Hello everyone,

Welcome to my next edition of "At Home With". Today I am spending some wonderful time with a lovely couple who call Costa Rica Sims their Second Life home. And that couple would be Dixie Cybertar and Kari Moonkill.

Hi Dixie & Kari ……and welcome to "At Home With". Thank you both for allowing me to spend some time with you and visit your stunning home here.

BM:>  I noticed that both of you have nearly the same rezz date. Was that a coincidence? And how long have you been on Second Life?

DC:> My love Kari wanted me to join SL after he had joined so that we could interact and role play  that we could not do living so far apart. Kari lives in Sweden and I live in Southern California.  I have been on SL since June 17, 2010.

KM:>My friend Marko Riverstone got me to join SL last year and I felt this could be a good way for me and Dixie to be able to interact together and kind of live together since we live so far from each other in real life.  So I managed to talk Dixie to join SL as well. But at first she was a bit shocked over how some people behaved them against her and others but I managed to get her to try again  and that’s how our SL journey started. I have been on Second life since May 17, 2010

BM :> What kept your interest the most to stay on Second Life?

DC :>Kari of course is my number one answer, and beside that I love to SHOP and decorate the inside of our MANY houses.

KM:>Besides Dixie :-) it’s the possibilities to create and build things, it gives me a chance to use my creative side in many ways and also learn how to do things in SL and try ideas I´ve seen in real life.

BM:> Dixie…I noticed you are follow sports in real life. Do you get involved with any of the sporting events on Second Life?

DC:>Yes,  I was an athletic from Texas and have many RL sporting interest, especially ice hockey and MY Anaheim Ducks.  My involvement in sports in SL is mostly En Garde (fencing).  I have found that En Garde is easy to learn but hard to master.

BM:> And Kari..I see you enjoy riding your motorcycle in Second Life.  Do you ride in real life as well?

KM:>I like motorcycles in real life but I don’t ride in real life. I very interested in how motorcycles are built , have always liked to know how things are made from the drawing boards to a finished product.

BM:> How did the two of you meet? And how long have you been a couple on SL?

DC:>Kari and I met on the Anaheim Ducks message board about three plus years ago and became instant friends chatting about our common interest in Teemu Selanne, who is one of the Anaheim Ducks’ Finnish players.  Kari is Finnish and has followed Teemu’s hockey career since 1992.  We found that after about six months we had development a true love for each other….. other than just hockey.   We have been a couple for 15 months and were married in SL on May 25, 2011, one of the happiest days of my life

KM:> Dixie and my relationship started with our love for ice hockey and that we both are fans of the same team. For some reason she wanted to know more about that person using that strange nickname at the Anaheim Ducks message board.. We started to send messages to each other using the message board and after a while we switched over to Yahoo messenger and then to SL. we have been more or less together for +3 years.

BM:> What are your feelings about Second Life relationships? Do they really amount to anything? And on a personal note, I know it can be difficult when partnering with someone who resides in a different time zone with hours of difference between you…….so how do you deal with that issue ?

DC:>I believe SL relationships move along much too fast and most fail, but our relationship has been strong because of the length of time we have known each other and have put a lot of time and energy into our relationship.  Yes the time difference between Kari and me is always an issue but since I own my on business I can be online during the early evening which helps but Kari is the one who has to give up his sleep for our relationship to work.  I have to have my sleep, I am a DIVA, ha-ha.

KM:>I get a feeling that many people in SL rush into relationships and do not really get to know the persons well enough. Also I think it easier to be tempted in Second Life to check if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Dixie and I was already a couple before joining Second Life and we have been partners more or less since day one in Second Life. We use the Second Life as a way to experience things together that we wouldn’t be able to in real life due to the distance. We have learned a lot about each other over the years and we have a strong love that have prevailed some tests.

BM:> How would you compare a real life relationship to one on Second Life?

DC:> Our relationship is great because we both consider this a REAL marriage.  But the real touching and feeling of one other is missing and with this it would bring it all together for us.

KM:> In mine and Dixie´s relationship we make not much difference between Second Life and real life. Others see it as a second life and have partners in Second Life even if they have relationship in real life so that feels for us little bit out place. Since behind the avatars in Second Life….is a real person and real feelings..

BM:>  I have heard or read about several instances of people who met on SL that furthered their relationships by meeting in real life.  And some have actually gone that big step in getting married in real life.  How the both of you ever met in real life or discussed the possibility?

DC:> We met before SL and haven’t met in real life.  We have talked about meeting for over a year and I will be so excited to finally meet Kari and jump into his arms, etc., etc. etc.

KM:>We have not met in real life yet but we have talked a lot about it, guess we are a bit afraid of what if the chemistry we have now don’t feel the same when seeing each other in real life.. But other if it works out well then Dixie and I will be extremely happy.

BM:>  That is so amazing that two people connected prior to SL and then became part of Second Life….to try and get at least some form of “touching or being together”.  I am truly inspired by both your stories concerning that.

Dixie and Kari own an entire sim here in Costa Rica Sims. So, let's move on and talk about your beautiful home here in. What made you decide to go with your architectural styles and landscaping?

DC:> The homes we have set up on our Costa Rica sim are primarily Kari’s findings.  He has a real eye for knowing exactly the “right look”, and I leave all those decisions to him as long as I get to decorate the insides of the houses.

KM:> We have a mixed style of both architecture and landscape. At one side we have more of the pacific and Spanish style of houses and on the other side more,  of old European style with the Heritage house. I guess we tried to get in the influences we have together to blend it with the Costa Rica Sims theme.

BM:>  Kari, I see from your profile that you enjoy terraforming. Did you do the landscaping here for your home?

KM:>Yes I have done most of the landscaping and terraforming.  When we moved here I sent Giancarlo a drawing over how I wanted the general look of the sim surface to be. Then I have adjusted it when I have landscaped and put up the houses and buildings we have here. It’s a learning process to figure out how to do it well and it helps to have an eye and feeling for it.

BM:>  Do you have any favorite home builders and furniture designers?

DC:> Pamela Galli and Ginger Lyne home builders and furniture designer.

KM:> Pamela Galli,  Painter Meriman and Fornicola Butuzova are my favorite home builders and the gang at What Next when it comes to furniture and smaller buildings.

BM:>  And now a few questions about calling Costa Rica Sims your Second Life home. How long have you been part of the Costa Rica Sims family?

DC:> We purchased the Costa Rica sim called Puntarenas on September 8, 2011

KM:>Eh I think I’ll Dixie answer this one ha-ha, maybe 3-4 months?

 BM:>  Wow.....that is amazing to have accomplished so much in such a short time. Your entire sim is awesome! How did you find Costa Rica Sims?

DC:> We have friends who we met fencing who recommended Costa Rica Sims to us.  They thought our needs would be met by living here in Costa Rica Sims ?

KM:> Through friends we have that reside and have resided at Costa Rica Sims

BM:>  Why do you love residing in Costa Rica Sims?

DC:>The Costa Rica Sims are sooooo beautiful and I love the many colorful plants, and also the location of our sim.  It makes me feel like we are actually living in Costa Rica,  I like the feeling of people nearby, all of our other Sims was not connected with other Sims so Costa Rica feels like a real life community.

KM:>It’s a lovely place with many places to visit and also to be close to venues is nice, and it’s easy to find inspiration at the Costa Rica Sims.

BM:>  What is your favorite activity in Costa Rica Sims and is there anything you would like to see added?

DC:>So far we have been so busy developing our Sim that we haven’t done much here at Costa Rica Sims ? 

KM:>To be honest I have been pretty busy with working with this place and with the biker stuff and real life so I have not been very social besides, doing some EnGarde fencing to relax when it comes to SL. But I and Dixie hope to become more visible at the venues at Costa Rica Sims.

BM:>  I’m sure you have certain clothing designers that you adore. Could you share a few of them with us?

DC:> Amacci hair and lashes, Amulet, Apple May Design, Aurora, Blacklace, Dagger Design, Drakke, Earth Dwellings, Gasp, Giovanni, Immerschoen Girl, JCNY, K-Code, Moody, Noya, TGIS and more. You should never ask a woman because the list goes on and on and on forever!!!!

KM:>  I wear mostly the clothes designed by RG and Kalrau, but also from GizzA and some other creators.

BM:>  Well I would like to thank you both for your valued time, It was truly a pleasure to spend this time with you both. I cannot stress enough how enjoyable I was to meet the two of you.  You made me feel so very welcomed into your home here. Do you have any closing comments you would like to share?

DC:>I wish all a great experience in Second Life and hope they find SL as fun and fulfilling as Kari and I do.  Happy life to all.

KM:>I wish everyone a happy Christmas and a wonderful 2012.

And I would like to send out my best wishes to everyone, for a safe, happy and wonderful holiday season. Until next month, I’m Brendan Macarthur, Costa Rica Sims Reporter