Our Story

It all started innocently enough. I was talking to an online friend at a historical role playing web site and listening to an Atlanta Braves baseball game. I made a comment about the game, and my friend "Marlee", decided she had had enough. She told me that if I was going to talk baseball I should talk to her friend "Sallah" who was also really into basesball. After a couple of days, (August 10, 1999) we finally hooked up at the web site sending grams back and forth. We started emailing each other also. Well, at first it was strictly business, I found out he was not a yankee fan, so I decided to keep talking to him.*g* We started to talk on the phone also, but the computer was our main means of communication. With me living in Florida, and him living in Ontario, it made for some hideous phone bills. We used ICQ, and a free phone system he had where he could call my phone from his computer for free! Well, after a few weeks of talking for hours every night we decided that we had reached a point where just friends wasn't really where we were, but we had yet to talk face to face. That needed to happen so we could decide if we wanted to proceed with the relationship.

So, after a bit of researching airline rates, I flew up to Ottawa on October 21, 1999. I could only stay for a couple of days, but it was a great couple of days! Matt (I had since found out Sallah's REAL name!!) was waiting for me at the airport with rose in hand. The rest of the roses were in his car! I think he was more nervous than I was, which is saying alot, but we made it through the initial meeting without making complete fools of ourselves. (I would like to just interject an aside comment here...when I first saw him at the airport the only thought I had in my head was "WOW!" The rest of the trip just confirmed that thought...*lol*) He took me on a whirlwind tour of the Museums in Ottawa. I could live in the Civilization Museum, it is awsome. So, we toured the city, the trees turning color, the cold. I mean, the crisp autumn weather...*lol* The first night a really funny thing happened. We went to Pizza Hut for some food. Well, we sat down and were discussing what type of pie we wanted, when the waiter came up and said the 7 funniest words I had heard in years! (Well only one of the words was funny to me, but...) He asked, "What kind of POP would you like?" Now, that seems innocent enough, and to some of you it isn't even funny. However, I have not heard "soda" called "pop" in probably 15 years, since I moved to Florida at least. And never with a Canadian accent. So when he said that, I almost fell off my chair laughing. Matt and the waiter looked at each other like "What?!" I had to explain it to them, and they laughed, but I don't think they thought it was that funny. You might not either, but it was just so funny to me! Anyway, back to the narrative. Once Monday came around it was time for me to fly back to the States. It was really difficult for me to leave, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

We continued our long distance relationship, saving pennies for Matt's visit to Florida in March. He came down here for two weeks, so we went to Disney's Wide World of Sports complex to watch some Spring training games. We saw the Braves playing the Dodgers and Matt's somewhat beloved Blue Jays. *G* Unfortunately the Expos were not playing the Braves that year. We went to a great dinner club called (shameless vendor plug) Capones. It was hysterical and I hope that we can go again. I suggest it if you go on to Disney while visiting here. We will tell you about it if you ask! We then drove up to Tallahassee to meet my parents, and I got to show him the exciting mega town. *hahahahah* After spending two weeks with him, everyday, it was really, really tough to watch him get on that plane. But we continued on with the long distance relationship thing. (Sensing a pattern?!*G*)

Well, We couldn't bear to be apart any longer, so I flew up to Ottawa in June. I arrived on a Wednesday. The next day we had planned to go to grab some dinner and see a movie. Matt wanted to stop at a store to pick up "something" that he had ordered for me. (I had it figured out, though. It was a book...) So, he runs into the store after parking the car facing a grocery store called Loblaws. (Funny story about that too...to us anyway! First time he told me about Loblaws it was on the phone, I got confused and asked him to say it again. Well, I said that it sounded like he was a drunken lobster trying to introduce himself..."Hi, I'm a loblaw....OK, so it is another one where you just had to be there!) So, anyway he runs into the store, comes out a few minutes later with nothing. I was confused, but figured "it" was not in afterall. So, I tell him about the guy that nearly backed into his car, and I think we are ready to leave for dinner. He just sits there, and then pulled out a little blue box. He had turned to me and then asked me to marry him. I am not sure if I laughed at first, but I thought he was joking until I saw the ring. I think complete shock would describe my feelings at that point. But when I finally realized that I hadn't said yes, I did that and I think he breathed for the first time. We were laughing and grinning like fools. I think that later I told him it was fitting that he asked me in fromt of Loblaws, since it was my favorite Canadian grocery store! (not that I have ANYthing against any other grocery store!) I just love the name! So, we went to the restaurant; don't remember what I had, I couldn't 5 minutes after I ordered it. I kept admiring the sparkles in the lights from the ring. Then we went to see a movie, Mission Impossible 2. Didn't remember a thing about it, but it is funny how much a diamond sparkels in the dim lights of a dark movie theater!! We bought the movie recently, so I got to actually watch it.

The next day we visited Upper Canada Village, which is a village made up from buildings that were salvaged when the St. Lawrence River was dammed. It is a great place, and the living history was wonderful. Total professionals that knew their stuff. Really enjoyed that! Got to show off my new ring to Fiona, the great lady that took us to the village. She is our "Best Woman" in the ceremony. Saturday we went to a baseball game. Matt said that he was going to ask me to marry him at the baseball game, but couldn't wait once he had the ring. *awww*

Matt flew down here in August to see me(!) but we also filled out the forms for the INS. We sent in our INS papers for Matt to move down here in September of 2000. He arrived in Florida on February 11, 2001. We went to the Court House and got married on the 16th of February. We did that so that Matt would get his work authorization since he had a job waiting for him here. (Also, didn't want him to change his mind! HAHAH) We decided to have a "Big Do" in 1 year so that we could plan it the way we wanted it to be, and to give time for our friends and family could plan on it also.

Health and Happiness to all!