Lake Highlands felt the love this Valentine’s Day. Whether it was chocolates, flowers or dinner for two at Fish City Grill; couples across town made sure the day was special. Through all of the fanfare, it’s important for couples to remember just how they got there in the first place. Here’s a couple stories from the neighborhood.
Larry Ratliff, student advisor at Richland College on his wife, Suellen –
“My wife Suellen and I met in San Antonio riding bicycles; exercise bicycles at the gym. She noticed that
every time she got on an exercise bike I got on one beside her. I finally got up the nerve to ask her out
about the same time I got tired of pedaling a bike to nowhere. We made a dinner date for the next
Sunday night. I stood her up, but not on purpose and it wasn’t my fault. It was Clint Eastwood’s fault. I
was a film critic at the time, traveling to do celebrity interviews almost every weekend. Returning from
Los Angeles after interviews that weekend, I got delayed changing planes in Dallas due to an ice storm.
Suellen forgave me. I forgave Clint Eastwood and all is well about 30 years later.”
Betsy Cummins, owner of Pop Popcorn on her husband, Alden –
“Alden and I met in April 2005 on the Barley House patio while having drinks with friends. We started chatting, made a quick connection, and were engaged seven months later.  We have a lot in common, and God’s timing was perfect. We got married in June 2006. It’s been a fabulous 18 years, and I’m thankful for his partnership and love through the years.”
Harold Recinos, Professor of Church and Society at SMU on his wife, Maria-Jose –
“I’m an anthropologist. I met my wife while doing field work for my Ph.D. in El Salvador. She was studying at University of Central America at the time.”
Jenny Smiley, owner of Honey+Hank on her husband, Taylor –
“Taylor and I met through a mutual friend, but it was really interesting timing because I had just been stood up on a blind date and my friend from high school invited me to join her and her friend for dinner. It turned out that her friend was Taylor. He asked me out the next weekend and we’ve been together ever since. Sometimes the hard things are blessings in disguise!”
