3 Valley stories of romance

By Karl Henkel

khenkel@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Under the moonlight of the North Carolina sky back in 2008, Brian and Melanie Brownlie went for a walk on the beach — flashlights in hand — to spot the sea crabs that come out at night.

Melanie, 30, then stumbled upon what she called a “nice-sized seashell,” and as she got closer, she realized it wasn’t your regular seashell.

It read: “Will you marry me? I love you!”

“I was shocked, and I started to cry out loud,” Melanie said . “I wasn’t sure if it was mine until I heard him say, ‘What does it say?’”

Melanie turned around to find Brian down on one knee, ring in hand. And the rest is history.

Who says romanticism is dead?

“I have never heard of a more romantic, special, or original way of doing it,” she said.

Though it’s probably been hard for Brian, 33, to top his picturesque, romantic engagement, Melanie says he’s kept up the pace.

“He’s always very creative,” she said. “There was once a cheesecake [recipe] I saw in a book that I wanted. So that night he went out and bought all the ingredients and then next morning when I woke up, the cake was in the fridge.”

Brian, when asked about the “cheesecake story,” told a different one. It was about when he drove to Cleveland to purchase a cake that he later brought to Melanie at work.

The couple, who will celebrate their second anniversary May 30, say that spontaneity — whether or not it includes cheesecake — has been the key to their marriage so far.

“Very much so,” said Brian, who also added that he picks his spots when it comes to creative ideas, and that he doesn’t try to think too hard when he plans them.

“Maybe a little,” he said. “Just whenever the ideas come to me.”

So what’s on the docket for this Valentine’s Day?

“Actually, our son [Camden] turns 1 on the 16th and my birthday is on the 15th,” said Brian, who is also the stepfather to Melanie’s children, Alexis Klinker, 11 and Chandler Klinker, 9.

“I don’t think we have anything special for Valentine’s Day except for maybe dinner.”

Brian and Melanie’s marriage, which will include the addition of another child in August, is off to a feel-good start, but for a real lesson on long-term romanticism, look no farther than John and Marilyn Waterbeck.

Marilyn, 74, and John, 77, of Salem, know the relationship routine all too well. After all, they’ve been married 46 years, and they plan on spending their Valentine’s Day as they do most other years — together.

“We’ll probably go out to eat and celebrate our son’s birthday,” Marilyn said.

Not much could top the birth of her son, Michael, 43 years ago on Feb. 14, but Marilyn said the 30th wedding anniversary ring John gave her one Valentine’s Day comes in a close second.

The key to the marriage, though, isn’t the extravagant gifts, according to John.

“I get her something and spend the day with her,” he said.

While 46-year relationships seem to be a dying breed and not everyone has tied the knot, it doesn’t mean Valentine’s Day isn’t for the young and dating.

Anthony Zizzo, 23, of Boardman, and his girlfriend, Amanda Wicks, 23, of New Castle, Pa., also plan to spend the holiday together in Pittsburgh, going out to bars and grabbing a bite to eat — the same atmosphere that brought the two together almost one year ago.

“My friend took me out to the bar, I got her number, and we’ve been together ever since,” he said.

Zizzo admits the relationships of today don’t necessarily consist of the fairy-tale love of generations past, but he says he’s found a happy balance in his life.

“It’s a different kind of generation,” he said. “It’s less face-to-face and more electronic. It’s not the same as back in my mom and dad’s day.”

Unlike the Brownlies and Waterbecks, there’ll be no surprises in this young relationship: Zizzo recently shopped for a Valentine’s Day gift inside Southern Park Mall in Boardman, and Amanda already knows she’s getting jewelry.

“I just want to show her a good time and get her something nice,” he said.

For most, it seems, it’s the thought — not the money spent — that counts.

“Roses, he used to get me a dozen roses,” Marilyn Waterbeck said of John.

“He gets me flowers now. Roses are too expensive.”