Your hosts, B and B
This is B, a.k.a. Bear, a.k.a. Bruce
And this is B, a.k.a. Bunni, a.k.a. Bonnie
The Bear and Bunni Story, an Internet Romance
Hi, I’m Bunni, your hostess and webmaster of BnB’s World.
Bear is my little American husband. I am Canadian.
Bear and I met in an internet chat room in August 1996. We talked for hours. We made such a connection in that first chat that I avoided chat rooms altogether until October 1996. I was frightened of the emotions, the feeling that I had met my soulmate. That’s how strong the connection was that very first time.
On October 2, 1996 I once again ventured into the Over 40′s chat room, eager to have conversation with others my own age and stage of life. There, once again, I found Bear. I swallowed my fears and gave up my heart to a man who was as lonely as I and who would quickly become the love of my life.
We chatted daily after that, sometimes until the wee hours of the morning. I had never known anyone quite like Bear and the more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to know him. There was a gentle kindness about him that attracted me from the very first moment. He was so easy to talk to, unassuming and undemanding. And he seemed genuinely interested in me – my dreams, my concerns, my hopes, my fears, my deepest desires.
After a short period of time, we exchanged photos and still this adorable man didn’t turn away. I learned about his life and his work, and I told him about mine. In a few weeks, we talked about meeting in person and I made arrangements to fly down to the U.S. to spend Thanksgiving weekend with my Bear. That was the beginning of a wonderful life for the both of us.
Bear and I were married on June 29th, 1998 almost 2 years after our first meeting. In those two years we learned a lot about each other. Bear would drive or fly up to Canada to visit and I drove or flew down to visit Bear. We learned that long-distance relationships are incredibly and unbearably difficult.
In October 1998, just a few short months after getting married, we had to be separated. I had to go back to Canada in order to undergo the procedure of getting a ‘green card’ so I could live in the US with my Bear. The process took 4 long months during which I was not allowed to travel to the U.S. but I finally got my interview with the US Consulate on February 12th, 1999 in Montreal, Quebec. Two days later, on February 14th, Valentine’s Day, I flew back to my Bear with immigration papers and large stuffed Valentine bear in hand. What a joyful reunion that was!
And the rest, as they say, is history.
