It was exactly 10 years ago today that I saw these headlines when I was scoping out personal ads on the Internet. I had moved back to Wisconsin after living in Florida for 9 years. And while I had intended to move to NYC, the Universe apparently had other plans. Every door I knocked on was closed; every lead I had dried up. Getting to NYC just seemed like swimming up a swift river.
On the contrary, every magazine that I opened seemed to have an article about Austin, TX being on this Top 10 list and that Top 10 list as a great place to live. In November 1998, my mom and I vacationed in Austin and surrounding areas of Texas. It was so green and vibrant, I made a change of plans and picked a new landing pad for these restless feet. I even opened a bank account in preparation of the big move. The niece of an Eau Claire antiques dealer checked out the apartment I picked out online. Everything seemed to be falling into place, like a hot knife through butter.
My departure date was dependent upon when I was able to finish setting up the accounting systems for my brother's first business. I thought I could get it done by the end of February and made the arrangements based on that date. I finished at the end of January, so I found myself with a lot of time on my hands in February. I had consciously not dated while I was in Wisconsin, because I didn't want to get stuck there. I had sold my beautiful purple pick-up truck because I wanted to live carless in NYC. So, I only looked at ads in Austin proper, so that I could find my way on the bus from my strategically located apartment in Central Austin.
I saw a lot of ads that I would have responded to in the past, but I passed over to find something that had a little zing to it. And then on February 14, 1999, I saw this amazing ad that completely knocked my socks off:
Awesome Guy seeks Awesome Gal!
I'm a 37 year old white guy who's looking for the right person to share the best years of my life with! I'm a pretty dynamic kinda fellow who has all sorts of interests--I'm learning to fly a plane, I'm a professional actor, a software engineer, a world traveler, a poet of sorts, and the list keeps growing.
There's one very important thing I want to add to that: A great lover! What's missing? You!
Who are you? You're someone who is intelligent, with a sense of humor (very important), and the strength of character that allows you to set your own rules for you life. I seek a fellow traveler in this strange journey called life, one who is vibrant and cheerful, and unafraid of the ridiculous.
I am a very passionate and loving man, and above all, seek a woman who is similarly passionate. I am completely open-minded and unafraid of new frontiers in whatever I do.
Lessee. Some physical details. I'm 6' tall, dark hair and eyes, barrel-chested, and I'm currently sporting a devil-may-care goatee (although that comes and goes depending on roles I play as an actor).
Here's a little history. A year ago, I weighed in at 275 lbs. I was a computer geek, couch-potato, and it showed: not only in my appearance, but my lifestyle. I had no girlfriend, stayed at home all the time, and played video games on the computer.
Finally, I got sick of that, and began to make some changes. since then, I've lost 60 lbs., began flight training, spent five weeks in Europe, and committed myself to running in a marathon by the end of 1999! But I don't have a girlfriend, which is why I'm advertising.
This is a really exciting time in my life, and I'm looking forward to what the future has in store for me, most particularly in the prospect of finding the mate that I really want.
So, like this site says with each ad: "I dare ya!" Be awesome, and write back!
(Austin, Texas, United-States)
Who could not fall in love with someone who wrote that? Well, I went to respond, and I quickly learned that you had to be a member of the match site in order to respond. I had made it a rule to not pay for ads because there were so many free ones out there. But I made an exception, and paid $14.95 to become a member for one month. I spent a couple of hours writing a response and sent it off.
And then I waited. Waited some more. And finally gave up from hearing from this guy. After 10 days of disbelief, I got an incredible response to my letter. Chuck had created a separate email for his personal ad. And after looking at an empty mailbox since November and feeling rejected each time, he looked at it less frequently. And then to his surprise there was a single response. He traveled af lot for business back then, and it took him a few days to draft a response.
By this point, I was pulling the plug on my Internet connection as I moved across country. I told him that I would email him when I got a new email address in Austin. And I did. I also gave him my phone number, which is something I hardly ever did because I hate sitting by the phone waiting for some guy to call. Well, he said he would call on the weekend. After sitting around the apartment all day Saturday, knowing deep down inside that he wouldn't call then, and a half a day on Sunday, I decided to go out. Of course, that is when he called.
After chatting for a few minutes, I told him I would call him back after my outing. When I returned, we talked for about 20 minutes and then made plans to meet that same day for coffee. Coffee led to dinner. Dinner led to Chuck asking me if he could kiss me goodnight. Of course, I said yes.
I met Caliban, Chuck's dog, on our date the next night. I met Chuck's friend Chris on our Tuesday night date while we watched a low-budget independent film that Chuck co-starred in at a bar in downtown Austin.
We both felt things were moving really fast, so we took Wednesday night off.
We made up for it Thursday. Friday, I met a half dozen more friends while we attended a concert. And by Saturday, I had met the rest at his friend's Marty's chili party. Chuck was asked if I was "Plans." My sweet Chuck is somewhat shy, and when his friends asked him to do stuff, he said that he couldn't because he already had plans.
Two weeks into this courtship, the "M" word came up in conversation. Four weeks after after we met, Chuck proposed to me. A year later, and after we had re-located to San Antonio, we got married.
A few months after we met, we had a dinner party with our friends, Marty and Linda. Linda asked Chuck what he loved about me. Being taken off-guard and not knowing what kind of amunition he was supplying me, he replied, "She's so organized."
Well, I've been organizing my life with Chuck for ten wonderful years.
Happy Valentine's Day, Love-Love.
That was a most awesome story! Congrats on 10 wonderful years!
Posted by: Patty VanHuis-Cox | March 06, 2009 at 02:54 PM