Just got married… Who would’ve thought?

After making it well into my 40s as a confirmed bachelor, I long ago came to the conclusion that I would be single for life. Sometimes I was fine with that idea. I dove into my hobbies–collecting music and going to concerts, reading sci fi, bicycling, getting involved in online forums such as Reddit. Other times it could be quite lonely. Anyway, it was my life. I got into a groove and got used to it. I met some nice girls on occasion, but they never really did much for me and I didn’t excite them.

Growing up in a small town and living in small Texas towns most of my life, I was surrounded by people who were focused on family and community, who were very religious and very conservative. I was all those things too–at first. Along the way I read and thought a lot and became a liberal atheist, socially liberal at first, then the whole ball of wax. Not small town material.

I still like small town folks, but there’s always going to be a certain distance. I’ve changed a lot and I’m not changing back. Not a good recipe for successful dating. There are enough people around me who think I’m going to hell. I don’t need that from my significant other. It would be hard to overlook and I don’t have the patience for it.

Enter Melissa, my wonderful wife as of Jan. 10. We did what you’re not supposed to do. We met on Craigslist, which a lot of people think of as a meat market, but it turned out to be perfect for us. Her ad jumped out at me right away–lots of things in common and she could write and use correct grammar. You don’t see much of that on Craigslist. She had to weed me out from a long list of losers, but she saw a potential companion in me as I did in her.

At some point we realized we were having more than just a lot of fun dates. Dates turned into a relationship and we came to the conclusion that we have a bond we’re not likely to find from anyone else. I decided it was time to end my bachelor ways. They had a certain appeal, but it’s time to quit being alone and join team Melissa & Charles. There will be crises and bumps in the road–we’ve already had a few–but we’ll weather them together.