A giant leap for fixedgeargirl

[fixedgeargirl]

Ohmigawd, I just did it, I just responded to my first-ever personal ad ever in my whole life :eek: :p :D ! After 8 years with the ex, I'm jumping back into the pond!

Now, this is not OT, because his craigslist ad was titled "Let's Meet on Bikes" :p . We've exchanged a couple of emails (this has all transpired in the last couple of hours) and he directed me to his biz web-site, which reveals a man of good taste and good humor. He's kinda cute, too ;) .

I feel all giggly and flirtatious! I think I could get used to this!

[chickwhorips]

congrats and good luck and Be Careful!

i've done the same thing before. some have been good and others weren't so good. just be comfortable where ever you meet.

and of course keep us updated!

[Denise223]

Be careful, be careful.......

I did this approximately 20 years ago after my divorce, and my advice is: only meet up in well-populated areas, places that you are familiar with.

You can NEVER be too careful! YOU pick the places that you want to meet, not him.

Safety first.

Have a great day!

Denise

[mimitabby]

oh, man; I got married before they HAD computer dating!! i've missed out on the whole thing! It does sound interesting,exciting, challenging, dangerous, romantic..
owell. I guess I'll get my thrills from fiction and second hand stories. Just try to keep the rose colored glasses off as long as possible.
Do be careful and have fun.

[KnottedYet]

Be careful.

I got my identity "borrowed" by someone I met through a "parent's dying of cancer" chat. It was ugly, ugly, ugly.

[emily_in_nc]

Good luck!!!

Of course you'll be careful, but don't freak out with the paranoia. Just make sure, as others have said, to meet in a busy place and don't go anywhere remote. Chances are he's fine. Don't let the worrywarts spoil your fun!

Emily

P.S. No offense to any worrywart; I'm one myself, but fixedgeargirl was so excited, I hate to see her parade get rained on!

[snapdragen]

Oh good! Now we can date vicariously through fixedgeargirl and lise!:D

Have fun FGG!

[Aggie_Ama]

Awww, no raining on the parade here. I am sure you are smart enough to be careful. You know the precautions.... Have fun with it! Way to get back on the saddle! ;)

[DDH]

Oh Wow, how exciting!!!! Be sure to let us know all about it once you meet him!

Do be careful too, but have fun!!!!

[fixedgeargirl]

I really appreciate, and need, the reminders to watch my back. I am such a Sally Smalltown that I forget the Big Bad Wolf can be just a mouse click away.

I sent him a link to the one photo of me that exists on the web and he emailed back, so that's a good sign :) . Gack, now I'm nervous. I need to firm up plans to meet him (on bikes). All I can do is be myself, right :o ? (That's a rhetorical question :p .)

[tulip]

oh, man; I got married before they HAD computer dating!!

Ditto, and all I can say is THANK GOODNESS!

[Bikingmomof3]

You have already had all the warnings and I am certain you are clever enough to be careful. :) Have a brilliant time and let us know how it goes. I recieved a wedding invitation yesterday. The happy couple met online and have been together for 2 years now and have decided to marry. :D

[KnottedYet]

I didn't mean to rain on your parade! I'm sorry. :( (but I am a worry wart, and I had a nasty experience)

Have fun! Hey, it's a good start if he likes bikes, right? Meet him and ride somewhere safe, cuz if you're talking you won't be watching traffic...:D

My brother met his wife over the internet, and my neighbors met that way, too.

[fixedgeargirl]

Well, I've already given him the first test. He asked what I do besides ride. I wrote one sentence stating my occupation. Then I wrote "I am the mother of a first grader." I know this can send some "men" running away. If that's the case, I'd rather know right away than waste a valuable sans-son Saturday morning :) .

[eclectic]

Have a great time! I will add my 2 cents of be careful. Stay in very public places and don't go into any isolated places on your ride. Most guys online are just normal joe blows but it only takes one.

I can relate to the whoo hoo giddiness - feels like you are 16 again :p

I have been corresponding with an epal I met online about 5 years ago, we feel like we know each other well even though we have only seen each other face to face for 1 hour a year ago. He lives in Utah and I am in NoDak. (he used to live here and a lot of my friends knew him well so I have come to find out)

My sister met her DH of 6 years online. She was bombarded by the usual "be careful" "don't do this or that" (mainly by me). But he turned out to be a great ordinary guy from a very normal (whatever that is) family

Have a super time, just keep your wits about you and remember to not give out too much information.

[Melody]

woot! Fixed, good luck and have fun, but above all else, stay safe. :) Maybe Lise can have the Dachsund mafia watch your back. I'm telling ya, those guys come out of no where... ;)

:)

Mel

[chickwhorips]

I sent him a link to the one photo of me that exists on the web and he emailed back, so that's a good sign :) . Gack, now I'm nervous. I need to firm up plans to meet him (on bikes). All I can do is be myself, right :o ? (That's a rhetorical question :p .)

even if you have a daughter i would still date you, but i'm not the one in question. besides anyone that knows about chuy's is a good person in my book!

[Cassandra_Cain]

Hey wow, good for you! Isn't it exciting? Novel? Make you start actually consider what you wear and such for the first time in a while? :)

Anyway, all the usual safety precautions are in order, but I won't repeat those again. I'm sure you are a smart gal.

I think you did right putting out what you did - about loving biking and having a child. If someone can't deal with that, then they just aren't worth it.

I hope it goes well and you must, must absolutely keep us informed.

[Aggie_Ama]

I would venture to guess most men dating women your age (I am only guessing your age range) would anticipate they might have kids. I think they should state up front if kids are okay or not okay. And good thing that you tried to scare him away with it before wasting a day on a no-kid guy!

OT- My 30 year old divorced brother met a girl he liked a party recently. When he was telling my dad she has a son my dad was like "A KID?" I pointed out that my brother will probably meet many women his age with kids. I told Dad, he either will be open to it or narrow his field of wonderful women!

[mimitabby]

hey guys, read the Dear So and So thread!!!

M

[fixedgeargirl]

He's passed the first pop quiz! He emailed back. He may not be able to ride this weekend, asked if I like movies, coffeehouses, what's my fave food. So the first meeting may be taking place in some such establishment. This is good. I can put together a much cuter outfit out of street clothes than I can bike gear :D !

[chickwhorips]

i'm glad he emailed you back finially.

keeping my fingers crossed for ya!

[Bruno28]

Omygod I'm so excited! Yes, my life really is that empty that I am feeling nervous about your first date with mr cycling guy.

Note to self: must get out more.Mmmm...wonder what the equivalent of craigslist is here....

Seriously (actually all of it was serious) just relax and have a great time! :D

[Lise]

Hi, fgg! As someone mentioned earlier, the TE board has also been dating vicariously through me! I've done online dating a couple of times. I met a nice guy who I dated for 7 months last year. We broke up for various normal reasons, and I started again last winter. Met a number of guys, really liked three of them, dated one for about a month. Got my heart bruised, not broken, but I never felt unsafe. Just sad. It is hard to open your heart, but no love gets in if you don't!

Right now I'm taking a break from it, training and racing and living my life. I've never tried Craig's list--I may check it out. I'm also going to check out Fitness Singles. My job and other committments make it hard to meet some one through a running/cycling/triathlon club.

Good luck, and be sure to keep us posted! :D L.

[fixedgeargirl]

Potential Bike Date has become Definite Walk/Run Date :eek: :D ! (Does that mean I have to move this thread to Other Sports?) His bike is out of commission, so we'll meet at the very populated Hike and Bike Trail tomorrow morning before Mother Nature turns up the furnace. The nature of the date certainly (thankfully) limits my wardrobe choices and absolutely ends the debate I was having about which shoes to wear :p .

Lise, have you tried CyclingSingles? I've surfed it, sent a "wink" to one guy and got no response. I was quite amused one time when I logged in, went to the "Who's On Now" section and saw a good friend from my hometown on! I saw him when I went home in July for vacation, but didn't say anything. I wasn't ready to advertise that I was looking, especially to someone who's friends with my ex :cool: .

[Lise]

Good luck on your date!!! Picking out the clothes is nervewracking. Have a great time.

I think that CyclingSingles and FitnessSingles may be the same thing. I actually created a profile there, but got so discouraged by my last match.com thing that I just put it on the shelf for now. One of those "I like him, he seems to like me, says he wants to see me again on Sat, and by Tues is sending vague 'stay in touch' emails...." sigh. I just gave it a rest for awhile. It was nice to know I could train for my triathlon without worrying about getting enough sleep before my big run on the weekend! :p

I'll get back into it soon enough, and we can compare notes!

Take care, L.

[fixedgeargirl]

Wardrobe question: It's a running date, so I'll wear running shorts. Do I wear the traditional, somewhat conservative, loose-short-over liner shorts or do I wear the fit-like-bike-shorts shorts that I ran in today and found very comfortable and functional and which show my, erm, assets?

[Lise]

Wardrobe question: It's a running date, so I'll wear running shorts. Do I wear the traditional, somewhat conservative, loose-short-over liner shorts or do I wear the fit-like-bike-shorts shorts that I ran in today and found very comfortable and functional and which show my, erm, assets?
I vote for assets. You'll have plenty of time for the baggy shorts later. :D

[Bikingmomof3]

Wardrobe question: It's a running date, so I'll wear running shorts. Do I wear the traditional, somewhat conservative, loose-short-over liner shorts or do I wear the fit-like-bike-shorts shorts that I ran in today and found very comfortable and functional and which show my, erm, assets?


First let me say how excited I am for you! I have been with DH for 16 years-happily married-yet routine, so I am living this vicariously through you. :)

I vote for the shorts you are comfortable in and hey if they show off your asests-an added bonus.

[chickwhorips]

go for what shows off your assets. ;)

you know i just remembered the first date me and my now BF we suppose to go on. i just happen to meet him online, just a fluke. we started chatting and told him i wanted to go hiking but had no one to go with. so we set it up to go hike together. when we got together to go, we wound up talking and never did go for that hike, well not till about 2 years later when i moved up here because i knew he was 'the one'.

[fixedgeargirl]

I went for the *assets* shorts ;) , figuring the original plan was to meet for a ride and would have seen the *assets* in that setting anyway. Hey, I pedal hard to get these assets!

We met, we walked, we talked. Nice guy. No sparks. A little snobby on some issues, but I expected that of a former pro racer :rolleyes: . Says he'll call me after he gets his bike put back together (had to warranty a carbon fiber crank) and we can ride. I'm not holding my breath. Said he "likes kids, as long as they're someone else's kids", meaning he doesn't want any of his own. Good to know.

So fixedgeargirl's got her groove back :D ! I had put off looking, thinking "I'm not ready." I answered this guy's ad on a whim, figuring I might at least get a good ride out of the deal, and realized that, d@mn it, I am ready!

[Triskeliongirl]

Hey- thanks for letting us 'old been married to the same guy forever gals' live vicariously through you. Its great that you took this step. and that it helped you realize you are ready to date again. I am curious to know how cycling singles works out. If I were single it would be my first instinct, but I have no clue how to date in this century. -e