Anna Stagliano - A Love Story

One of the things I most admire about my loving wife is we’ve spent years putting our children first. When it comes to our relationship, we met at a time our kids are young adults. We learned quickly,  it is okay to say, "We deserve this. We deserve to be happy." If they get upset, they’ll come around—or they won’t—but we can’t live our lives waiting for their permission to live ours.” At points during this transition, we found a new resolve. We began to set boundaries with our children. When accused of abandoning the family, they have to realize this isn’t about choosing our own personal happiness over them; it’s about finding happiness that their parents truly deserve. It is hard to predict. “We’ve spent decades as parents, and we’ll always be there for our children. However, you have to remind yourself everyone is allowed to love again and hope they’ll see that someday. There were tears and awkward silences, and some relationships took time to mend. For one of us, healing ...

 Change brings about challenges. So does transition. The true testament to an amazing relationship is the willingness of both parties to recognize that change is never easy. Neither are transitions. The unsettling feeling we both get when a challenge arises is never easy. Do we get  mad,  frustrated, or angry? Of course we do. However, at the end of he day, it boils down to our relationship. A true loving relationship can learn to rely on the foundation we build together.  Our story is one of career changes, travel equal to a trip around the world, and unforeseen obstacles. Yet, we wake up everyday loving each other. This is how we know our love was meant to be.  Forever love is a force as powerful as nature. It often will = requires a delicate balance between the desire for stability and the inevitability of change. While the comfort of familiarity is alluring, it is the willingness to embrace transformation that can deepen the bond between two souls. It is in...

Even getting a marriage license is an adventure for us. We chose Anna's birthday as the day we would go to the courthouse. I arrived the night before 2:30 AM and was naturally tired. We got up early and decided to have coffee out back. Little did I know that I locked us out of the house. We panicked because the house was locked tighter than Fort Knox, and Nick slept with the fan on the second floor. We were out of options other than breaking down the door or a window. Anna went to her parent's house because our phones were in the house. She walked down the street looking like well, to be nice not her best. I cracked up watching her leave. I decided to rest out back on the outdoor couch and briefly fell asleep. I woke up in a startled manner thinking, "I can wake Nick up." I went in the garage and found a long telescoping pole attached to a basket hanger. I went over to his window and started to wake him up. Meanwhile, as I was whacking the window, little did I know th...

I ask myself this every day. how in the world did this happen. I never expected to find love at such a late age. I gave up on the thought of having a partner. I was happy just being me. After all, my four kids are healthy, and I have a great job in the Catskills where I can hike and be outdoors. When you are in your fifties, you allow yourself to think this is all I want. What more did I need. Then, along comes Anna when I least expected it.  Music means a lot to me. One day, I heard a song that reminded me of the weekend we first met. This song is my anthem when I think of meeting Anna. It is "Aint that a kick in the head" by Dean Martin. This is how I feel when I think of or see Anna. The "pop" that starts the song reminds me of the first time I laid eyes on her.  The lyrics remind me of the first time we met in Erie Pennsylvania. Especially, "I hugged her and she hugged me back!" We had spent 6 weeks getting to know each other on the phone. When I set m...

Personality matters. We all have one. For years, I always felt mine was a barrier to relationship success. I needed to find someone that allowed me to be me. I have a big personality and want to share it with the woman I love.  One sure way to find out if someone truly loves you is when they tell you to tone it down a bit. That never worked for me in the past. I don't want to "tone" down my love for someone. In fact, I want to do the opposite. I want to fully embrace and be a little 'Cra Cra" with the woman I love.  Anna is another version of me in some crazy way. Our personalities can be similar and different. We embrace both because the love shared never has to be the same. Let me provide an example of the same and different.  The first thing that comes to my mind regarding the same is our values. We are very alike. We share the same values and a sense of what is needed in a relationship. I love that about us.  We know the non-negotiables that can tear us apart...

Finding a life partner literally means....Finding a partner in life. What that means is you enjoy the amazing times together and you will always have obstacles you have to overcome. For us, it was distance. We live 400 miles apart for the first 9 months only to give birth to a new relationship together. 9 months of living apart takes work. However, you can make the best of it. I lived in the Catskills and she lived in Pittsburgh. We had to do our best to make sure we made the best of our time together and apart. Any long-distance relationship has its fair share of stress. We were not immune to restless nights or obstacles when figuring out how to bring our love to one location. Each person has to sacrifice for the greater good. We also have to support each other in times of doubt which causes stress. That's when two people have to be strong for each other. It requires at times one person to be the cheerleader when the other person is feeling defeated.  This is how you bring two peo...