I was an active member of the EHA quite some time ago...my username was gr8galmv for those older folks out there who might recall. Anyhow, I deleted my EHA account on what seems many moons ago, thus have reincarnated myself as 'gr8galmv2' for my post here.

Anyhow, I thought I would return here since it appears that it has been quite some time since someone has posted anything new in the 'success stories' thread.

My boyfriend and I, an eH match are coming up on our first year anniversary together next month. It still amazes me today that no one ever scooped him up before I came along. Then again, he feels the same about me. I'll try and not to gush too much about him but I figured I'd share a bit of my story and some tips that worked well for me when I was out there online dating.

At this point in our relationship we have been talking about marriage. He is 39 and I am 33. As a point of reference neither of us has been married before and neither has children but wants them. While I had always hoped for this stage in my life to make an appearance, when we were going through the dating stages I never wanted to hurry through the process because it was so much fun slowly getting to know each other. Learning something new or having a new experience together always felt like unwrapping a present at Christmas...I always wanted to open up the smaller ones before getting to the big ones. As time has gone by, the presents are getting bigger but I still savor the small packages.

Anyhow, my point being is that your present can come at any time for any reason...and to stop being in such a big ol' hurry to get to the end result. Trust me, I have experienced the frustration of going through the online dating experiences. For the most part I had a positive attitude and when I felt myself getting down, I took a break. My first online experience was when I was 27 (six year's ago) and when I renewed for a buy six months get six months free last October, a month later I was matched with my boyfriend.

EHA folks, try and not get too frusterated with the process. I have met a lot of really great guys over the year's. I am grateful for the experiences of having met some great ones but not the right ones, sprinkled with a few get-me-outta-here-fast ones. Had I not gone through all of the good and not so good experiences I wouldn't feel so blessed to know what I have before me- something great!

And most of all, meet someone who encourages you to be your own person and maintain your interests and friendships. I can't tell you how great it feels when my guy tells me how much he loves that I still pursue my hobbies and make time to see my girlfriends.

So keep your head held high and keep looking for that needle in a haystack. I don't believe in the concept of a soul mate or the idea that there's just a single person you were meant to be with...but rather I believe that there's a type of guy (or gal) that is well suited for you and your job is to enjoy life and keep looking along the way.

And if I remember I'll come back perhaps in a few months to tell you how things are going as we talk more about marriage and the important things that matter. Who knows, maybe the next time I post I might be able to say there's a ring on my finger?