A LOVE STORY

Once there was a guy named Shaun.  (Well, there was probably more than one, but this story is only about one particular one.)  One day, Shaun became curious about internet chat rooms.  He went to a list of rooms and while it was a little overwhelming, there was one called "Home Away From Home" that said "Newbies Welcome" and he thought that would be a good one to try.  He went in and was immediately lost in the shuffle of names and scrolling text.  But one person talked to him and helped him follow just her text.  Her chat nickname was SnowAngel and she was very patient with Shaun, helping him follow along with what was going on.  And then something terrible happened... Shaun lost electrical power and, therefore, his PC and internet connection.  He could not thank her for being so nice and helpful to him in such a chaotic situation.  He didn't enjoy the chat room all that much, but he needed to thank her so he went back to that chat room the next day looking for her to thank her.  Alas, she was not there that day.  Shaun asked about her and the others said she would be in the room later in the week and to try back.   Shaun tried again and again but kept missing her.  In the process, he started to talk to the people in the room and got to know them.  He was also better able to follow what was going on and began to enjoy it in the room.  He finally found SnowAngel again and was able to apologize for leaving without notice and thank her for helping him.  The two became very close friends and chatted quite often.  (This is not their story...)  Shaun came into the same chat room quite often and became friends with many of the regulars.  He was eventually asked to become a host of the room.  His duties included welcoming newbies and helping them understand what was going on.  He enjoyed helping people learn about the chat room and introducing them to the people who were now his friends, much as SnowAngel had done for him.

Once there was a girl named Julia.  (Again, there were probably quite a few around, but this story only deals with one.)  She was playing a game online with a friend who asked if Julia wanted to join her in chat.  Julia was unfamiliar with chat, but agreed.  Julia went to what she thought was "the chat room" only to find a list of hundreds of chat rooms.  Having no idea which one she was supposed to go into, she just chose one at random that looked nice.   Can you guess what the name of that chat room was?  (Hint:  It starts with "H-o-m-e-A-w-a-y-F-r-o-m".)  That's right!  Julia was immediately overwhelmed by all the activity.  The room was really hopping that night and the text was scrolling pretty quickly.  All of a sudden, someone named Hapkidoin was talking to her.  This person told her to just watch for his text by looking for the font and color, which was unique.  Through this process, she was able to follow a conversation with this Hapkidoin person and slowly caught on to the whole process.  Can you guess who Hapkidoin was?  (Hint:  His name starts with "S-h-a-u".)  The two became close friends and chatted quite often.  (This is their story.)

Shaun and Julia had other friends, both online and off, but they shared a very close, very special friendship.  One thing that online chatting allows a person to do is to open up and share more than they might be comfortable to share with someone in person.  It also allows people to be deceitful and lie about who they were.  Somehow though, Shaun and Julia both knew that the other was being honest.   Neither was inclined to be particularly trusting of people on the 'net, but there was a magic in their conversations that allowed them to share openly and trust each other.   They shared many good times and not so good times.  They each looked to the other for advice, support and companionship.  They talked of their hopes and dreams.    They helped each other through the end of their respective bad marriages.   Neither divorce was final, but the marriages had been falling apart for a long time and both divorces were in process.

And then one night something amazing happened.  The two of them were talking away as they normally did, about everything and about nothing, and all of a sudden, Shaun realized that something more was happening than friendship.   He asked Julia about it and she felt that way, too.  It amazed the two of them how the feelings snuck up on both of them.  Because the two of them met as friends and stayed friends for months, there was simply no thought of anything else.  There was no false mask of "putting your best foot forward" and trying to impress the other; just two friends sharing something deep and special which grew into something even stronger and better.  They had fallen deeply in love through only their words, through the mutual sharing of their lives.  The two marvelled at this new revelation for a few days before reality set in.

So now what to do?  Shaun lived in Iowa and Julia lived in Pennsylvania with her daughter Bree, which meant they were about 900 miles apart.   Shaun had a good job and lots of family where he lived, as well as the martial arts school that he ran.  But he felt he couldn't ask Julia to give up her home and move across the country.  Imagine his surprise when she offered to do exactly that!   Due to circumstances, Julia was ready to leave Pennsylvania and Shaun would be able to provide a home where they could all be together.  They began to make plans that Julia and Bree would eventually move to Iowa, but not immediately.  Both of them still had issues to settle with their divorces and both thought it would be best to wait.   But a trip was scheduled for Shaun to visit Julia and Bree in Pennsylvania.

Shaun took the video camera around town to show them some of the places around their future home, like where Bree would go to school and such.  He taped some of his martial arts training and teaching so Julia and Bree could see this important part of his life.  He also talked to the camera for long periods, sometimes reading a story, sometimes rambling on about nothing and even sometimes just sitting with the camera on.  Anyone else watching these tapes would probably be intensely bored, but Julia really enjoyed seeing Shaun, hearing his voice, seeing his motions and mannerisms.  After so long of seeing words on the screen when talking online and hearing his voice during phone conversations, she really got to see who he was.  And she fell even more in love with him.

All three anxiously awaited the day to arrive.  Time seemed to slow to a crawl, at least to Shaun, each day taking longer than the one before.    But finally the day arrived to begin the trip.  Shaun left work and drove to stay overnight with some relatives on the first night to take a couple hours off the trip the following day.  As it was, he wouldn't be pulling into Julia's hometown until late and every little bit would help.  He finally arrived at about 10:30 pm (after getting lost, but not due to bad directions...) and opened the door to the apartment building.  He looked up to the top of the stairs as he rang the door buzzer, seeing her peek through the curtain on the door.  As he walked up the stairs, looking at the door, he thought, "Behind that door is my future."  She opened the door and the two finally made contact with an embrace that lasted minutes.   Both were in heaven.

It was a wonderful visit.  Julia introduced Shaun to some of her family around the area.  They drove through the countryside and enjoyed the scenery.  She showed him around the places where she grew up.  But most importantly, they were able to spend time together.  Just before Shaun was to leave, circumstances became worse and it was recognized that Julia and Bree were in danger.   Shaun decided that they were coming home with him and he wouldn't take no for an answer.  Of course, Julia was not prepared for this and began to object, but once the reality of the situation was apparent, she realized that this was indeed the best option.

They packed what they could in the two cars and drove back to Iowa on September 11th, 2001, a day that neither will forget for several reasons.   Julia and Bree had never been that far west and it was a long trip in the car, especially so since it hadn't been planned or expected.  They finally reached their new home and met Beanfield, Shaun's cat.  Beanfield immediately approved of the new arrivals and fell in love with them herself.  It was a long trip and a somewhat chaotic arrival at their new home, but they adjusted quickly.  Since then, they have shared two and a half wonderful years together, their love growing deeper each day.

In the past, Shaun had developed a rather negative view of marriage and even proclaimed at one point during his divorce process that he'd never get married again, no matter who he met or how much he loved her.  With time and distance, Shaun realized that the problem wasn't exactly the institution of marriage itself, but the problems associated with his particular marriage.   So as time went on, he began to think about marriage again with Julia, this woman who he deeply loves and cares for, the woman who makes him happy, the woman with whom he shares his life.  He had many ideas on how to propose to her, some were rather large, public affairs while others were more intimate and private.  In the end, he ultimately decided on something rather appropriate, considering the way they met.  He decided to put up a web page devoted to his love for Julia and their love story.  The internet was what brought them to each other and he thought it would be fitting that he use it for the marriage proposal.  So, on this February 14th, Valentine's Day of 2004, I ask the question...

Julia Elizabeth, will you give me the honor of becoming my wife?

I Love You,

Shaun