Real-Life Love Stories

The Family

Motherboard Moms prove that a real love doesn't need to start with a scandal, heartbreak, or smut (although that makes for a great book!). Their most inspiring stories are ordinary tales of a chance meeting, a maternal memory, unsuspecting chemistry with a stranger, and even simply learning to love yourself.

"I married into the family at 16 years of age. I remember watching my mother-in-law quickly rolling out tortillas while hands from every direction were snagging them up and slathering butter all over them. The kitchen was hot and they were disappearing faster than she could whip them out but she never once complained. In fact, she never complained about anything in the whole time I knew her. She loved seeing her family eat. As a wife and mother, it was a job she took pride in. My mother-in-law passed away five years ago, so every single recipe I have from her is valuable to me. She made the best tortillas I have ever had. I'll never be able to make them like she did but I love her for teaching me and I love making them for my family because it's a small way to honor her. And I know that my family, specifically my husband, loves me for making them because it reminds him of her." —Lori

• My Wooden Spoon

The Instant Connection

"On January 3, 2011, it was 20 years since I've been with my hubby. On December 19, 1990, I was standing outside with some girlfriends. I went in the house for a moment and my friend called me and said 'Girl, this fine guy is walking by!' So I ran out the house and as a sort of joke, I said 'Excuse me, guy in the plaid jacket, come here.' And he did! I was so nervous but we exchanged numbers and it started from there. On January 3, 1991, he asked to be his girl and I said yes!!!" —Val

The Creative Passion

"My current love is 'the love of the bargain hunt.' My family is grown up and so busy doing their own thing, so I do what I love to do—and that is to bargain hunt. I have a small booth in a local antique mall and enjoy decorating it with shabby chic and vintage goodies. It serves as my creative outlet! It lets me be me!" —Candice

The Special Child

"I have three children and I love them all equally, but differently. However, there is one who fills my whole being with a sense of overwhelming love with just a glance, a smile, a quick-witted comment—and sometimes without even noticing I'm there. The thing is—that one is never the same child!"—Janelle

The Love Boat

"This is how I met my love. I worked for a cruise line and wasn't allowed to mix with the passengers. But then this magical man came onboard with 40 of his family members. We met in the disco, talked every night in my club, made eye contact every day on open deck, quietly kissed under the bridge with the night sky and waves as our backdrop, never letting on to anyone else how into one another we were. I could have gotten fired but he respected that and never told anyone. We met off the ship on the day he was flying home to California and then I headed back to the ship to finish cruising out my contract of six months. We talked for a month and I took off work to fly down to see him and he proposed before I had even been there 24 hours! And one week later we were Mr. and Mrs.! We were nuts! People would tell us how nuts were we! Now there are three little ones and six years of hot loving. I met him and married him within a month and a half. How about that! I think the ocean must be a magical place!" —Leah

The Local Hero

"It all started in January 2007 when I was driving my car and got it stuck in the mud/slush/snow. I called my friend Josh who had a truck to come and get it out for me. He just happened to be at his friend Bob's house, which was right by the place I got stuck. Bob, his nephew Chris, and Josh all came out and Chris was the one who pulled me out of the mud. Chris and I got engaged in September, married in January 2008, and now have two beautiful children!" —Ashley

The Acceptance

"I love my thick hair, my strong arms, and legs—and my bustline when it is supported properly...LOL! I think I'm finally at a stage where I'm much more interested in what my body can do than what it looks like! Our bodies are truly amazing works of art and function!!" —Hollie

The One Who Waited

"People always say you can't meet good men at bars. I can testify that's not always true. I had just gotten out of a bad relationship and I was going through a custody battle so meeting a man was the last thing on my mind, but my friends kept begging me to go out dancing with them just to unwind. Finally I caved. We were supposed to meet at a local country-western honky-tonk but my friends were all late arriving. I was sitting at a table by myself when a big old cowboy asked me to dance. I told him I was waiting on friends and he asked if he could keep me company. We began talking and found we had a lot in common. When my friends arrived, I let him lead me out on the dance floor. He was a great dancer so we danced to one song after another. I told him about my kids and my custody situation and made it clear I wasn't looking for a man and he was absolutely respectful of that. At the end of the night he walked me to my car and kissed me on the cheek and asked if he could call me to make sure I got home safely. I gave him my number. Over the next six months he was a great friend to me and he waited patiently for my custody battle to wrap up. When my life became a little more normal we began dating and eventually got married. He swears he fell in love with me at first sight. I fell in love a little later when I realized he really valued me as a person and he was willing to wait until I was ready to love him back." —Mae

The Foot Fetish

"It sounds odd but I love my feet. They look just like my mother's feet. I always give myself a pretty pedicure and they look great, no matter how my weight fluctuates. Every man I have ever dated has loved my feet. It was the first thing my husband told his grandmother about me... 'Mamaw, she even has pretty feet!'" —Deborah

The First Love

"I was in 7th grade at a Friday Night dance held in the school cafeteria, which was next to the gym. All the girls were in the dance area and all the boys were playing basketball. Every couple of songs, the girls would drag the guys in for a slow dance. There was this cute boy, all sweaty, who kind of caught my eye. There was just something in his smile that I just couldn't resist. Although he was sweaty and a bit annoyed to have his game interrupted, he agreed to dance with me. Now, as a 13-year-old, I wasn't allowed to 'date,' but we would meet at movies, sit together at ball games, or just hang with friends. I never got over the smile—we've been married now for 25 years." —Mary