So, Who Is He?

Now that I've opened up this new arena for sharing my life, perhaps it's time to tell you about My New Boyfriend!  I'm very excited about him, you should be too!

So, how did we meet?  What's the story?  I'm sure some of you have been very curious about it!

Well, the truth is... he might be a new boyfriend, but he's not new in my life.  We actually met in our second year of University, somewhat near the end of the year (if I'm remembering that correctly?).  I was already dating The Ex by the time we met, so until last fall I was never a Single Lady to him.  He was roomates with my BFFs boyfriend, who is now her fiance.  (My other BFF is long-time-dating a third roomate of theirs).  So, we've known each other for six years and our best friends/roomates from University are dating each other.  We've spent most Big Life Events & Celebrations together in that time frame -- plenty of birthdays, holiday parties, cottage weekends, and notably Fancy Dress House Party New Years Eves.  He's a part of the most important social group in my life, since I've moved on quite a bit from friends I went to high school with.

A few years ago, at a New Years Eve party, he met and started up a relationship with my childhood best friend (who did not go to University with us).  I totally encouraged this relationship, in fact I was very excited about it.  Their relationship didn't work out in the long run, though they did have a significant relationship for awhile.  This is one of the reasons that sharing about him on my old blog wasn't so easy; it has caused a rift between my childhood friend and myself (though in recent years, we haven't been nearly as close as we were as tweens/teens anyway, and I'm beginning to believe this rift was going to happen at some point regardless of this situation).

For the past three years or so, he and I spoke frequently about our daily lives through IM chat.  We'd really developed a close friendship within our group.  When my previous relationship ended last fall, he was really there for me and was an important part of my healing process.

Then, the friendship changed.  Suddenly, I was a Single Lady... and he, being a Single Guy, looked a little differently to me.  A few mutual friends had already planted the idea in my head that "maybe you and him will hit it off", knowing we were already close friends.  I couldn't exactly get that thought out of my mind.  I felt like I was supposed to try being single for awhile, but I developed a crush.  A crush on a guy who I already knew very well, including his thoughts about relationships and many of his future goals.  A crush I was already making future travel plans with in a "we'll do that as friends" capacity.  A crush on a guy who was not just fresh out of a break-up, who was actively dating... who was wonderful, and who was going to get snapped up before I had my chance with him.  Also, he and I started to hang out a lot just the two of us -- going on, what I now refer to as "non-date dates" -- so it was beginning to be a bit ridiculous to pretend we were only friends.

I tried to push my crush aside, though, and for a couple of months I did.  I was feeling guilty that he was an ex-boyfriend of a friend of mine, mainly.  In the end though, I decided I needed to choose to put my own happiness first.  He and I were friends long before they ever dated, and there was nothing inappropriate about our feelings because we were both single before we ever felt them.  I didn't want to miss out on dating an amazing person, who I was already extremely compatible with, who could be very good for me. 

In January, it was confirmed to me by a mutual friend that he was "feeling the same way as I was"... which made me take the leap, letting him know I was ready to date again if he wanted to try taking our friendship to the next level.

Turns out he really did!

Now it's just been a few months since then, but since we already knew each other so well... it's been going very steadily and fairly fast.  It has been wonderful.  We have so much in common, we get along with each others families, we have plenty of social events planned with our mutual friends -- friends who already know and love both of us as individuals, which makes planning things with them SUPER EASY (rather than dealing with any awkward "the new boyfriend/girlfriend doesn't like the friends" nonsense).  He's a positive, kind, caring, romantic, intelligent, and hilarious person.  He's patient.  He understands me well.  He's also a great cook!  Exactly the type of man I need.

I am incredibly fortunate to have him in my life, and I am incredibly excited for what's still to come.

So there it is!  Finally, a bit of our story.

Now I just really need to come up with his pseudonym!