It’s always been asked of us whenever we go places “where are you from?” And when we reply “Arkansas” (the Marine) and “Ohio” (me) we get the nod and then a follow-up question.
“Where did you meet?”
We both laugh and say “The Internet before it was cool!”
And we get the quizzical looks and “wow” or “really?” or “how cool!”
We’re used to it by now.
The only people that have multiple follow-up questions are the older generations that just don’t “get” the internet these days.
Either way, it makes for a good story.
Let’s take a time travel.
We’re going back to 2000.
That September to be exact.
I was dating a younger boy because he was convenient (we worked together) and cute. Nothing else.
The Marine wasn’t dating anyone…yet.
He had plans to meet a girl in Arkansas while he was home on leave for a few days….
The year of 2000:
The Marine and I were actively involved in a chat room where all our friends congregated. (on-line friends that is..) I spent loads of time talking to my goofy, silly, odd-ball friends after I worked my two jobs and apparently the Marine did as well; except we never ran into each other in the same room. We had the same friends, visited the same chat room, visited the room nearly the same time, yet never crossed paths. How does that happen?
Well, I’ll tell you how:
I was dating one guy (in real life), and semi-liking another guy on-line. I was a flirt-a-holic. {Hey, I was a young 19 year old, what else did people do at that age?} And of course there was a psycho ‘friend’ that we all knew that needed mental help and loads of attention. He had the same first name as the Marine. We always assumed that the two could have been one in the same as the ‘friend’ would make up personas to get attention and talk about suicide, etc. We didn’t pay much attention because it was never real! It was always the same psycho guy who would come on saying “this is his cousin, so & so just committed suicide” and the ploy would eventually fail as the ‘fake cousin’ gave away stuff only so & so knew. *duh* If you have to lie, at least cover your tracks better, right? Or better yet, don’t lie because it is a SIN and won’t get you anything.
Anyhow.
I had a particular friend named Layla that instant messaged me one day, randomly. She mentioned that she was going to meet some guys in real life that she had talked to on-line. She had three guys to choose from, one in North Carolina, one from Texas, and one in Arkansas. She sent over their pictures to me. I checked them all out (the pictures, not the guys..sheesh yall!) and said “The North Carolina guy is the cutest, but the Texas one is closest”. Layla lived in Texas at the time with her two daughters. She agreed with everything I said and told me a little bit more about the guys with what they do, how old they were, etc. We had agreed that the Texas guy makes the most sense in age/location and lifestyle. Somehow older adults were listening to a 19 year old self-centered little brat. But, whatever.
So, Layla does her thing and comes back and says she met Mr. Texas and stood the other guys up. Okay, not cool, but it is what it is, right? I didn’t think much about it at the time. I don’t remember how the Mr. Texas relationship went but that’s okay.
September 2000
One day I was randomly online because I had quit my job at lunch and refused to go back. ( I am highly allergic to tide laundry detergent and they had me sorting clothes washed in tide! I explained I am allergic and yet, they had my go forth with the sorting. Once I was done, it was lunch time and I checked out my red, itchy, rash-invested arms and decided enough was enough! I never went back to ironing clothes for 8 hours a day! And because of that, I don’t iron much these days.)
Ok, back to the story. I was online during the day and so was this new guy, “Titanium”. Or so I thought he was new. I put him through the ringer, because I thought he was that Mr. So & so suicide imposter. Well apparently, all my friends knew who he was, which was quite the frustration. They vouched for him and I still was not nice to him. I was already dating someone and was interested in some Army guy (oh my that sounds horrible! ugh…I was soo stupid when I was younger, sorry mum and dad.) so I did not want to waste time talking to this guy. Yet, I did because he was quite persistent.
Our conversations moved awkwardly because I mentioned something about the military. Titanium mentioned something about being IN the military. No way, I asked him to prove it. So, I got a picture.
And I instantly FREAKED OUT! When I looked at his picture I INSTANTLY saw my wedding ring placed on his finger. Tell me that’s not freaky stuff?! And I recognized him from somewhere, but I could never remember where. Of course we talked more from there and I got several close ups of his eyes because I refused to believe the color of his eyes, which is hazel-ish. Basically Titanium has green eyes, with a gold ring around them. Very cool and unique.
So we talked. And we talked. And I semi-quasi dumped current boyfriend during the month of September. Sometime during this month, Titanium called me and asked me “to be his girl” awwww. So Titanium comes up to visit for two weeks(Columbus Day Weekend). Two very fun bliss-filled weeks. We hiked and walked trails and I worked and he fixed my sister’s car. It was fabulous. He asked me to the Marine Corps Ball. I said ‘yes’, but how was I going to get to North Carolina when I lived in Ohio? (I did not have my license at the time, I drove illegally on my permit…add in another stupid choice I made and parents did nothing about.)
Titanium went back to North Carolina for two weeks and came back to visit for an additional two weeks. He showed up at my workplace in his Marine Corps dress blues! Who would not go for that? I felt like I was living out “An Officer and a Gentleman” haha.He also helped out at work while I was there. I worked at Subway as the Assistant Manager and most of the time was the only one operating the store. He was an excellent addition to the staff when we needed a bank run for change and we were slammed busy. Yes, the store manager sent a non-employee to the bank with a huge chunk of change! Everyone trusted him instantly because of his helpful personality. He charms everyone he ever meets. I have YET to hear anything negative about him.
So, those two weeks went by fast. We shopped for a ball gown and I had planned on a bus ticket to get back home after the Ball. Well, those plans changed. Titanium asked my mum “What would you do if I don’t bring her back?” Mum was flabbergasted and I don’t even remember her response. But, what we heard was “that’s a go!” We packed up everything I wanted to take with me and I moved to North Carolina. Everything I owned fit into the back of a 1997 Ford Taurus.
November 2000
We lived in a hotel for about a week while we searched for houses to rent. It was the week of the election where we had NO clue who the next President would be. We found a place to rent just outside the back gate of MCAS Cherry Point. It was an awesome little house. I moved in with my little amount of stuff and Titanium lived in the barracks until he was authorized to live out in town. We slept on an air mattress and were living in sin! (another stupid choice the parents did not stop, either!) We attended the Ball and I met his co-workers. They all advised against us getting married.
December 2000.
The Marine proposed. I said yes. We ate pizza. Okay, so he had grand elaborate plans to propose on the beach, but the boy was anxious. He had already waited for me to get off work, went shopping at Walmart for a few things and by then, I was starved. He pulled into Pizza Hut and said “before anyone else sees you, I want them to know you’re my future wife, will you marry me?” I said yes, got my ring on and went to grab that yummy pizza. So Pizza Hut is special to us. We have a marked engagement spot in Havelock, North Carolina now. hehe
The day after the proposal, it snowed and our driveway was like a magical winter wonderland. We got back from laundering our clothes and all the pines were dusted in magical pretty snow. It was gorgeous. I wish I had taken pictures.
February 2001.
We went to Arkansas to get married. Yep, certifiable rednecks. haha. No, that’s where his Family is from and he wanted me to meet them before we got married. I invited my family, but of course they refused to come/did not have funds to come etc. So, while out and about we pull up to this Christian bookstore in some random town, Arkansas. The Marine mentions that he was suppose to meet a girl here months before he met me, but that she stood him up. He waited for HOURS and also mentioned her name was Layla. What!? What did he just say? Layla and Marine were suppose to meet?! Now I know where I recognized his picture. So we both discussed this weird, twisted fate of friends on-line, Arkansas, and how God meshed it all together for us.
We married on February 14, 2001 at 0800 and I got the Cute Marine from North Carolina <3
“Where did you meet?”
We both laugh and say “The Internet before it was cool!”
And we get the quizzical looks and “wow” or “really?” or “how cool!”
We’re used to it by now.
The only people that have multiple follow-up questions are the older generations that just don’t “get” the internet these days.
Either way, it makes for a good story.
Let’s take a time travel.
We’re going back to 2000.
That September to be exact.
I was dating a younger boy because he was convenient (we worked together) and cute. Nothing else.
The Marine wasn’t dating anyone…yet.
He had plans to meet a girl in Arkansas while he was home on leave for a few days….
The year of 2000:
The Marine and I were actively involved in a chat room where all our friends congregated. (on-line friends that is..) I spent loads of time talking to my goofy, silly, odd-ball friends after I worked my two jobs and apparently the Marine did as well; except we never ran into each other in the same room. We had the same friends, visited the same chat room, visited the room nearly the same time, yet never crossed paths. How does that happen?
Well, I’ll tell you how:
I was dating one guy (in real life), and semi-liking another guy on-line. I was a flirt-a-holic. {Hey, I was a young 19 year old, what else did people do at that age?} And of course there was a psycho ‘friend’ that we all knew that needed mental help and loads of attention. He had the same first name as the Marine. We always assumed that the two could have been one in the same as the ‘friend’ would make up personas to get attention and talk about suicide, etc. We didn’t pay much attention because it was never real! It was always the same psycho guy who would come on saying “this is his cousin, so & so just committed suicide” and the ploy would eventually fail as the ‘fake cousin’ gave away stuff only so & so knew. *duh* If you have to lie, at least cover your tracks better, right? Or better yet, don’t lie because it is a SIN and won’t get you anything.
Anyhow.
I had a particular friend named Layla that instant messaged me one day, randomly. She mentioned that she was going to meet some guys in real life that she had talked to on-line. She had three guys to choose from, one in North Carolina, one from Texas, and one in Arkansas. She sent over their pictures to me. I checked them all out (the pictures, not the guys..sheesh yall!) and said “The North Carolina guy is the cutest, but the Texas one is closest”. Layla lived in Texas at the time with her two daughters. She agreed with everything I said and told me a little bit more about the guys with what they do, how old they were, etc. We had agreed that the Texas guy makes the most sense in age/location and lifestyle. Somehow older adults were listening to a 19 year old self-centered little brat. But, whatever.
So, Layla does her thing and comes back and says she met Mr. Texas and stood the other guys up. Okay, not cool, but it is what it is, right? I didn’t think much about it at the time. I don’t remember how the Mr. Texas relationship went but that’s okay.
September 2000
One day I was randomly online because I had quit my job at lunch and refused to go back. ( I am highly allergic to tide laundry detergent and they had me sorting clothes washed in tide! I explained I am allergic and yet, they had my go forth with the sorting. Once I was done, it was lunch time and I checked out my red, itchy, rash-invested arms and decided enough was enough! I never went back to ironing clothes for 8 hours a day! And because of that, I don’t iron much these days.)
Ok, back to the story. I was online during the day and so was this new guy, “Titanium”. Or so I thought he was new. I put him through the ringer, because I thought he was that Mr. So & so suicide imposter. Well apparently, all my friends knew who he was, which was quite the frustration. They vouched for him and I still was not nice to him. I was already dating someone and was interested in some Army guy (oh my that sounds horrible! ugh…I was soo stupid when I was younger, sorry mum and dad.) so I did not want to waste time talking to this guy. Yet, I did because he was quite persistent.
Our conversations moved awkwardly because I mentioned something about the military. Titanium mentioned something about being IN the military. No way, I asked him to prove it. So, I got a picture.
And I instantly FREAKED OUT! When I looked at his picture I INSTANTLY saw my wedding ring placed on his finger. Tell me that’s not freaky stuff?! And I recognized him from somewhere, but I could never remember where. Of course we talked more from there and I got several close ups of his eyes because I refused to believe the color of his eyes, which is hazel-ish. Basically Titanium has green eyes, with a gold ring around them. Very cool and unique.
So we talked. And we talked. And I semi-quasi dumped current boyfriend during the month of September. Sometime during this month, Titanium called me and asked me “to be his girl” awwww. So Titanium comes up to visit for two weeks(Columbus Day Weekend). Two very fun bliss-filled weeks. We hiked and walked trails and I worked and he fixed my sister’s car. It was fabulous. He asked me to the Marine Corps Ball. I said ‘yes’, but how was I going to get to North Carolina when I lived in Ohio? (I did not have my license at the time, I drove illegally on my permit…add in another stupid choice I made and parents did nothing about.)
Titanium went back to North Carolina for two weeks and came back to visit for an additional two weeks. He showed up at my workplace in his Marine Corps dress blues! Who would not go for that? I felt like I was living out “An Officer and a Gentleman” haha.He also helped out at work while I was there. I worked at Subway as the Assistant Manager and most of the time was the only one operating the store. He was an excellent addition to the staff when we needed a bank run for change and we were slammed busy. Yes, the store manager sent a non-employee to the bank with a huge chunk of change! Everyone trusted him instantly because of his helpful personality. He charms everyone he ever meets. I have YET to hear anything negative about him.
So, those two weeks went by fast. We shopped for a ball gown and I had planned on a bus ticket to get back home after the Ball. Well, those plans changed. Titanium asked my mum “What would you do if I don’t bring her back?” Mum was flabbergasted and I don’t even remember her response. But, what we heard was “that’s a go!” We packed up everything I wanted to take with me and I moved to North Carolina. Everything I owned fit into the back of a 1997 Ford Taurus.
November 2000
We lived in a hotel for about a week while we searched for houses to rent. It was the week of the election where we had NO clue who the next President would be. We found a place to rent just outside the back gate of MCAS Cherry Point. It was an awesome little house. I moved in with my little amount of stuff and Titanium lived in the barracks until he was authorized to live out in town. We slept on an air mattress and were living in sin! (another stupid choice the parents did not stop, either!) We attended the Ball and I met his co-workers. They all advised against us getting married.
December 2000.
The Marine proposed. I said yes. We ate pizza. Okay, so he had grand elaborate plans to propose on the beach, but the boy was anxious. He had already waited for me to get off work, went shopping at Walmart for a few things and by then, I was starved. He pulled into Pizza Hut and said “before anyone else sees you, I want them to know you’re my future wife, will you marry me?” I said yes, got my ring on and went to grab that yummy pizza. So Pizza Hut is special to us. We have a marked engagement spot in Havelock, North Carolina now. hehe
The day after the proposal, it snowed and our driveway was like a magical winter wonderland. We got back from laundering our clothes and all the pines were dusted in magical pretty snow. It was gorgeous. I wish I had taken pictures.
February 2001.
We went to Arkansas to get married. Yep, certifiable rednecks. haha. No, that’s where his Family is from and he wanted me to meet them before we got married. I invited my family, but of course they refused to come/did not have funds to come etc. So, while out and about we pull up to this Christian bookstore in some random town, Arkansas. The Marine mentions that he was suppose to meet a girl here months before he met me, but that she stood him up. He waited for HOURS and also mentioned her name was Layla. What!? What did he just say? Layla and Marine were suppose to meet?! Now I know where I recognized his picture. So we both discussed this weird, twisted fate of friends on-line, Arkansas, and how God meshed it all together for us.
We married on February 14, 2001 at 0800 and I got the Cute Marine from North Carolina <3
