Say hi to Meg
Meg and I should have never met.
Meg lives in Vancouver; the farthest west I’ve ever been is Tennessee. She’s a freelance writer; I schlep to work at a pharmaceutical publishing company every day - no chance we’d ever meet at an industry conference or something like that. The likelihood we’d ever be in the same place at the same time is almost nil.
So how’d we get to being in the same photo, all happy and lovey and whatnot?
Not too long after I joined twitter, I came across Meg. I clicked over to her blog, and was compelled to @ her with my thoughts:
After a few weeks of friendly back and forths, the DMs started. Then IM. Eventually, phone calls. Skype. Video chat.
For a while, we were no more than a Flickr photo or Twitter avatar. But we connected and got closer with each email and phone call. We learned more about each other.
Meg is amazing. She’s beautiful, whether in jeans and flip flops (she LOOOVES the flip flops) or in a black cocktail dress. She’s smarter than just about everyone I know; she’s random on Twitter only because she can (and does) talk about anything. She has the biggest heart ever; her desire to help any and everybody is amazing.
And her writing? Blows mine away. Yours too - you should hire her.
And with those phone calls, the phone bills. No cell company has unlimited calling to Canada (or to the US, in Meg’s case), and we’re both away from home too much to rely solely on Skype. In the last 6 months, we could have each bought new MacBooks.
Finally, just a couple weeks ago, after 10 months of talking Meg flew to Boston and we “met” each other for the first time. After about 5 minutes of awkward giddiness at the airport, we were normal, as if we’d known each other for ages.
For ten days, it was life-with-Meg. Going on random walks and talking lots of photos (Something I already do). Cuddling on the sofa to watch the debate. Beer, wings and football. A couple things were out-of-the-ordinary: dinner at Radius and the SM4SC event. I got a taste of life will be like with Meg when we eventually have a life together.
Why were we so comfortable, so quickly?
This, on a very personal scale, is the power of social media. The tools of social media (Twitter, Facebook, blogs) introduced us into each other’s worlds. It allowed us to learn and share things about one another.
Think social media is useless? I can honestly and confidently say social media made my life infinitely better. Thank you, Twitter.
Oh, and those phone bills? That’s okay, each phone call is an investment in something much bigger than anything that laptop can get me.
Which is interesting, since it’s this laptop - and the social media sites we frequent - that helped get me Meg.
Every time I see your avatars I get all weepy. I am so HAPPY for you both
Wow - when I met you both last week, I never thought you had only just met!!! What a fun, and romantic, story!
Social media introduced me to my husband seven years ago. I’m infinitely excited for you two.
Wow, what a beautiful story. I’m not going to badmouth Twitter ever again. There is some point to it after all!
Such a beautiful post!
Am truly happy for both of you.
And yay for Twitter!
Hey man,
Twitter has done wonders for me too (got me into a programming job for which I was woefully underqualified), and from the sounds of your writing, it did roughly the same for you.
That is absolutely outstanding, and I am very happy for you both.
Perhaps you can help me with something. Does Meg actually exist below the shoulders? I suspect she does, since we now know she was able to get on a plane. However, her Flickr pics don’t allow me to prove is scientifically.
Seriously…congrats! She’s a catch of the highest order.
There are tons of them on Facebook.:P
Hi Gradon!
Thank you for sharing this heartwarming story! I had to leave a comment, not a DM to tell you I’m impressed- a gentleman you are. I’m now feeling all warm and glowy inside on a chilly October evening. You are adorable together and I am so happy you were brought together via twitter!
Cheers!
What a fabulous, wonderful story. I’m about to “meet” the love of my life, whom I also met through a social networking site (our story is yours just change the names and locations). We’ve been getting to know each other for eight months now and I cannot wait! Reading your and Meg’s story just makes me so happy! For the both of you and for the both of us.
Yes Virginia, there are happy endings in cyberspace romances!
I’ve been following Meg for a little while on her blog then on Twitter and saw her tweets to you which of course made me follow along in your blossoming romance.
Don’t sell your words short either that was lovely post you wrote.
I too met my lovely Husband who started out as just a very good friend on Excite Chat back in 1999. He lived in Los Angeles and I live here in Vancouver. Two years later we meet, fell in love did the long distance thing for a couple of years and we got married in Jan of 2003. He works in TV I work in Banking so we would never have crossed either except for these here fair Interwebs.
Best of luck to you both!
Dudes, I’m SO THRILLED for you. Me and hubby met on the internet back in 1994 before there was a dot-com, me in Florida, he in Boston. Sometimes magic just *happens* and you find the best friend you didn’t know you were missing but you were…just so missing! Amazing…HURRAY!
Colon. Dash. Capital D.
You are such a sap!!! And making it so hard for the rest of us guys!!!!!!!!
OK..OK…I’m so happy for you two.
I’m sorry, I can’t comment. I’m too busy blowing my nose after sobbing over this post.
So happy for you both.
I’ve been so happy for both of you since I found out.
I’ve told Meg for as long as I’ve known her (met her on twitter, as a matter of fact!) that she deserved and would find an amazing guy that would appreciate how incredible she is… I’m thrilled that it’s you and that you guys found each other.
This post just makes me all squishy and girly! But more than that? It just confirms my belief that yeah, my Twitter friends are real friends and it makes sense when we feel like we’ve known each other for ages the first time we “meet” in person.
Yay!!
Beautiful story - thank you for sharing the happy!
I met my perfect match through a social networking site, and yes, in the ‘real world’ our lives would never have crossed paths either. Thank heavens for the internet!
It couldn’t happen to two nicer people. I am grateful for your generosity as you two share your happiness, your adventures, and your unfolding romance with all the rest of us.
Congratulations on having found one another.
Now that you’ve found her you’ll have to be good to her or those of us in the twitter mafia will have to make a visit out there.
Seriously though, wishing you all the best for years to come. This is just the beginning. =)
AWESOME! That’s exactly how my husband and I met…14 years ago…and we are still very happily married!
Good for you! Two of my most favourite Tweeters!
What a great story!! Glad to see you guys so happy…and to think our little Twitter had something to do with it. Keep smiling, you deserve it!
Wait–now I have to name a tom turkey “Gradon?” Better wait ’til a little closer to Thanksgiving, to see who’s going to make the cut and carry on.
Congratulations–you’ve done well.
You two are so cute! I’m glad you found each other.
VERY happy for the both of you… (I am a follower of both of your blogs)
I met my partner of nearly 10 years through the magic of the internet. I think it gave us an opportunity to get to know each other a little better than maybe we would have through the ‘normal’ social ways. I think you become more sensitive to each other. You don’t have the usual visual aides during communicating and getting to know someone. It breaks down the whole getting to know someone down to very simple terms without a lot of other triggers, assumptions, and all that other nonsense getting in the way.
I wish you both much happiness and many blessings!
Too cute!!! I’d cry too if someone wrote that about me. Yay Twitter love!
So many words and thoughts, so I will stick to this:
Okay, I’m going through the kleenex, what a beuatiful story. All the best to you both. YOU two ROCK!
so very sweet
Congrats on finding one another and have fun! Great story.
Jim | @jstorerj
As someone who met my love (who is now my husband) online, through one comment left on his website, and then myriad emails and phone calls and finally so many months later, a face to face meet, I totally understand how amazing it is, the idea of finding someone online you wouldn’t have been able to before. It really is amazing.
So thrilled for you both.
Beatiful.
That last comment should have had a U in it. “Beautiful”. I blame the typo on the adorableness of that picture.
Now THAT is the power of social media. And to think ym husband thinks all I do is talk to imaginary friends! Wonderful story.
just great - congrats, everyone should be happy.
Your story is so touching… I, as many have, read your tweets and could read between the lines and the fondness you both had for one another. You both are so fortunate to have found each other as unconventional or conventional one may look upon it as. In life we give and receive may gifts but to receive a gift of the heart is the purest and most treasured gifts of all. Take nothing for granted. Wishing you both the best.
Cheers,
Charise
It’s going to be a challenge to move this forward but I have no doubt you two will accomplish whatever you set your minds & hearts on.
I have been active on a specific message board for 8 years now and I watched along with all of the regulars when two people posted there fell in love, met & eventually got married & had two kids and originally, she was in Ohio and he lived in Australia!
Funny how the Internet is accused of isolating people and yet it introduces two people who would never have otherwise have met. Beautiful!
Ended up here via Meg’s blog and, as I sit in front of my laptop over 8,000 km from home, I’m quietly smiling to myself. Your story resonates - if it weren’t for our blogs (me in Vancouver, he an ex-pat in Portugal) our paths would never have crossed. I used to be cynical about social media, but I’m forever grateful. I don’t know either of you, but I hope you’ll find a way to merge your lives. We’re still merging and we’re riddled with difficult choices, but a little faith in each other goes a long way … Congrats to you both.
[...] a few weeks of friendly back and forths, the DMs started,” Gradon writes in a blog entry called Twitter Helped Me Steal Canada’s Greatest Natural Resource. “Then IM. Eventually, phone calls. Skype. Video [...]
[...] plenty of examples of people making friends, forming business partnerships, or even falling in love [...]
Congratulations - we’ve loved her for years and I’m so very, very happy to see you two making each other so happy.
It’s a small world after all.
Chris (in Virginia)
Hey, you want to know one of the most OVERUSED WORDS in today’s society?
Amazing.
Yup. Every bloody thing is amazing. I love it wieh pinheaded teenage girls pronounce it that special way they have: “Aw-maaaay-zeen.”
Not counting this post, the word “amazing” appears on this particular page no fewer than a half-dozen times.
Amazing.
As for you and Meg…Whatever. You’re precious. A little gushy, but definitely precious. Maybe you two can pass notes in homeroom or something.
That would be amazing.
Wow, Dave. That comment was amazing.
It’s amazing the things people care about.
Love you, babe.:)
catching up on the post, given our chat last week. Now, I remember the tweets about your heart breaking when she was leaving on her visit. I just missed that it was Meg!
So happy for both of you! It’s wonderful to know two incredible people - each whose eyes make a room warm up upon entering because their soul-filled joy glistens through - connect as you have! Thanks so much for sharing!