When CTFbigdog and sekhmet77 subscribed to Xbox Live®, they weren’t looking to find a soulmate. They just wanted to kick some online butt. Bigdog (known as Jim offline) got on XboxLive back in February 2003. Sekmet (Nicky to her pals) played on her brother archimedes82’s account until she got her own in October 2003.
As fate would have it, they both happened to be Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon™: Island Thunder™ fans. They wound up playing with the same group of friends, and Jim noticed Nicky right away. “She just wouldn’t stop shooting me—even when she was on my team.” Jim had Nicky laughing so hard that she says her cheeks hurt. Jim made his move and called her into a private room to tell her what a good time he had in the game.
E-mails, phone calls, and photos were exchanged. Continuing to play Ghost Recon: Island Thunder and speaking frequently on the phone, they found they had a lot in common. Jim says, “I like hunting, fishing, and camping, and so does she. She’s just dynamite.”
Then, it was time to see if they clicked in person. Nicky, a legal secretary in New Hartford, Conn., traveled to Jim’s hometown of Ottawa, Ontario, where he manages the night shift in the service department of a Chrysler dealership. Nicky stayed for a couple of days. “The girl blows my mind,” Jim says. “She’s absolutely wonderful.” Nicky was pretty amazed herself. “When I got on XboxLive, I certainly wasn’t looking to hook up, much less meet the love of my life,” she says.
When Nicky got home, they kept talking on the phone every night, and she returned to Ottawa to spend the holidays with Jim. What’s next for Bigdog and Sekmet? Jim tells us, “More than likely, in the fall we’re gonna get married. I’m not letting her go.” Nicky will be moving to Ottawa, where she hopes to become a Canadian citizen and study massage therapy.
Congratulations to Nicky and Jim from all of us at Xbox Live!
