Couple finds love connection through khou.com...and Sarah Palin

Success stories are the best. Whether it's finding love, completing an incredible feat, taking a chance on life, beating a disease or fulfilling a goal , I love to hear about how it.  It's the dreamer in me.  I honestly believe everyone can reach the moon if they put their heart into it.

And speaking of hearts...this story is a love story. One of the regular commenters on the khou.com site emailed the station to thank us -- here's why:

For months, Trip7 had been a regular commenter on our daily khou.com weather story. But while she's been playing on the site everyday and posting comments, she had no idea that she was about to find her soul mate - and she never expected that he would be living 3,289 miles away in Alaska.

"We were talking about how horribly hot it was and he popped in and said something like it's 47 where he is and we all busted back at him with, 'Thanks a lot. Why don't you rub it in?'" said Trip7.

Kascat and Trip7 first connected on khou.com in May 2009. Kascat is originally from Pearland and is currently working in Alaska. He was checking in on the weather back home and came across Trip7's posts.

"He said what drew him to me in the first place was the way I write. I write in character. I write as Trip," said Trip7. "I play and have fun and I do rain dances to bring in the rain. He was drawn to me because of my writing style."

After a couple weeks of responding back and forth on the weather story, the two moved to public message and then onto private emails. From there it was eight hour phone calls and endless Web cam chats.

AND THEN THERE WAS SARAH

But it wasn't just the weather that brought them together.

"When we went to the private pages on khou.com, he said something to me and I said that I had been Palinized. He said I could do worse," said Trip7.

Yup...that's right. He loves Sarah Palin and Trip7, well...she's probably not Sarah's Facebook friend.

"On the weather blog one day, he said something about coming on up and dealing with the weather, and I said I would rather be hot than deal with Sarah Palin," said Trip7.

This sparked the conversation and got them talking about deeper issues.

"I told him she was fine a woman and I respected her for a lot of things, but I didn't respect her for other things. She needed a guide dog and maybe when she got her mainland legs she would be okay," said Trip7. "It kind of endeared him to me that I took her side."

Then there was a story on abuse that KHOU had posted on the site. After reading it, Trip7 posted an encouraging message to women under the story.

"I had been in an abusive relationship before and I posted a long post about women being brave enough to walk away from it because if you didn't you would die --either physically or emotionally," said Trip 7.

Trip7 says it was this post that got the two of them talking more privately. And from there their love bloomed. Their messages got longer, he sent her photos of where he lived and even sent her some salmon from Alaska.

"We just kept talking and getting to know each other. We kept getting closer and closer and he talked about coming home for Christmas to see his family and how he would like to meet me then," said Trip7.

But Christmas was months away and by August Trip7 and Kascat had made a decision: They were going to meet.

"I hadn't had a vacation in 41 years and he said why don't you come?" said Trip7.

TAKING A CHANCE

Flying to Alaska wasn't an easy decision for Trip7. She was nervous about meeting someone she had met on the internet and she was concerned about how safe it would be to fly miles away from her family and friends to meet someone in a place that she didn't know.

She says even though neither of them had ever met someone online before and they had never tried online dating, she decided to take a chance.

"We just clicked and I felt comfortable enough about it that I decided to book the flight and go," Trip7 said.

Her friends and family thought she was crazy. Some thought that he should come to her. Others were simply worried about what could happen.

And they were right. Something did happen--they fell deeper in love.

"I came around the corner and there he stood. It was like I had known him all my life. I was just overjoyed," said Trip7. "He said that when he saw me his first thought was, 'Oh my God, she's so beautiful.'"

For a week they toured the beautiful Kenai Peninsula (click here to see photos) and fell madly in love with each other.

"He's the most kindest, considerate and loving person I have ever known. He planned the whole trip and went out of his way to show me special places," said Trip7.

Trip7 is now back in Houston, but the love affair isn't over.

Originally, Kascat planned to come home for Christmas, but now he's thinking Thanksgiving. Trip7 is also thinking about her next trip.

"If it weren't for the weather blog, we would have never met. And if it wasn't for Sarah Palin, we would not have gotten so close," said Trip7.

TEN ONLINE DATING SAFETY TIPS

While Trip7 and Kascat seem like a match made in heaven, you can never be too careful when it comes to meeting someone online.

Below are some safety tips from Online Dating Magazine.

1. Trust Your Gut Instinct
2. Don't Provide Personal Information Too Soon
3. Use a Free Email Account
4. Use a Cell Phone or Anonymous Phone Service to Chat
5. Beware of Married People
6. Look for Questionable Characteristics in Your Communication
7. Ask for a Recent Photo
8. Stick With Paid Online Dating Services
9. Don't Get a False Sense of Security
10. Meet in a Public Place for Your First Meeting