You're going to have to trust your friend and her gut feelings about these people.

In January 2002, I signed up at an internet forum my husband (then boyfriend) was a member of. I hit it off with a couple from Scotland within a few weeks - especially the girl, but her husband too. By that summer, we knew we wanted to meet but I was in no way financially able to afford a plane ticket to the UK. So what happened? She and her husband bought my plane ticket over! They opened up their house to me and in October 2002, 10 months after I first learned of their existence, I flew to Glasgow and spent two of the most wonderful weeks of my life with them.

Were my parents scared for me? Of course - I was their 24 year old "baby"! Was my boyfriend scared for me? Very much so, even though he'd "spoken" to them longer than I had. Was I scared? The biggest thing I was scared of was us not getting along "in person" like we did online. I knew they were good people, so I wasn't in fear of any danger.

Anyway, the time I spent over there was marvelous. They took me to London, they took me to Ireland, they took me to Edinburgh, they even took me to Stratford-on-Avon (Shakespeare's hometown). When Josh proposed to me in 2003, I called Theresa and asked if she would be a bridesmaid in the wedding. She and Graeme came over for 3 weeks around my wedding last year - their first visit stateside. My whole family - as well as Josh's - got to meet them and fell in love with them too. This past April (literally 2 days before finding out about Nug), she asked if we would mind if she and Graeme looked into coming over for the holidays sometime in the next couple years. Of course I said I didn't mind and the next day, she e-mailed me a flight itinerary for THIS year! They arrive Dec. 23 and leave Jan. 5 so it's probable that she will also be here to witness the birth of my first baby. They've become such an important part of my life... I can't imagine not having them in it.

SO MY POINT IS! that like I said - the only thing I was ever worried about was something being "off" in person and that my time over there would be awkward. I knew that they were good people - the same way your friend says she knows this guy is a good guy. So you're just going to have to trust her, as hard as it may be. The internet is scary because of the unknowns, but it is also a wonderful tool to bring people together from all over the world - people you never would've met otherwise... like me and Graeme and Theresa.