“A man who showed so much caring deserves not to be passed up.” -- Karista

Karista's and James' Stories

On July 7, 2004 I sent an Icebreaker to "tallknight." He was tall and seemed to have the same interests that I did, besides, he seemed like a true gentlemen. However, I was I was more interested in his height. I have a problem finding tall guys. I am six feet tall.

I didn't hear back for about a week (later, Jim told me he was getting up enough nerve to email me back). When I finally got his email, we started talking and eventually met and became friends.

Later, during September, my grandmother was rushed to the hospital and was on life support. I asked Jim if he would go with me to be with her. Not only did he agree, he took the rest of the day off from work. Later that day, after my grandmother passed away (we were together in the room with her), I thought to myself that a man who showed so much caring deserves not to be passed up. I knew he wanted to date me, but just to make it official, I asked him "do you really want to date me?" He said, "Yes."

A one-carat aquamarine

After we had been dating for three months -- it was on Christmas morning -- he proposed, not with a diamond, but our birthstone -- a one-carat aquamarine. (It's so wonderful that Yahoo! Personals can link you with someone who shares your birth sign). We also have the same birthday, March 3.

Now we are set to have a fairy-tale wedding, on April 7, 2006 here in Phoenix.

Meanwhile I'm busy being Ms Phoenix 2005. I do charity appearances and also promote my personal platform, "Foster Kids our Future" and the pageant's platform, "Go Red for Women." The pageant wants to raise awareness about the number one killer among women -- heart disease. I will be competing for the title of Ms Arizona during April 2005. I chose to compete because of the publicity and awareness I could get for my platform (I grew up in foster care). It has also been fun and I've met many interesting people. When James and I first met he was slightly intimidated by the fact that I was a beauty queen, and he wasn't exactly the all-American hunk we see portrayed today and wondered why I would have anything to do with him. For me it's not the outside that always counts, it's what kind of person they are on the inside. James is an amazing, caring person.

On July 7, 2004, I received an Icebreaker. At first I didn't know what to think. A six-foot tall beauty queen who is 11 years younger than I am? She wasn't even in the "age" range I had set.

I read her profile and found it interesting. I decided to be a gentleman and respond. It wouldn't hurt and you never know....

I wrote her a long email telling her about myself. She liked my honesty and we continued to correspond. From there we exchanged numbers and started to talk. I was looking for a new church so I decided to attend services at hers one Sunday. That was the first time I saw her. She was up in front singing on stage.

Every time we met she seemed to a little more attractive

We became friends from there, meeting for pizza or movies and talking. Every time we met she seemed to a little more attractive to me. Life was good.

Then on September 1, she called me -- all sad and upset. She had hurt her leg the night before and needed to go to the hospital. I asked my boss to give me the day off so I could take her. While I was picking her up, she got word that her grandmother was passing away.

That day touched us both, I felt so special that she would share an intimate moment with me. The pain of loss is something that people only share with a select few. I ended being one of her shoulders that day. So one of the saddest days is also the happiest since we also started dating that night. I proposed a few months later on Christmas morning much to her delight, and we now have set the wedding date for April of 2006.

Success tips from Karista and James

• James: Be honest and open.
• Karista: Be picky when you first fill out your search criteria. Be specific about who you are looking for. Then, then do not lose sight of what you want and settle for something less.
• Karista: Give Yahoo! Personals some time to link with a perfect person for you.

Do you have a love story to share? Let us know!

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