FP- and I met for the first time back in March, 1996 - a meeting documented already on my home page. We had fun chatting back then and really had no idea what lay ahead for either of us, let alone becoming a couple. *grin* We just first off enjoyed the newfound friendship that was forming.

Then my life turned upside down and inside out (again) - back then, I would have sworn that my life had no other clue on how to go. Hahahaha!! FP- listened to my problems with a patient ear although clearly there wasn't much of anything else he could do but listen since distance and finances on both sides prevented much else. Somehow the idea was broached to me (by others from other areas) to move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area to start anew in life or at least give it a whirl to see how it went. I talked it over with FP- (since he was from the area).

To be honest, he wasn't upbeat on the idea of me moving to Pennsylvania - he personally thought that other areas in the country would offer me more opportunities (i.e. Seattle and such...) but he chatted with his mother about it and she said if I wanted to try my hand at it she would be willing to let me stay at her place for a while so I wouldn't have to worry about rushing into an apartment right off the bat.

FP- came to pick me up and we drove to Pittsburgh, PA area - I had about 5 dollars in change on me to my name, that shows how gutsy I was in this endeavor. Neither one of thinking about romance or such, but more so about how risky of a venture this was for me even though I did have my family and children's emotional support on this.

Over time, a couple of months actually, FP- and I started dating and became a "couple" officially. We found that we had a fun easy time chatting with each other, and it helped that our different senses of humor managed to meld together pretty good also. We could make each other laugh as well as think. When I am angered, I brood - sending the dagger look to the person who had upset me. FP- though wouldn't let me stew in my anger but made me talk to him about what bothered me, regardless of how silly it sounded or sometimes the difficulty in being able to put it into words that came close to describing my feelings. Though I am happy to say that we only got upset with each other only a couple of times since the summer of 1996.

Now we have a couple of anniversaries we celebrate - since we aren't officially married yet I guess it is ok that we have these little celebrations.

The first anniversary date is March fifteenth - when I came to Pittsburgh for my mini-vacation that enabled us to meet for the first time ever. Kind of strange when we think back to prior to that time period where "hello" was the most we used to say to each other while chatting on #30plus on a daily basis. He met me for a cup of coffee at a local restaurant that first night I was in Pittsburgh and tried to pry out of me what I would like to try to see while in town, only to have me reply "oh I don't care, I like about anything...". At that time, he will admit, he didn't know very well at all so didn't realize how honest that statement was. I like art, museums, history, scenic tours, and other stuff in between. *shrug*

On this anniversary date we go to a restaurant to have a late night cup of coffee and to talk for a couple of hours. We attempt to make it to the original restaurant but for this anniversary that isn't a necessity as I will explain later on. This is our casual anniversary where we raise a glass of water in toast in thanks to the gentleman who I originally was chatting to online and came to the area to meet (only to have it go less than romantically as half truths got mixed up in the honesty department on his side of things and left many folks confused by this man's actions). *shrug* Not the first time such a thing ever happened on IRC though, or in real life, and so won't be the last.

Our second anniversary date is April twenty-ninth near to 1 a.m. - this is the date and time that we entered the Pittsburgh area with my possessions in tow. We pulled into a restaurant to get something to drink before doing the last half hour or so drive to FP-'s mother's. By this time we had barely enough change (yes, change) to pay for the coffee and soda pop we had - let alone a tip. I went out to the car and rummaged for any kind of change (even pennies) to toss in to give the server some kind of a tip).

We commemorate this experience by going to the same restaurant (which happened to be the same one where we had our first cup of coffee meeting at) and we have a soda pop and a cup of coffee. Then -- you guessed it! -- we pay in change!!!! This is to remind us of our "poor days" and how far we have come along as a couple. We tend to mark this as our more official type of anniversary celebration of these two since this was the one that led to us eventually becoming a couple more so.

Now December twenty-eighth is the anniversary of our engagement ring shopping with the girls - we would have celebrated a wedding anniversary in July but Robby decided he liked that date for his birth date and called dibs on it at 1:30 a.m.! *chuckle*

We don't celebrate the shopping trip venture though we do celebrate the July date with a birthday cake these days. *grin* We normally are in the Indianapolis area near where we bought the engagement at that time of year anyway, and since it is my favorite area of "Indy" - well, we have to go there whenever we are in the area, anniversary or not. *shrug*

Now our newest anniversary date is December 5th, the date we got our first apartment together. Haven't quite decided yet how we are going to officially celebrate this anniversary date ... with a late night run to Wal-Mart or perhaps with us sleeping on the floor in remembrance of the bed not being the first item moved into the place or perhaps by unpacking a box still remaining unpacked from that day ... who knows, we are a slightly nostalgic but inventive couple in this regards. *grin*

Now we aren't a mushy couple by any means. We don't celebrate such occasions like first kiss or first "I love you" or such things. If we had every first become an anniversary then we may have an anniversary every day and then those wouldn't be as memorable to us as the ones we already deemed sentimental to be recalled by us as a couple. I realize celebrating the "first meeting" could border on a mushy side of things but it is a sentimental date to both of us since we laughed so much that first night as we talked face to face for the first time for a couple of hours and not in a romantic sense but more so in the beginning stage of friendship.

Soon we are planning to officially tie the knot, yet we already feel like a married couple in many regards and feel that the piece of paper stating that we are legally married will not change that feeling - maybe that is why we aren't so concerned about rushing to the Justice of Peace. He calls me his wife and he *is* my husband, we feel that we are soulmates in many ways in how we are able to communicate with each other on different levels. That is about how mushy I will get though ... *grin*

Posted May, 1998