"Who is this Schmuck?"

OK, I'm hopping on the bandwagon. Inspired by Elisabeth, Teeny, Drama Queen, and Helen, I've decided to share the story of how Nick & I first met. If you've been a reader since at least September, you know how our first date went and how our "let's be boyfriend-girlfriend" conversation went. However, I never told the story of how we actually met. Beware - this looks to be a pretty long post. You may want to skim. ;)

Sometime last spring, the older sister of one of my long-time friends posted a comment on my Myspace page - "Hey Stacey, I've got a nice guy for you if you're ever interested." At the time, I wasn't. A v. serious relationship had ended in November, another short-lived but initially promising relationship ended in April, and an ill-fated reconnection with my high school ex ended in May. I needed a dating embargo - and badly.

I took the summer off, focusing instead on spending time with friends & family (my little nephew in particular). By the end of August, though, I was feeling ready to give it another go. Enter Nick.

Just before Labor Day weekend, I got a friend request on Myspace from a guy I didn't know. Now, like I'm sure most of you do, I get all kinds of random friend requests. However, if I don't know people personally, I don't approve the request. When some guy named Nick requested I be his friend, I think I actually said out loud, "Who is this schmuck?"

However, when I clicked on his profile, I noticed that he was friends with my old friend Christie & her sister. "Hmmm," I though to myself, "they think they're so sneaky." Despite my general suspicion at matchmaking attempts, his profile actually looked pretty good. Friends & family important - check. Likes history, photography, good movies, good music, the Sox - check. Handsome - check. Funny - check. So I approved the request & wrote back to his message.

About a week later, I went to a cookout at my old friend's house. I knew my friends Lissa, Ben & Vera were going to be there, but didn't know who else. Looking back, I can't believe I didn't see it coming. ;)

I arrived bearing a potted mum plant, spinach dip, and Stacy's pita chips (seriously - who brings their namesake chips to a party?). Greeted Christie, got the food settled, put my purse in the kitchen, popped open a beer, and looked around. Guess who was sitting on the other side of the fire?

We didn't get to talk much that day - just the typical, "Hi, I'm Stacey. Hi, I'm Nick. blah blah blah." However, I was definitely intrigued. Still handsome - check. Still funny - check. Good with kids (an unexpected bonus) - check ++.

Since I've become a v. loving auntie myself, I've paid much more attention to men's reactions to kids. Do they recoil in horror or dive in with humor & grace? Nick's the latter of the two. He was also lucky that day to have two perfect foils. He's known Christie's sister's kids practically since they were born, so they love him. (At one point, the 18-month old boy crawled up into his "Uncle Nick's" lap, stuck his thumb in his mouth, and promptly fell asleep. Nick looked up, happened to catch my eye, and smiled. I think I went weak in the knees.)

The next day, I messaged him on Myspace & suggested a lunch date for the following weekend. Still can't believe my own cheek. ;) However, I guess I passed muster at the cookout as well, because he accepted. And the rest, as they say, is history.