A Charming Love Affair

Love affairs; most people either want one, have had one or wish for one; sometimes they last for a day, for weeks, or for years. I can say that my love affair with my now husband and Pandora Charms have been symbolic and parallel in my relationship with my husband and in our adventurous courtship.

I met my husband in an unusual way, at my niece's first birthday party. He was the invited stranger, through mutual friends that thought he and I would be a nice couple. I was very reluctant to be set up but willing to meet the strange mystery man in an attempt to hush our mutual friends so I could continue my life in single-bliss. However, I knew at the first sight of this extremely cute guy, with a sigh of 'Oh-Oh' that my potential single bliss-hood may be coming to a screeching end.

I am not a huge follower of American football, my suitor was - and a Minnesota Vikings fan to end it all. He was even dressed in head to toe Vikings garb that first day we met, I am a Rival teams fan and this was the set up of our first chance discussions at the nieces one year old birthday party. It was fun to razz one another on the basis of football fan-hood, and the comparison of team super bowl wins. I have to add this enchanted detail because it leads into the reason why I have multiple purple colored beads on my bracelet. As one may be aware, the Minnesota Vikings colors are purple and gold! But, my favorite color is purple, not to be related to the Minnesota Vikings - only because it is the prettiest, royalist, girly color I can imagine and have loved this color since a little girl.

Needless to say this mystery man and I did begin to date. We had so much fun hanging out, trying new foods, seeing new movies, all those fun elements of a new friendship. Eventually, my birthday came around and that weird issue of purchasing a birthday gift for the new girlfriend. My new boyfriend went to my older sister for guidance on a gift. Thankfully, she was the one who had begun my new and yet mostly empty Pandora Charm Bracelet - she was the perfect reference for him. My older sister directed him to the charms and so began another streamline of gifts to my wrist. Only, this new man had a twisted, humorous, aspect to his personality and remembering the rivalry of our football teams decided to use this against me at this vulnerable birthday gift opportunity.

On my birthday, he took me to watch a movie, out for Italian food and then a walk down a city street with cobble stone streets. As karma would have it we passed a jewelry store with the Pandora beads displayed. I immediately planted my feet and did the "oohs" and "aahs" of all the charms I could fancy on my bracelet. I even commented on a purple colored stone charm as I went through each one mostly for myself more than for him. We eventually left that glass display of all those fun and beautiful beads and decided to end the night at my house. While sitting on the couch chatting he faked a sneeze and accidentally dropped something in my lap. I saw it was a birthday present. I opened this box and there was another wrapped box inside, after two more wrapped boxes I was delighted to finally open the final box and there inside was a Pandora Sterling Silver Charm with Amethyst Stones. I laughed in delight and at the irony that we had just previously that same night, been gawking at these in that picture window of the jewelry shop. I will always remember him saying to me, "I was so relieved when you said that you like the color purple", he then also added the twist that it was his favorite color because of the Minnesota Vikings!! I renamed the team at this time the 'ViQueens', and have referred to them as such since; to my delight and definitely not his.

Our young and fresh relationship lasted a short four months before he was relocated with the United States Air Force to the other side of the world from where we were then living. We both understood that we were young and would be going our separate ways by choice. This agreement was still met with a bit of hesitation as well as happiness that we had met each other and experienced many fun filled times. The weekend before he left we hung out with his buddies at a going away party, this is a typical early twenties people party with the goal of getting the person who is leaving - drunk. Well, needless to say his buddies did a great job on us both; we still laugh at the craziness of that party, no real stupidity was displayed besides drinking too much. The next morning he was getting on a plane to leave for good, we had not even exchanged address information because it was really unknown where we were both individually heading. So, this was it - the end - Hasta le vista baby. He drove me home and we said our goodbye with a simple hug and kiss. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a free standing Pink Glass Bead Charm and handed it to me. He explained that it is simple and sweet, just how he saw our relationship. There was so much calmness to that moment and that bead. I had to put it right next to the purple stone bead to calm the energies of those charms. I had to agree, that bead did give a lot of resemblance to our small love affair of only several months time. I got out of the car and he drove away and out of my life for an entire year!

Fast forward a whole year later. It is now Christmas, I am back home going to college; I keep having this little voice wonder into my head quizzing my busy brain about that lost boyfriend from a year prior. All I have in my possession is his parents' address that was given to me via a friend of his prior to my departure home after the breakup. I decide to send him a Christmas card without any of my updated information to just send 'Merry wishes'. I put a blank envelope with my Christmas card into a bigger envelope addressed to his parents with a small message to please forward it on to him wherever he may be. I mailed it one day, and guess what is in the mail the very next day? Yes, a Christmas card to me, from him. I am shocked at how the universe works; He had gotten my parents address from my sister prior to his leaving a year earlier. He used the reasoning that he had not contacted me because he had misplaced my address in his move. Well, we ended up talking on the phone weeks later and he ended up sending me a 'late' Christmas present. What could it be? Of course, it was the only trinket that he remembered that I adored; those Pandora charms, in what color? Of course, it could only be purple. So, days later I receive a package in the mail, this time only one wrapped box and upon opening this gift I note the Purple Glass Bead with the triangle pattern to it. WOW, what a great memory he had, not for placing addresses obviously, but to remember that detail was very honest and admirable. I loved the second glass bead to equalize my bracelet out, and of course the purple carried on my favorite color theme and the rival football debate.

What holiday comes after Christmas, the holiday of lovers and cupid, Valentines day? Well, by this time he was heading to Saudi Arabia, his third time over to the 'desert' as it is referred to by enlisted men and women. We spend a lot of time writing and reading letters, an occasional phone call that was being monitored by the government, so talk was very courteous. Our friendship began to re-blossom as we embarked on these honest courtships. We were still very far apart from each other, even though we were on the same land mass known as America. I sent him a 'care package' for Valentine's Day, full of things that warmed his heart like home made cookies and fudges, fun books, news-clippings to read, and funny jokes to share. After his several month stay he returned to the homeland, he had mentioned that he had the 'perfect' Valentine's Day gift chosen but was unable to purchase it in the 'desert'. I sent my reassurance that a gift was not actually necessary so far beyond the actual holiday, but one day to my enlightenment, I was surprised and so happy to see in the mail the Circle Charm with the Inlaid Pink Hearts.

Yeah, my heart sang - he must really like me because a boy does not get a girl anything with hearts on it unless he really, really likes her. My little spirits were lifted to a whole new level. This little charm opened my eyes and ears to what was maybe not being said. Could it be time to see each other again?

Ironic - my favorite word. It envelopes my life thus far, so many events and stories end up with too much irony that sometimes I do not even believe it. This is exactly what happens next. The following school year I had transferred colleges and moved to a different town. My college girlfriend had a boyfriend who enlisted in the United States Air Force and got stationed on the same base as my old flame, now new friend. But, not only are these two men on the same base they are in back to back barracks! They end up living about 200 feet from one another just by ironic chance. My friend and I decide to fly out to see them for a two week visit, this is very intimidating as Greg and I had not seen one another for a long time. My girlfriend and I make all the plans, schedule the flight, pack our bags and go off to see our men. I arrive in the airport to be snuck up on from the back and spooked. Ahh, a huge hug and many smiles later we were back into the groove of getting along. Our next two weeks were filled with more adventures, travels, and meeting the next group of buddies. Our travels took us to Washington state and we saw as much of it as possible. About the time we were ready to leave, Greg had decided to carry on the charm gift tradition, this was a true gift to a man - an absolute gift that he knew I would love. My parting gift was given to me on Peuget sound in Seattle; it was after going out to eat with our travel mates. We were sitting on the edge of the dock watching the sun set, the water was calm, it was miraculously not raining. He had asked me to show him my charm bracelet and to tell him about all the charms on it, I gave him a puzzled look since most of the stories were about him. "Okay", I thought, I began to go through them one by one - wait a minute this little Sterling silver Charm with the Light Pink Stones is NEW! Do, you know that while I showered that morning, he got a hold of my bracelet and figured out how to add a charm without me ever noticing! I had to question him on this one, he told me he cheated, when he bought the charm at a local jewelry store he had the jeweler teach him how the bracelet works to add charms too. Crafty little "ViQueens" fan this one is! Needless, to say I flew back home with my girlfriend and we continued a long distance relationship/friendship for several more months.

Over the next couple of visits and more trips to the 'desert' for him, I graduate from college; he relocated, we broke up and then made up, and then got married!

I love the photo I attached because in it I notice that as I am holding my Pandora Charm Bracelet I have on my opal necklace and my wedding ring that are all from my loved man who is now my husband, all gifts from him to me, all there to commemorate some very meaningful and special event and emotion in our lives that we have shared and will hopefully remember and cherish forever. Of course nothing overtakes my wedding ring, it is truly astonishing and my favorite day in the whole world was the day we said 'I DO', in a church full of friends and family with each other. Our wedding day is matched only by the birth of our son - our amazing little creation of perfection from God. We should have given him the middle name Pandora! Maybe if we have a daughter someday.

-Ann S.