Hmm, little bit of a backstory, but it all turns out good in the end...
At Uni. back in '97/'98 I hit a 'low point' after being mugged three times in the space of a few months, the last time being in hospital for a little while due to being knifed. Also hit (and run) by a car twice in the same years and also having a considerable health scare, all of which put me on a bit of a downward spiral. Ended up coming away from Uni in May '98 and went through a rough patch and a few dark months. (Breakdown, but not dwelling on that here) Come November '98 I was starting to get to grips with things, and started (albeit on a very small level) going out again and seeking out old friends. Not wishing to rush too fast into things as it had been a good few months since I'd even wanted to leave the house let alone acheived it, I struck up a penpal relationship with a lovely young lady in the depths of Wiltshire (I'm across the country in Norfolk)

At this time, and after giving myself a swift kick up the arse to try and deal with things, I had also started a job doing what I was studying at Uni. and also being paid to continue and complete my training. Life was getting better. This young lady and I continued on writing letters back and forth, which progressed to emails, text messages, the odd phone call etc. and all was good. We'd never met, but considered each other good pals.

Skip forward to December 31st 1999 - Millennium Eve. By this time, I had a strong inkling she was 'the one' (even though we'd never actually met each other face to face, merely seen photos of each other) but was very reticent (probably due to previous experiences over the previous couple of years) to actually do anything about it in case it f*cked everything up and I'd lose someone I thought the world of.

Anyway, it gets later on in the evening and we've had a chat on the phone, wishing each other a good new year etc etc and we then say goodbye and enjoy the rest of the evening our differnet ways. Come near to 11.30pm I get a text from her saying hi, which starts a ball rolling. By this time, I'd had a little to drink (back in the days when I could actually have a drink) and we're texting back and forth, and with a little dutch courage, just before midnight I take the plunge and say something along the lines of 'y'know, I really need to meet up with you for real and ask you out on a proper date you know, wonderful person, really like you etc etc'. As said, this was just before midnight, New year's Eve just about to see in a new Millennium...

Now, if some of you remember texting anyone around that time, you may remember the networks got completely overloaded, and had MASSIVE backlogs of texts needing to be processed and sent, all around that time.

What started at around 11.30pm as a great text exchange led to my text just before midnight asking her out. Her response?... Nothing. cue the next 5 and a half hours thinking I'd blown it, cursing myself, and believing she didn't actually feel the same way. Curses. 5.30am comes around and my phone goes off - text received. The lady in question had replied along the lines of 'That would be great. If you hadn't of asked me, I'd have been forced to ask you to get it out of the way :)'. Turns out, she'd replied to the text immediately after I'd sent it at midnight, but it never got to me until a few hours later. She, of course, was a little concerned why I hadn't replied back to her text, and so begins (later that morning) a conversation which put us both on a path which now, after over 10 years of knowing her, has her living with me here in Norfolk, really happy together since millennium night 2000. We knew each other pretty well via letters and emails/phone calls before we'd physically met, and I'd still go through all the sh*t I did at Uni. as it was all that which led - purely by a chance letter - to being very happy and settled with the present mrs. architect right now :)

Top Tip right here though, NEVER ask someone out by text on New Year's Eve.

on the plus side, I NEVER forget the anniversary of us first 'getting together' as a couple, as we still consider it the Millennium night, 2000. And if I get my way next year, I'll be asking her to marry me at the top of the London 'Millennium' Eye. *Fingers crossed*
( The Great Architect is still waiting for his account to be deleted on, Thu 10 Dec 2009, 13:24, 14 replies)

"December 31st 1999 - Millennium Eve"
Calendar fail.
(Vice Admiral Sir Charles Cockbrush KCB MBE DSO, who is finding it increasingly difficult to log into b3ta.com wants to duck your aunt and kick your puppy, Thu 10 Dec 2009, 13:25, closed)

well, you know what I mean, the start of the 2000s
even though it didn't technically start til jan 1st 2001, it didn't stop everyone on jan 1st 2000
( The Great Architect is still waiting for his account to be deleted on, Thu 10 Dec 2009, 13:27, closed)

Oh
It didn't stop me enjoying myself in the slightest - I flew to Sydney and saw in the year 2000 on Bondi Beach with my best mates. I just didn't wake up the next day believing it was the 21st Century.
(Vice Admiral Sir Charles Cockbrush KCB MBE DSO, who is finding it increasingly difficult to log into b3ta.com wants to duck your aunt and kick your puppy, Thu 10 Dec 2009, 14:20, closed)

Or, alternatively...
THIS
(beanojam isn't really Ricardo Flange, Thu 10 Dec 2009, 13:45, closed)

Ooooo!
Top of the Eye, eh. Nice one!
Best future wishes and whatnot, and hope you do get your way
( LemonEntryMyDearWatson This time, Moriarty, the hand is on the other foot, Thu 10 Dec 2009, 13:28, closed)

ahhhh
that's proper fluffy lovely!
( @><|= w0nu!) or cunt to my friends, Thu 10 Dec 2009, 13:51, closed)

Nice Story
I miss living in Norfolk. Not including Lynn, obviously.
( Dervel OTBC, Thu 10 Dec 2009, 14:56, closed)

haha, obviously :)
/goes without saying
( The Great Architect is still waiting for his account to be deleted on, Thu 10 Dec 2009, 14:57, closed)

Click
"And if I get my way next year, I'll be asking her to marry me at the top of the London 'Millennium' Eye." Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh let us know what she says!!!!!
(Obi wanker nobi Its not a bug, its an unexpected feature, Thu 10 Dec 2009, 15:23, closed)

Awwww, lovely...
does she read b3ta?
she might have an inkling by now....
(coffeespoons, Fri 11 Dec 2009, 0:26, closed)

Awww....
Nice to hear.

Also good to hear that someone has been dating their girlfriend for longer than I've been dating my partner and still isn't married! I was starting to wonder :P
(BlackArmadillo Avoided writing that article on, Sat 12 Dec 2009, 1:04, closed)

You know
You can actually get married ON the London Eye as well. Cos my friends did it, it was ace.
(Clarabelle is reverting to type on, Sat 12 Dec 2009, 18:39, closed)

*makes notes*

( The Great Architect is still waiting for his account to be deleted on, Sun 13 Dec 2009, 13:04, closed)