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She was late. Five more minutes and I was going to leave. We hadn't spoken on the phone yet; we only communicated through eHarmony, the dating website that we met through.

I was coming out of a traumatic and horrible marriage that I could never imagine ever going through again and it was almost two years since my divorce. My cousin came to visit and decided she wanted me to set up a profile on MySpace, since back then it was pretty popular. She set it up for me, and I had no intention of ever attempting to go online. She noticed because it was four days and I still never tried. On her last day she sat with me and showed me how to - now these were her words - “look for some fine ass dudes.” To make her happy, I did.

Having grown up in Morgan Hill, I was pretty sure that I knew everyone my age. So I was quite surprised when my brother told me he was going to introduce me to someone who was my age, and even went to Live Oak at the same time I was there. I was running late after having been out running errands with my parents in Gilroy, and ended up meeting up with them in front of what was then the Inn at Morgan Hill. David and I had a great time together, but I was flying back to Florida (where I was attending college) in a week, and was not even thinking of relationships at the time.

“All I wanted to do was cross-country ski!” says my husband of 27 years, after my best friend set us up on a blind date when I lived in the San Bernardino mountains in Southern California and had separated from my first husband. Little did Garry know what he was getting himself into!

Bob, a California boy, was assigned to attend the Microwave Radio Officer’s course at Fort Monmouth, N.J. He decided to go to church, so he looked in the Yellow Pages. Since he didn't know the meaning of Methodist and Presbyterian, he chose the Christian Church of Colts Neck.

He was single, youthful and determined. An entrepreneur with grocery stores in southern Santa Cruz County. She was no less driven nor spirited in her drive to succeed. She was younger than he was. He was the boss. She was a new hire. He was said to be hard-boiled on the outside, softer on the inside. She was strong-willed, stubborn and rarely backed down. He was a pillar of strength. She was on fire with ambition. It was 1983 and the their chemistry was evident from the start.

My love story is about my valentine. In fact, this individual has been my special valentine for many years now. If you read my "The Flavor Chronicle" column or were a reader when I was writing "Mixed Grill," you have already been introduced to her.

In 2002 I was a single woman after 18 years in a relationship that went nowhere. So, I moved out of my houseboat in Sausalito and in with my daughter and my 6-year-old granddaughter in San Leandro. I knew from the very start I would not stay there very long. After a year in San Leandro we packed up and moved into a third floor apartment in Dublin.

Pete/Dad,

At the age of 16, you would think a girl's first love would just be considered “puppy love” - but not me.