For most married couples, they have their fair share of fights and arguments, and that is bound to happen when you live under the same roof 24/7.
When Fred Masci and Terri Lyndall made their commitment to one another on this date 10 years ago, they made a pact that they would be exclusive, but there were a couple catches. They were not to get married, and they were to live in different houses. They both felt this approach was the best method to meet their future needs and achieve a successful long-term commitment with each other.
Terri and Fred met on Plenty of Fish in summer of 2011, but after taking things at a slower pace than Terri’s normal liking, they have truly ramped things up since they decided to make things officially exclusive on May 4, 2012.
“It was nine months of just being friends and having fun, talking, dancing, going to concerts, comedy clubs, plays, wine tastings, hikes, dinners, and other activities that have helped develop our relationship toward each other,” Fred said. “One of the best qualities that Terri has is the ability to make Fred laugh by just saying one or two words. For example, I will tell her, ‘I love you,’ and she will respond, ‘You should.’ Or I’ll say, ‘You are amazing, Terri,’ and she will say, ‘I know.’”
This quick-witted, fun-loving attitude is just one of the many things that Fred loves about his partner. He loves the fact that they can spend their lives together without getting in each other’s ways, and he knows that he could not be happier than he is with Terri.
“The first year together was amazing,” Fred said. “We did so much together, from staying in a remote and isolated cabin near Highlands, North Carolina, to staying at a bed and breakfast in Kauai, Hawaii, and lots of other traveling, dancing, laughing, plays, concerts, comedy clubs and making new friends together.”
Their time spent with one another is always a sight to behold, as they are always laughing and having fun. Some of the unique and fun experiences that they have had together include:
- Doing a sunset sail off the Napali coast of Kauai, Hawaii while a double rainbow was over their heads
- Terri being accidently locked up in a jail cell by Fred for over 45 minutes in Alcatraz prison
- Dancing for their food late at night at a Waffle House after going to a Loving Spoonful concert.
They are also always there for each other, especially through the tough times when Terri had three different foot surgeries, when her mother Mickey, who lived with Terri, died and when Fred’s dear Aunt Maria died.
They know that, as long as they are by each other’s side, there is nothing in life they cannot get through, including a pandemic.
“In the last two years, due to the pandemic, we have spent a great deal of time with our dancing friends having game nights, going to plays, seeing comedians, dinners at each other’s houses, playing cards and, of course, going to dance parties at our ballroom dance studio,” Fred said. “Terri’s house is party central, and she has hosted many parties there, as well as outside since she lives on a cul-de-sac.”
Terri loves hosting parties and having friends over all the time, and this is one of the many ways she and Fred complement each other. It is also one of the many reasons why Fred is perfectly fine that they live in different houses, as he is not big on entertaining people.
“I moved to a new townhome subdivision in Woodstock, GA, in March of 2019 and Terri followed me and sold her home and moved into the same townhome subdivision in January of 2020,” Fred said. “Terri has a very girlie house and Fred has a manly house, and we are 146 steps apart from each other.”
Sometimes these 146 steps can feel like an eternity to get to see the love of your life, but it is all worth it as soon as they set eyes on one another. They know that life with one another is special, and they would not replace their love for one another for anything.
They also both have a passion for travel, and this is something that they have set out to make an integral part of their lives together.
They have traveled to all kinds of places – sometimes just the two of them and sometimes with their dearest friends – such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Vancouver, St. Simon Island, New York, Highland, NC, Key West, Colorado, the Florida gulf coast and many more. Plus, they are planning a trip to go to Paris and London to see many historical landmarks. Then they will set sail to New York on the Queen Mary 2 before flying back home.
Terri and Fred are also known for their Halloween costumes and have gone to Halloween parties dressed as 20s Flapper and 20s Gangster, lion tamer and Freddie Poo – with a huge dog collar around Fred’s neck – 70s Disco Lady and John Travolta, and Church Lady from Saturday Night Live and Mrs. Doubtfire. They may be the most interesting, fun-loving couple in the world.
What’s more is Terri is also a mother to two amazing children, and she is such a great role model to her son and daughter on top of it all.
Her son Stuart said, “My mom is a generous and caring person. She is consistently seeking ways that she can further support and provide assistance to others.”
Her daughter Morgan said, “My mom is a 9mm pistol, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her.”
Terri is appreciated by everyone, especially her life partner and kids, and Fred does not want to imagine what the last 10-plus years would have been like had he not met the love of his life.
“One of the secrets to our successful and committed relationship is that we would do anything to make it work,” Fred said. “Terri means the absolute world to me, and I would do anything to make her happy. Terri has such a wonderful and fun personality, as well as being kind, funny, strong, intelligent and has been extremely responsible all her life.” Terri’s husband died of early onset Alzheimer’s. She had to raise two children as a single mom while managing her own law firm.
Terri makes life fun and enjoyable, and she makes Fred laugh on an almost daily basis. There are not enough words to describe how much she means to him, and he is glad that they have always found a way to make each other’s lives better than ever before.
Fred says it is a “wonderful experience” getting to call Terri his life partner, and he is happy they get to take care of each other every single day.
“Terri is an amazing superwoman and is truly unique, and I know that I found the greatest catch of them all with the Plenty of Fish dating site. God truly blessed me by bringing Terri into my life, and I could not ask for a better life partner.” – Fred
