I do....play with LEGO bricks

I lucked out, plain and simple. I married someone who not only understood that I wanted to start playing with LEGO bricks with me, but was also willing to build alongside me.

In talking to a lot of male adult fans of LEGO, I realized that their significant others or spouses fell into a few camps. Some didn't understand why an AFOL felt compelled to build. Others saw it as a compromise -- the hobby that they let their husband have just so long it was confined to one room and under a specific budget. Here we get unfortunate terms like man cave and "why don't you think about a build room in the basement."

And then there is a small, but strong community, of female builders, who have embraced LEGO alongside their partners (and in some cases, been the driving force for bringing their husbands out of the Dark Ages). Take the story of Matt Fucci and Vail Miller inside The Washington Post this morning. Matt proposed via a ring inside a customized LEGO set. Of course, she said yes.

I hope Matt realizes just how lucky he is to build alongside his fiance.