It's a Love Story Baby Just Say Yes....

I've been thinking a lot lately about love. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I've been re-reading Twilight (oh Edward...sigh). I've NEVER been the googly "love stories, prince charming, fairy tale" type of girl- I had my one and only love, Zack Morris, and when I didn't end up marrying him, it kind of ruined the whole romance thing for me. I really have grown very cynical about love. First of all finding one person in this world who loves you and who you love back...you are like 50 times more likely to be struck by lightning...twice (or something like that)...so already you are starting out bad. THEN add in the fact that people like William Shakespeare and Walt Disney had to go and screw up everyone's perspectives on the perfect relationship- well we just aren't making progess are we? But I am trying to reform myself. I'm going through my own 12 step program to become a believer in true love.

Step 1: "Hello my name is Vanessa and I am a love hater"


Step 2: I decided to completely absorb myself in love. And in turn I will analyze the couples involved and obviously from doing this, love will make complete sense to me.
First up....

Oliver and Jenny

Not a fan.

Synopsis in a nutshell: He- is wealthy Harvard pre law "white bread"guy. She- is a free wheeling Italian-American music student. They- fall in love much to their parent's chagrin, fight, hurt each others feelings, they are still madly in love, she gets an unnamed disease which leads to her early death.

How depressing. Why does being in love always involve someone dying??? And the famous line "Love means never having to say you're sorry"- which is probably the worse advice ever given to someone...ever. Love means having the humility and respect for another to say you're sorry, even if you are not at fault. Love means having to say you're sorry, often and meaning it. So really all I learned from Ali and Ryan was that love is depressing (not doing so good here)

I was kind of not feeling the 70's either (what a terrible decade in history).

Next up....

Jack and Rose

Ok I'll admit it. I love this movie. I used to watch it like 3 times a day. My best friend Madison and I used to re-enact scenes from the movie. We got pretty into it. Sometimes I could even conjure up real tears during emotional scenes (thank you I'll take my Oscar now).

Synopsis in a Nutshell: She- is a wealthy engaged free spirit trapped in a world of people who don't understand her. He- is a poor traveling artist who won tickets on Titanic in a poker game They- fall in love much to her mother's chagrin (and her fiance's), unfortunately (SPOILER ALERT) the Titanic hits an iceberg and the ship sinks. He sacrifices himself for her, she sacrifices himself for him, they both end up stranded in the frigid Atlantic ocean which leads to his early death.

So what did I learn from this movie- well first of all the tagline made me laugh- "Nothing on earth could come between them"...oh except for an ICEBERG! But the thing that I did learn is that you should stay true to yourself. Don't be who everyone says you have to. Be strong and live the life you want even if your boyfriend ends up freezing to death. ( I think I'm making progress).

Moving on....

Romeo and Juliet

The couple that started it all. Synopsis in a Nutshell: He- is a wealthy guy who pines for a girl named Rosalind but sees the love of his life at a party in Verona, Italy. She- is a wealthy girl whose mother wants her to marry the handsome and rich Paris but sees the love of her life at a party in Verona, Italy. They- fall madly in love much to their parents chagrin, get married, their fueding parents come between them and they both end up accidently/on purpose killing themselves which obviously leads to (you guessed it), their early deaths.
I'm sensing a theme....
So what did I learn from this? Actually by this time I am very warmed up to the idea of love. And the setting of this movie is brilliant and the acting is so convincing I actually believe that they can't live without each other. I even cried. It really was beautiful. So I learned that sometimes love doesn't make sense. The one thing I have to say that I am still cynical about is how quickly they fell in love. Seriously Romeo? Weren't you just in love with Rosalind like 5 seconds ago? I wonder sometimes what it would have been like if they hadn't of died so young. Would they have stayed married? Would their parents ever have come around? Would they have had kids? Would the fact that he killed her cousin become a sore spot in their relationship for years to come? Something to think about.

This movie is not to be confused with

Yes this is an actual movie that I sat and watched for a full hour on Animal Planet (I don't even LIKE animals). Let me tell ya- if I wasn't a believer in love before this...I am now. This documentary is about a pair of Thai monkeys named Romeo and Juliet who fall in love. Problem is, the simians come from feuding groups: the temple monkeys and the market clan. Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, provides the narration, explaining the long-standing differences between the rival groups. Will the monkeys solve their differences or will the two groups from different sides of the track end up fighting each other to the death? Well you'll just have to watch and find out. (Don't judge me- there wasn't anything else on).

And our final couple.....

Edward and Bella

I have a love/hate relationship with Edward and Bella. I'm not sure why. Sometimes I just think they are so over-dramatic. But in my heart I really do love them.
Synopsis in a Nutshell: She is a awkward girl who moves to a rainy city and isn't a huge believer in love. He- is a vampire who thirsts for her blood (not exactly the best way to start a relationship). They- fall madly in love,much to their families chagrin, she wants to desperately be a vampire, her best friend is a werewolf which further complicates the situation, they fight off lot's of people that want to kill her, they live happily ever after.

Happily Ever After...now there is an ending you don't hear too often these days...which is probably what I took most from this couple. They represent hope and endurance. Hope that even though it scares you and others might not approve- you have to do it anyway with the hope that it will work out. They keep working at it even though it is difficult...but c'mon Edward is totally hot! How could you not want to work it out! So moral of this story is...stick it out, even though your boyfriend might be fighting the desire to suck your blood, it may work out in the end. Don't give up!

That is pretty much it. So I guess it is more of a 2 step program rather than 12. I'll add one more step.

#3: Take lessons I learned and practice them.

There we go. A 3 step program. I think that will suffice.

In conclusion I thought I would share with you some of my favorite "Love Songs"- I identify more with music than anything else so in case you weren't in the mood to fall in love after all these couples- you will after you listen to these songs....

Behind Your Eyes: Jon Foreman
Better With You: Five Times August
Cherish: Madonna
Come Dance With Me: Frank Sinatra
Crazy Love: Van Morrison
Everything: Michael Buble
Fearless: Taylor Swift
Feelings Show: Colbie Caillat
First Time: Lifehouse
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face: Roberta Flack (probably my absolute fav. song ever)
Fix You: Coldplay
For Once In My Life: Stevie Wonder
Halo: Beyonce
Hazy: Rosi Golan
Heaven: Bryan Adams
Hero/Heroine: Boys Like Girls
Hold You In My Arms: Ray LaMontagne
I'll Be There For You: Bon Jovi
I'm Yours: Jason Mraz
I've Been Loving You Too Long: Otis Redding
You're The Inspiration: Chicago
So Contagious: Acceptance
Stand By Me: Ben E. King
Somewhere Only We Know: Keane
Chasing Cars: Snow Patrol
The Scientist: Coldplay
Question: Old 97's
Open Arms: Journey
One and Only: Teitur
Last Request: Paolo Nutini
Look After You: The Fray
a Little More of You: Ashley Chambliss
If We Were a Movie: Hannah Montana (duh!)


"We all want to fall in love. Why? Because that experience makes us feel completely alive. Where every sense is heightened, every emotion is magnified, our everyday reality is shattered and we are flying into the heavens. It may only last a moment, an hour, an afternoon. But that doesn't diminish its value. Because we are left with memories that we treasure for the rest of our lives. "
-The Mirror Has Two Faces