Jamie didn't believe there was such a thing as love. She believed in lust; she believed in friendship; she believed in financial considerations keeping couples together. But love? It's just a "sappy fairy tale" spoon-fed romantic little girls in books and movies. She was so turned off by the whole process she stopped dating entirely. "It seemed pointless and simply complicated my life," she said.

And that, of course, is when she met Adam. It was at a party at the home her girlfriend shared with her boyfriend. Adam wasn't the most handsome man Jamie had ever met. In fact, he was chubby and balding. He wasn't the funniest or the most charming. But the way they connected made her believe he was The One.

Jamie says: "I asked my friend about him the next day and got his email address. Unbeknownst to me, he was actually traveling with her boyfriend, and he apparently talked about me so much that her boyfriend got annoyed with him!"

Jamie and Adam went out on their first date the very next day. She says: "We talked all evening and closed the pub. He was amazing and funny and sweet, and I was so taken with him. That's when I knew that love really existed and that was what I was feeling. I went home with him that night, something I never did on a first date! Within a week, we were talking about marriage. We both knew it was right. We were married a year and a half after we met, and we celebrated our fourth anniversary in June. We haven't spent a night apart since our first date.

"Adam and I look at the world through the same occasionally cynical eyes. He was overweight most of his life due to poor dietary habits, and he was in the process of changing them when I met him. Within a year of our meeting, he dropped 100 pounds. His hairline hasn't moved since he changed his diet, though he's starting to pick up a touch of grey.

"He is incredibly loving and attentive, and we have a very mellow relationship. Because I grew up in a house with a lot of fighting, I don't cope very well with yelling or violence, including throwing things. Adam understands that and is good about controlling himself and presenting any problems in a calm way.

"I've never felt so safe, secure, and loved with anyone. I never doubt him, and I never second guess our relationship. He is, in every sense of the word, my soul mate. I got very, very lucky. We've been married for four years, and I've never once regretted waiting until I found the man who was capable of inspiring my love."

Do you believe in love at first sight? Send your tale, along with your questions, problems and rants to [email protected]. And check out my e-books, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front" and "I'll Call You. Not."