that all of the sudden shot straight up through the ceiling, through the roof, and into the clouds. I actually screamed out loud and completely scared all of the teachers that were sitting in the lounge quietly waiting for their next class." -- Jacob Y., 34, Washington D.C.
"About a year ago, I thought that maybe I was getting feelings for one of my good guy friends. I resisted because I didn't want to mess things up with him. I was in LA for the weekend and we were out at a bar to see his friend's band play. He got mad at me for something and as I went to walk away he said, 'And I am SO sick of watching you date other guys and hearing about all the bad things that they do to you. I am going to make a move!' And the rest is history. I've moved to LA and we just celebrated our one year anniversary." -- Traci C., 39, CA
"I met my husband two years ago via Match.com. What can I say, it was love at first sight! My heart was pounding. We had dinner in Santa Monica and walked out to the beach after. That is where we had our first kiss. In the background, there were fireworks on the pier. It was so fitting because I truly felt fireworks when we kissed. His heart was pounding too, and we both commented on it. He joked, 'Look what I had arranged for you,' and pointed to the fireworks in the distance. We joke now that we truly had fireworks on our first date in every sense of the word!" -- Lindsley L., 42, CA
Tell us: what was your "love fireworks" moment?
Faye Brennan is senior editor at BettyConfidential.
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