cali and cadence, thank you for your kind words and well wishes. I am very excited about the next chapter of my life, I just wish I didn't have to go through all of the packing and moving!

Louise, thank you for your advice, it is always important for people to be reminded of safety issues. However, my personal experience has moved beyond that stage. We have known each other a couple of months, I have been to visit him a number of times, and I am just about to move to the city where he lives. I stayed at his house while I was visiting, and he went to look at my new one with me before I bought it. At this point, I am reasonably assured he is not a psycho.

For me, it's not just about playdates.... it's about "date" dates. The everyday, mundane stuff when relationships are really built.

So let me rephrase... for those of you in (or who have had) long-term, real-life relationships, how did it all begin? How was it different (or the same) as vanilla dating?