Do you remember your first date? I sure do. For me and my husband, Brian, our first date was a blind date arranged by a friend. I rushed from work, dressed up in a little black dress, walked into the restaurant at 7:05 (it’s okay…I was fashionably late) and… no Brian. I waited. I called my mom (yes, I did). Then he arrived, like someone running through the door determined to win me over. He apologized, he pulled himself together, and the evening turned into laughter, dancing,

Hi, I’m Michelle Hays – welcome to Monarch for Love! As we prepare for the holidays, I can’t help but think back to the magical anticipation I felt as a child waiting for Christmas. I was the kid who couldn’t sleep, straining to hear Santa’s sleigh on the roof. That kind of childlike wonder is something we all once knew deeply. But somewhere along the way, adulthood crept in. Our excitement faded, replaced with to-do lists, shopping stress, and endless wrapping paper. We forg