15 years ago, I had my first domain name. I couldn't do much with it -- just email forwarding and URL cloaking -- but it was mine. I received it for free from NameZero. It wasn't even registered in my name, but that didn't matter. I loved that domain name.
I used it for my Geocities website. There was no webmail or SMTP included in the domain package, but I figured out a way to send email with my domain listed as the sender. I used that email address every chance I had.
A year passed. The free registration expired. I received messages from NameZero asking for the renewal payment. It was in the amount of $24, if I remember correctly. As the weeks passed, the price kept going down, but unfortunately for me, I was a kid with no money, no credit card, and no way to pay NameZero, so my beloved domain name and I had to part ways.
I've been planning to buy a domain name for some time now, and two weeks ago, I finally got around to it. It's not exactly the same one I had 15 years ago, but for some reason I feel like I just had a reunion with an old friend. Oh my dear domain name, how I missed you!