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To our friends from the Quit Smoking Company BBS - You wanted to see us, and Here we are!!!

We really are deplorably cute, and our story is both unusual and utterly 90’s. We fell in love via the Internet, and are currently exploring the possibilities of life. This site chronicles our story.

And to think all we wanted to do was quit smoking (thanks again, Fred)...

(click on the photos for larger versions...)

Sometime in early August, Rick, late 30’s, single and trying to quit smoking, finds a BBS on the Internet (www.quitsmoking.com), and befriends a lot of very fine people there. One day, on a dare, he sends his photo to any member of the BBS who asks for one.

Sometime in late August, Michelle, also late 30’s, single and trying to quit smoking, arrives at the board. She asks Rick for a photo. She thinks he is pretty cute - and decides maybe it’s a good idea to respond to Rick with a photo of her own.

Rick and Michelle now begin the process of completely shameless flirting. The people on the board thought is was pretty cute, and urged them on. Michelle called Rick her “Muffin”. Rick called Michelle his “Angel”. It was, overall, kinda cute and sappy.

Sappy or not, the board people were not aware that Rick and Michelle e-mailed each other privately about 3 times a day...

...and things were, well, progressing.

Rick, by now somewhat more than curious, sends another photo (by the way, we should add that Rick lives in sunny, wild California).

And so Michelle, now somewhat more than enchanted, sends another photo back to Rick (by the way, we should add that Michelle lives in beautiful, wild Canada).

We now must pause in our story.

Something VERY odd happened at this juncture. It is unusual for people to fall head over heels in love under the best of circumstances. Over the Internet, having never met, having never seen one another (except for photos), and living 1,600 miles apart, these two people seemed - against all odds - to begin to fall for each other. It was decided they should meet. So in mid-October, Rick flew to Canada, and he met Michelle.

They saw each other in person for the first time at about 8:30 PM on Thursday, October 14th, 1999....

...and it was, shall we say, electric.

This was taken the morning of the 15th, the day after they met. They seem to like each other a little, yes?

And the night of the 15th, in a local hang out in her town. They may have had a few beers by this time. Think so? (note to Americans - Canadians make their beer properly...and roughly twice as strong as beer in the US. Rick learned this lesson the hard way...).

Michelle checks in with their friends at the Quit Smoking BBS on the afternoon of the 16th.

And this was the shot they forgot to send to thier friends on the Board on the 17th. What a cute couple, eh?

...But as with all things, there was an end to the trip. Rick hopped on a plane, and headed back for California. This was not a happy day...

There was a conversation between Rick at the airport in Seattle and Michelle at her home which took place at about 3:00 on the afternoon of the 18th of October, where they discussed the fact that this had not just been a visit, nor had it been a silly fling: There was something more. Over the next few days, and without telling many people, they decided that Michelle was going to come to California, and that her visit may be of a slightly more...permanent nature.

Yes, you heard me.

And so, after such a short time together, against all odds (and, some say, common sense) Michelle hopped on a plane, and flew to California

Her ticket, by the way, was for a one way flight.

And at 6:20 PM on Thursday, October 28th, 1999, Rick picked Michelle up at the airport.