My anniversary

In honor of our 5th anniversary this Saturday, I'm finally recapping how Kevin and I met (in PARTS, 'cause this takes a WHILE!).

We actually met online, but not in a chat room. One of my students moved away back in about November of 1996 and he wanted to stay in contact with me. Unfortunately, his parents didn't like IMs, but they liked me, so he showed me a game called Terris, which is a multiuser game a lot like D&D online. You have a character you play and you talk with other people from all over while trying to do quests, earn points, etc. This kid and I played this game together while he talked about problems he was having in school and we worked out his major agression problems that way.

Meanwhile, I started playing the game on my own when he wasn't about and fed my latent Dungeons & Dragons need. I kept earning more levels and meeting more people. It's all text based, so you have to imagine you're an elf or a ranger or whatever going around killing dragons and such, but the best part for me was roleplaying the character I'd created (and since I love acting, I played it up quite a bit)! I figured since I never really got the chance to play and enjoy in high school, I could play in the privacy of my own apartment and not get laughed at! Kevin was actually a friend of a friend in this game that I started to hang out with in about February of 1997 more because he was really good at roleplay, too. Whereas most people would just say hi and use a few of the same old emotes like "_____ waves at you" or "______ laughs heartily", Kevin did what I did and added interesting details to what he said. I remember the way I used to greet every person was with "Naomi flutters up and hovers to peer curiously in your face" (played a sprite, obviously), which at most, had people replying that they pretended to sneeze or brush her away. Kevin replied with "Turlock holds perfectly still, making no sudden moves that would alarm the little sprite as she inspects him." I was amazed that any guy would put that kind of effort in being kind and gentle. We hooked up to adventure almost immediately. He was playing a Highlander type, a big gentle warrior with a big sword and I played a little sprite, constantly in trouble and needing help, even as she thinks she's protecting HIM!

Eventually, we just kept playing until finally, in the game, we let our characters get married. That's when we started to talk in IMs, too. We got married because it seemed like the story of Naomi and Turlock dictated that, but he and I were just two friends who were impressed with each other's writing ability. I was doing improv comedy and teaching just outside of Dallas, TX at the time while he was working at a post office just outside of Buffalo, NY (hope the football team irony isn't lost upon you!). We had a ball talking online and hanging out with our friends in Terris and just making up stories about our characters to play out, so much so that I started to look forward to coming home and getting online with him.

Once summer came, we were really starting to toy with the idea that we might be in love. I had to go away for a month to be an RA for gifted kids taking college courses, so we finally decided we could try talking on the phone, since neither of us could stand to not talk for that long with the other. I told him he could call and if he got stuck for words, he could just say "I have no idea what to say," which would make us both start laughing and talking about how silly we were. The first words I ever heard him say verbally were just that. We cracked up and proceeded to rack up phone bills for the next 2 months that were the equivalent of 4 plane tickets!

Once we figured out it would be cheaper just to meet, he flew down in August '97, just a few days before school started for me. It was a DISASTER! The first day and a half was just us adoring each other, but then I took him to meet my parents, who immediately stressed their concerns, which was to be expected. He actually told them he'dve wondered what kind of parents I had if the WEREN'T worried. I think my dad thought this guy was okay, because he's the one that said the words that ruined everything, "Take your time and get to know each other. Lots of people have met at a distance like this, but now you need to spend the time getting to know one another in person. Don't try and push yourselves into a place you're feeling yet."

I suddenly realized I had declared love for a man I didn't physically know from Adam and got terrified. I told him I wasn't sure about us while we were out eating (to this day, he cringes at the sight of a Boston Market), then told him I was sure I WASN'T in love on the way home, and we both broke down with another day and a half left of his visit.

Okay, let me leave you with this much and write the rest later...this is a LONG story! ;-)