When you're ready to fall in love, you just know it. These lucky lovebirds can remember the exact moment they realized they'd met "The One." True love doesn't get anymore heartwarming than this!
That’s A Keeper
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“I threw up all over his car on our third date. I was totally sober, not sure what happened. Instead of getting mad or upset, he pulled over, helped me clean up, drove me home, and told me not to cry.
Then when we got home, he helped me inside, and sat with my dad while I went off to change and clean up more. He didn’t leave until I came back out and he saw that I was going to be okay. He impressed both my father and myself, and we’re married now.”
The Fault In Our (Gaseous) Stars
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“Ohhhh… I’d love to say it’s when he helped me bury a beloved pet or when he picked me up after a traumatic event and took me for ice cream without being asked.
But honestly…It was the run, fart, fall incident.
You see, he was embarrassed to fart in front of me. So one night, he felt one coming on and tried to run from me to the other room. Well, the floor in the other room wasn’t carpeted, so his feet went right out from under him and he landed on the floor, on his side, in the fetal position.
Then began silently laughing, then farting audibly at the same time.
And since his back was to me and his head obscured by the wall, all I could see was his a– trembling with laughter and farts.”
Dad Jokes Galore
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“She got me on the first date. We had exactly one long pause in conversation at dinner. She held out a salt shaker and her knife and asked, ‘What’s this?’
I was surprised and said, ‘I don’t know.’
‘It’s a salt with a deadly weapon’
She swept me off my feet with a dad joke. We have been together for 10 years, married for three and we have a 7-month-old daughter. I love her.”
By Her Side
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“We’d been dating for five months when I was in a terrible accident. My two boys were fine, but I was critical for days. He was at my bedside every minute he was able. He helped my mom with the boys and even did the grocery shopping for them. That was 22 years ago and he’s still there by my side.”
Through Thick And Thin
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“Had my first migraine with her at my apartment. I told her a few times that I was useless for the rest of the day, and that if she wanted to go home, it was really ok. I encouraged it.
She sat with me through the whole thing, got my laundry that I had started before the migraine hit, folded it all and put it away, got some food in case I wanted to eat, and didn’t judge my gross puking.
She also didn’t judge the random, out of character things I was saying. Migraines are weird.”
“Ohana” Means Family
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“My brother graduated from Marine boot camp, and I wanted to be there. It was, like, 600 miles away, but my SO and I saved up so we could drive down.
At some point, I realized he wasn’t there for me. He was there for him, and for my brother. This wasn’t his girlfriend’s family event he was obligated to go to, this was him supporting someone he loved as well. That’s when I realized he saw my family as his family.”
Road Map To Love
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“We were in a foreign city and I got lost on the second day. I texted him while he was in class, and he somehow managed to find me, despite my awful description of where I was. He’s pretty good at accomplishing the near impossible. We’ve been married 5 years now.”
To Sir, With Love
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“She babied me when I came down with a nasty fever on one of our date nights. She sat by my side all night and dabbed a wet towel on my forehead. This was like three to five months into the relationship. I was in real pain, but she made me feel ok. We’re going on three years.”
That’s What I Call Dedication
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“I was working an OK but low paying job (due to moving to her city without having a job lined up) and the used car I bought when I moved there had a transmission problem about six months after I bought it. There were two or three days that she had to get up a lot earlier and take me to work and come pick me while the car was in the shop and it wasn’t necessarily convenient for her. I remember at one point during those days, I apologized for causing the inconvenience and she said something to the effect of it’s not a problem and that we were in this together. Looking back, it’s something small but I’ve never forgotten it.”
When Even Mom Loves Him…
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“My mom hated all my boyfriends. Didn’t matter who. But when I brought my SO to meet her for the first time nine years ago, she was pretty ‘blah’ until he started asking about my Type 1 Diabetes, and how to take care of it, what it entailed. None of the others ever asked, or cared.
After that, he just meshed really well into my family. It was like he was already part of it. We stayed together. But him caring enough about the T1 diabetes was major because IT IS a major part of who I am. If I’m not careful, or something happens…low blood sugar can kill me. Because he knows all my signs, he knows exactly when I need something. He even knows my insulin ratios. We’ve been together 9 years, and married for 4.”
Hot, Peppery Love
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“My SO took the ‘Labour of Hercules’ challenge and it almost killed her, but I’ve never been more impressed in my life.
This particular insane hot burger challenge is offered by Olympus Burger in lovely Port Hope, Ontario. Piled to the brim with the worlds hottest peppers; Carolina Reapers, Ghost Peppers, Scorpion Peppers, all the nastiest, meanest Hellfire you can image. The large portions of death sauce seems to emit a red aura and if you listen carefully, it moans the names of folks who have wronged you in the past.
You have to sign a waiver. They explicitly tell you this burger will ruin your week. So, naturally, I asked her to try it.
Picture a beautiful women crushing this burger, and although in great sweating agony, still smiling and making conversation. I can’t remember what I ordered or ate because I was locked onto her awesomeness.
Nearing the finish, her demeanor twisted. While able to push past the searing mouth pain, her stomach was not as battle hardened as needed. They only allow one tall glass of water and 15 short minutes to complete the burger and she could no longer muster the fortitude to swab the plate of the last goop of Satan’s spittle.
She tapped out, defeated in the eyes of the restaurant, but she had won my heart forever.
Now, the ride home was rough. We got her as far as the lawn before she collapsed.
The delicious pink strawberry milkshake they give you after the burger is a cruel consolation prize. I’ll always have fond memories of her throwing up the pinkest hue of vomit on the lawn. The cutest stream of cotton candy yak mixed with the reddest demon pepper spawn. She won my heart with her strength and determination. Her ability to push herself to the edge and do something I couldn’t dream of.”
In This Together
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“Obviously, I really thought he was the one before I agreed to marry him, and I never really had any cold feet. But I may have had that lingering, teeny ‘what if’ voice pop up in my head every once in awhile if not for my wedding day. Somehow, we ended up with a copy of his handwritten vows with our ceremony, but no copy of mine.
The second that we realized that and my cheeks started to flush (I am not witty and have crippling social anxiety, so it was hard for me to be the center of attention anyway, much less make up some wedding vows on the fly in front of everyone I care about), he grabbed his, crumpled them up, and threw them over his shoulder. He looked me in the eyes and his look said, ‘If you’re going to do it, I’m going to do it too, I won’t make you go through it alone.’ From that moment, I have never doubt that I made the right decision in saying yes to him.”
A Family Affair
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“Although many things did it previously, the one true moment involved my alcoholic father ruining our evening at my cousin’s wedding.
It was my younger cousin’s wedding and we had grown up together. Although not close as adults, we were very close as kids. In fact, my sister told me that he had really looked up to me as a man that chose his own path and didn’t follow the family’s drinking culture. He even asked me to be a groomsmen, which surprised the h— out of me.
Anyways, I had told my father that this is an important wedding and he needs to take it easy. Literally told him to not get blasted. He scolded me for telling my own father what to do.
As the day proceeds, things go well. During the reception everybody is drinking casually, dancing, having a great time. My sister and I are not. We’re being as vigilant as possible; one eye on our dad at all times. Is he at the bar again? Where is he now? How drunk does he look?
Things continue to go well. My sister takes my dad’s keys, passes them to me, and says she’s going back to the hotel. I say no prob. The crowd dwindles to close family and friends, and I’m dancing with my girlfriend. I look over to my father and happen see him getting introduced to the bride’s aunt by the bride’s father. I can’t hear him them, but all of a sudden the bride’s father has his fist back and is about to punch my dad in the face.
Luckily a bunch of guys get between them. I’m immediately in police mode: grab my dad, apologize to everybody, and drag him out. He can’t understand why everybody is upset. He can barely speak. We get outside and he asks for his keys, and I do my best not to lose it. My girlfriend follows us quietly.
I tell her to walk ahead of us. I am literally carrying him by the neck of his suit. He cannot walk and is blabbering about how unfair the world is and asking why this happens to him. At that point, I feel like a child. My emotions are bubbling to the surface and the damaged kid inside me is hurting bad, but I am too focused on controlling the situation to let him take over. My girlfriend walks quietly ahead, knowing that I am in control mode and trying to just get this over with. She respected the situation and kept her distance.
Strangers in cars are laughing at me and my dad. I am so ashamed. We get back to the hotel finally and get in an elevator. At this point, I am lecturing my dad and yelling. I know he has no idea what I’m saying because he’s so far gone, but I can’t help it. As we exit into the hallway he stops and exclaims that he’s going back to the wedding. At this point, I am threatening to knock him out and call the cops myself. He doesn’t move.
My girlfriend sees me breaking and steps up. She yells at him to go back to his room repeatedly. I’m immediately blown away at the courage of her. Because of her, he finally agrees and I take him back to his room while my gf goes back to ours. I try to tell him I love him, he needs to stop drinking, etc. He’s too drunk to understand anything. I close the door, sit outside his room and cry my face off. I sit there for 30 minutes to make sure he doesn’t try to leave. I have completely converted to the damaged fat kid that grew up with an alcoholic father.
I get myself together and go back to the reception hall and apologize to my cousin, his bride, and both families individually. On my way back to the hotel, I cry more. By the time I get back to my room, my girlfriend is waiting and worried.
She comforted me quietly while I cried. She reminded me that I did the best I could and that she was proud of how I handled the situation. In that moment, I realized she was my true family. She respected my space when I needed it, defended and supported me when I was weak, and made me feel whole when I was broken in the span of an hour or so. I realized I had a partner, not a girlfriend. That was it for me.”
Food Poisoning Can Bring Anyone Together
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“This was maybe a month into our relationship. We went out to a fancy dinner for his birthday and I got food poisoning. I spent the rest of the night in the fetal position, moaning about the shooting pain in my stomach and how I felt as though I was ruining his birthday. He reassured me that I wasn’t and never left my side. The last thought I had that night before falling asleep was that I knew I loved him.”
There When He Didn’t Have To Be
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“When I was in the emergency room with severe stomach pains and had to have a vaginal exam, the doctor kept telling my SO over and over again that he could leave (‘All the boyfriends and husbands do, it’s too awkward for you to have to see’), until finally he was like, ‘My girlfriend is lying in a hospital bed right now, where the f— else do you think I’d wanna be?’ He didn’t leave my side or let go of my hand the whole day that I was there.
It’s a little thing I guess, but it meant so much and it’s always reminded me he’s a cut above the rest. I think a lot of people might have stayed out of obligation, but he genuinely would not want to be anywhere else. I’ve never known someone as loyal and pure-hearted.”
A Cry For Help
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“This might be very personal, but it meant the world to me. I’ve suffered from depression since high school and when I was around 20 I had a really, really, REALLY bad night. Those of you that are familiar with depression may understand, but I was just paralyzed with suicidal thoughts and catatonic, etc. We had just started living together and he had always shaved with a straight razor, explaining to me how superior of an experience it was to anything else. Anyway, that night, after hours of crying and talking and me curled up, basically a potato of despair, I finally confessed to him that I was having suicidal thoughts and they come often. He asked what specifically and I just mentioned his razors. He looked me in the eyes and without a word, left the room, gathered his giant 100 box of straight razors and walked outside to the dumpster and threw them out.
It’s been about three years and I still struggle, but he hasn’t gone back to shaving that way since. He doesn’t even complain about his disposables or anything. I know that he doesn’t think it was a big deal, just something he needed to do and the fact that he did so without any hesitation just made me realize that he was going to be there for me through it all, and I wanted to do the same for him. We’re married now and have two little fur babies so, so far so good!”
You Learn Something New Everyday
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“I met him at 21 and the first time we went out, I told him I didn’t have a license and had never driven a car before. He was surprised and got quiet, he then pulled into some parking lot, got out of the car and told me to get in the driver’s seat. He taught me how to drive right then and there. I instantly felt so safe with him.
It will soon be five years together. I love him so much. I’ve also gotten my license and a car since then!”
What’s Not To Love?
Shutterstock/Kate Kultsevych
“We had only been dating about two months, hadn’t said I love you yet or anything. It was the middle of the afternoon. I was laying in bed, he was standing by my bedroom window, butt a– naked. He picked up my copy of ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ from the shelf by the window, flipped it open to a random page, and began reading aloud.
After a paragraph or so he stopped and said, ‘I’m not very good at reading aloud, but sometimes I do it when I’m alone to practice for when I’m reading to my kids someday.’ Then he continued reading.
In that moment he was the most beautiful and wonderful thing I’d ever seen. I knew I was all in at that point.”
Hide Your Grandmas
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“At my grandparents’ 50th anniversary, in which they had a renewal of vows ceremony and reception, I had been preoccupied in assisting throughout the festivities. Later that night, I noticed my SO was sitting with my other grandmother, who had been all alone in the back of the reception hall. She has ALS, so moving around with her wheelchair was often a hassle and others who were seated at her table had been long gone. He sat with her all night, keeping her company and humoring her to the point she was laughing so hard I thought she would fall out of her chair. It just absolutely warmed my heart. She absolutely adores him, as do I and the rest of my family.
He’s the love of my life and we’ve been together now for over 4 years.”
Jack Of All Trades
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“First date with my (now) wife. I had little to no money, but we met online and she wanted to hang out that evening. I picked her up and we went to a park.
We sat there for hours, sharing music and swapping stories in my car. After the sun went down, we were approached by a police cruiser. The officer comes over, expresses that he is just happy we are wearing clothes, and tells us to leave.
Of course, after hours of listening to music in the car, it wouldn’t start and needed a jump. He pulled his car up to mine, popped his hood, and stood there, confused, because he had a newer model cruiser and couldn’t locate the posts to give me a jump.
Girl gets out of the car. She takes the cables, informs the officer that her uncle is also a cop, and proceeds to jump the car on her own.
Never. Looked. Back.”