Love Is In the Air

Remember your first crush? How about your first kiss or your first high school love? Even if you’re happily married right now, I’m sure the thought of that person brings a smile to your lips. Where are they now?

TLC’s upcoming special, "Amazing Love Stories" airing Sunday at 9/8c, tells the stories of two couples who were madly in love in their youth (as only the young can be) who reunite years later through chance, and after adversity. I loved the tales of these two couples, vastly different but really moving. Watching this special will make you believe in soul mates, that if it was mean to be… it will be. OK, I’ll get off my high hankie now and just tell you a little about each couple.

For high school sweethearts Bart and Brenda, it was love at first site -- in the cafeteria line. (Great vintage photos of them from the 70s remind us how bad the hair styles were.) But things changed for the young couple when Brenda found out she was pregnant at 17. Although Bart wanted to keep the baby, Brenda’s parents persuaded her to give it up for adoption. The heaviness of the situation was hard on them, causing them to break up in their senior year. Both moved on after high school, had families, but still thought about each other and the baby they gave up.

Flash forward 26 years post break up … Bart looks her up on a lark on a website that connects high school friends. Both were divorced at the time and …well I won’t ruin it for you because there’s a lot more to their story. But can you imagine hearing from your high school sweetheart after almost three decades?

The next couple’s tale is part love story and part adventure thriller. Santa Fe, NM natives Veree and Quinn also fall in love as teenagers, separate after high school, and connect again just after college. Their bond is immediate and intense. They become inseparable after running into each other again, until Quinn leaves for an adventure of a lifetime – climbing a 25,000-foot peak in the Himalayas.

At first the climb is going well for Quinn and he’s able to call Veree from base camp. But then an unexpected and fierce storm derailed the group for nine days. With no food or water and extreme temperatures, the thought of returning to Veree propelled Quinn back to base camp. He returns Santa Fe, but he’s a changed man. Again, there’s a lot more to this story so check it out this weekend for all the gooey details.

Have you reconnected with an old flame? Looked up an old boyfriend on Facebook or Classmates.com? (Not me. Never. Well, maybe one or two.) What was it like?

Also, think outside the chocolate box this Valentine's Day