Who loves a good romance story? For Valentine’s Day, we asked couples to share their stories of love and inspiration and even give a little advice.

53 years of being like newlyweds

Amy Blasko says her parents Michele (Hoffman) and Charles Toniatti of Summit Hill have been married for 53 years and have three children who admire their relationship and love of their family.

They met through friends and still act as if they are dating.

“After all this time they still hold hands, dance in their kitchen and kiss like newlyweds. All of my friends look up to them for inspiration in their relationships,” Blasko said.

“I’m proud to call them my friends along with being my parents,” she added.

Soul mates

Sara and Tim David share their story:

“I cannot say that Tim and I are the most romantic couple. But I can say we are each other’s soul mates,” Sara said.

In 2006 her husband Richard was in a car crash and suffered a severe head injury. After two weeks, she had to make the decision to remove him from life support. Richard died on March 8, 2006.

“I was lost, to say the least. After some time, a friend from work recommended I check out the website Plenty of Fish in the Sea. Tired of being alone and lonely, I went on the website.”

She was registered for a couple of years, but never had a “date.”

“I was looking for men my age or older. I was 50 when my husband died. I could find no one. So after much discussion with my daughter, Joanna, I lowered my age group to 40-50,” she said.

“A gentleman named Tim David reached out to me. He was younger than me, but he was honest and upfront with me.”

They met in Jim Thorpe on July 26, 2009, hit it off and saw each other again.

It was settled on Aug. 30, 2009, when her daughter went into labor and Tim called his brother to be with his father who could not be left alone so he could take Sara to the hospital.

“After the birth. I told Tim that I did not want to go home. I told Tim that I wanted to stay with him.”

They’ve been together ever since and married on June 11, 2011.

“Tim is my just Tim. My heart. My love,” Sara said.

Paris

Michelle Gallagher of Jim Thorpe met her husband Jim Roan in 2013 when she told him to “mind his own business” and they eloped in Paris at The Temple of Love in Versailles five years later.

“Laughter and levity are the key to us,” she said. “Date nights and late nights communicating through all the hard things, too.”

“Did I mention we dance and sing at the top of our lungs when no one is watching?”

Pay attention to spouse

Sue and Larry Bulanda met at a shoemaker’s shop and have been married 41 years.

They now live in Jim Thorpe but have moved about 10 times during their marriage.

“After years of infertility treatments, we signed up to adopt a child from Korea,” Sue said.

After waiting two years, they were able to adopt a 4-month-old baby boy.

“Being devoted Christians, we discussed how we would raise him and which school he would go to. We decided to send him to Christian school rather than public school. While I make this sound like an easy decision, we faced many challenges with my son who suffered from a mild case of attachment disorder. As it turned out, he grew up to be a son any family would be proud of. He served in the Marines in Iraq and was almost killed twice.”

“He became a federal police officer and now works in IT. He has a lovely wife who I love as a daughter and two wonderful sons.”

She has advice for couples starting out:

• Read Dear Abby or other advice columns, because many of the letters reflect issues that are common in a relationship.

• If you are an engaged couple, it is important to understand any special activities or dietary issues that your spouse may have. While they may seem unimportant at first, they can be a problem later on,” Sue says.

For example, it can be difficult to have to prepare two meals or give up the things you like because your spouse will not or cannot eat them. There are many medical reasons for a limited diet such as diabetes, celiac disease, religious limitations, or a choice, such as being a vegetarian.

• Each person should have separate activities as well as things to do together. Couples need time away from each other as well as doing things together. It is OK to have separate friends as well as mutual friends.

• Communication is critical. Take the time to sit down together and talk about problems, ideas, feelings and wishes. If you cannot resolve issues, seek professional help right away. The longer a problem exists the more it festers and seems bigger than it is. If your spouse will not seek counseling, go by yourself. Do not share problems with friends. This can backfire at a later time.

• Money is a common issue. Work out a budget together and agree not to spend over a certain amount without talking and agreeing about it.

• Be considerate and agree about how you will raise children before you have them.

• Agree to disagree and work out a compromise.

Love often

Donna and Mark Bollinger of Kunkletown met when she was 15 and he was 20. They are still together 45 years later. They have two sons and two grandsons and they love to spend time with them.

“A lot of people say how can you be with the same man for that long? I say it’s easy when you love someone and you get along,” Donna said.

“It wasn’t easy in the beginning of our marriage. My husband and I had a rocky marriage for the first 11 years. But we made it through the hard times. You need to spend your energy in working things out instead of giving up,” she advises.

“I married him to death do us part. I stand by my words,” she said.

She advises people to love often, be honest with each other, do things together, compromise and work together as a team.

People often ask if they argue. “I couldn’t tell you the last time we did have an argument. I feel bad when I hear people talking about how they are fighting with their significant other or getting divorce or cheating on their partner. I don’t believe in that,” Donna said. “My husband and I are very much in love after all these years.”

She sends a message to Mark. “You’re my only Valentine. Love you.”