Best Blues, Dress Whites, Fatigues. It's All Good (Melissa Robbins)

Isn't he quite the dish? More about him later.

If you ask my husband, he will tell you he's the romantic one of our twosome, so maybe Reed should be the one to write this post. I will share with you one of his favorite movie lines, “Well, there's the usual things: Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep.” Those are the words spoken by Cogsworth in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. I hope I'm not ruining the movie for you, but the Beast 'gives' Belle the library, because Lumiere noticed Belle's interest in books. I think that's the best way someone can be romantic, just by listening and knowing what the other person wants or enjoys.

For example, for Christmas one year, I received two Transformer toys from Reed. Now, you might be wondering why on earth would my husband give me those toys. Reed remembered a story I once told him about how much I wanted a Transformer when I was a kid, but I never received one because they were for boys. Reed actually tried to find the one I wanted, but couldn't find it.

Just last Christmas, a writer friend of mine told me about a present she received. She always wanted a strand of pearls, but being so short, strands are always too long. Her boyfriend bought a strand of pearls, took it to a jeweler, and had the jeweler shorten the strand for her. Is that not the sweetest thing ever?

So obviously listening skills are high on my list. :0D I'm also with Theresa with the 'helping me with things.' Ages ago, Reed and I worked on a church service project. It was the third time we had done anything remotely together in a group setting. I was struggling putting leaves into a trash bag. Reed came over and helped me by holding open the bag. It was a simple gesture, but I definitely took notice. I think we starting dating a week or two after that. First, I had to insult his truck for that date, but that's a story for another blog.

What other romantic ideals do I have? Some of my friends mock me for my obsession, I mean love of men in uniform (military). I could blame the fact that I grew up near the U.S. Naval Academy (dress whites *swoon*) or that my dad took me to see Top Gun when I was a pre-teen. I claim research purposes, but I have no idea why I start giggling when I see a sergeant in Air Force fatigues at Walmart (They're all over the place around here!) or about pass out at seeing Rupert Penry-Jones in an A-2 flight jacket. Oh lord have mercy! Shh, don't tell my husband. By the way, if I could FIND a screen shot of Rupert in that jacket, it would be right here!

**edited** Look what Rox found for me! Okay, so RPJ isn't wearing the A-2, but it's leather and it's Rupert. Do I hear any complaints? (crickets chirping) I thought so. I left the handsome guy at the top, who was a real WW2 pilot. I don't know his name and I hope he survived the war. I call him Sean Finnegan and he's one of my pilots. The sweet one, the yin to Jack's naughty yang.

Is it the hero aspect of a man in uniform we find so attractive? They are real life heroes, rescuing the damsel and everyone else. My grandfather may not have survived WW2 if one of his fellow soldiers hadn't dragged him to safety while his own arm was injured.

I'll leave you with a funny romantic story I found while researching for my WW2 stories. I am so stealing this idea. An Royal Air Force bomber pilot by the name of Moose (He was big and Canadian – go figure) who after a bombing run did what they all did and asked the controller (who happened to be a WAAF, like my Wren!) for directions home. Then, Moose proceeded to argue with Bobby over the airwaves about the directions she gave him. They married in 1946 and had five kids. Makes you wonder if they still argued over directions through the years.