The story of Jeff, 49, and Leslie, 45, involves a cyber-search, two lapses of time and a leap into the unknown. Leslie tells how it happened:

The ex-girlfriend: Jeff and I met in 1986 when I managed a restaurant in Durham. We dated briefly until his jealous ex-girlfriend got wind of our relationship and ordered him back. We went our separate ways - Jeff to Myrtle Beach, Detroit and then Boone; I to Cincinnati, Washington and Santa Monica, Calif. His relationship with his ex was short-lived.

The search: Jeff never forgot about me. With the advent of search engines, he looked online in 2001 and found me on my company's Web site. Not wanting to seem like a cyber-stalker, he sent me a letter via U.S. mail to California, and we started a friendly e-mail correspondence. I invited him to join my family at our annual pilgrimage to the Outer Banks. Jeff and I hit it off, but I was involved in a budding relationship and couldn't reciprocate his feelings. We lost touch soon after.

The list: One day in 2005 I was making my "to do" list for the next day and suddenly thought of Jeff. I made a note to check in with him. The next morning when I opened my e-mail, there was a message from Jeff. I invited him on a second trip to the Outer Banks in August. What do you know? We became romantic this time around.

Green Acres: We decided to "go for it." We were both in our 40s and had never been married. It was a giant leap of faith. The wedding in October 2005 was completely nontraditional. As we left the reception, Jeff sang the theme from the old TV show "Green Acres," "You are my wife! Good-bye city life!" I moved to Boone. There are challenges to getting married for the first time in your 40s, when you're both set in your ways. Separate bathrooms was one of the best decisions we made. Kathy Haight