Love at first
site: Cristin Small

Cristin Small (left) Residence: Ocala, Fla. Relationship status: partnered, with Shannon Prince

I was lonely and bored in my life, so I thought I'd surf the Net to see who was out there. I chose to create a profile on the Pink Sofa, a lesbian chat site, and see what would happen. Little did I know that the Pink Sofa was geared mainly for women in Australia and New Zealand, but as luck would have it, that was just the trick.

I have been living in Florida for the past 61/2 years, but I'm originally from Canada. I sent "winks" to some women I found interesting, and one in particular just happened to live in Florida as well, three hours away from me. After e-mailing back and forth, we decided to meet. It turned out that she was planning a trip to New Zealand and was looking for friends to meet on her trip, hence her profile on the Pink Sofa.

We met in Fort Myers and hit it off right away. We've been together ever since. We were married in September 2005 in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and are completely in love. I know the term soul mate is used time and time again, but we really do feel a connection that's truly special. She has helped bring joy, adventure, and security to my life, and I thank my lucky stars for her every day. Our families are very supportive and remain open to our commitment to one another. Our plans include moving to Canada in a couple of years and living as a married couple under the law.