My Love Affair with Bacon

My boyfriend and I have a very healthy relationship built on love, encouragement, mutual respect, and bacon.

Yes, you heard me right. Bacon.

Ian and I met online. He had posted a personal ad on Craigslist, and I answered it. We spent a few hours emailing back and forth before speaking on the phone--briefly--and deciding to meet in person.

Our courtship--if you want to call it that--was quick, and we were soon introduced to each other's families. My mother immediately liked him and kept whispering to me that he was The One, and I got along well with his parents. A few days after we met I took him to a work function so I could show him off to all my coworkers.

Now, before I go any further, you have to keep in mind that we are both awkward, dorky, goofballs. That night at the bar when we met, he held me hostage to his phone while he played for me his favorite song--which I hated. Our first night in bed my snoring kept him awake. During our first kiss two of his crowns had come loose and I ended up with his teeth in my mouth. My 8-year-old daughter kept insisting that No Mommy, he doesn't like you, he just wants to be friends. Within the first week, we had broken down and compared role playing dice sets. Our first movie date was to see Star Trek He played EverQuest and I played WoW. We were two lonely geeks looking for love.

Our first night together, as we laid in each other's arms, we talked about everything from our failed marriages, to our religious history and spiritual beliefs.

And then, suddenly, he squeezed me tight, held me close, and softly whispered into my ear, "I love bacon."

He's Jewish and I have a pork allergy, so bacon should have been the last subject that crept its way into our pillow talk. But from that moment I knew I would fall in love with this man.

Almost two years later we've built a happy little family. My daughter gets along great with Ian, his cat has warmly accepted me, and our son will be turning 1 in a few short months. As it turns out, our son's taste in food hasn't strayed too far from us, either. When he was 5 months old we caught him trying to sneak a slice of bacon off Daddy's plate.