”My life now could not be better. Annette is everything I ever wanted. She means the world to me!.”
Describe your dating life before you joined Together Dating?
Annette: I didn’t have much of a dating life before Together. I
tried the online sites but I’m not a person who sits at the computer
all the time, so it really didn’t help me much.
Paul: It wasn’t great. I tried to meet people, but none of the methods worked.
What inspired you to try Together Dating?
Annette: Actually I’m at a point in my life where I want my own
family, as I’m very family oriented, but as I look around I find that
I’m the only one who is not married and I don’t have any kids. I was
helping everybody else when I really wanted to help myself. Together
Dating sent something in the mail and one day as I was driving; I
actually saw a sign of theirs. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to at least
go and see what they’re offering.
Paul: I saw the sign on the way home from work and thought, “Why not?” I was tired of being by myself, so I decided to take a chance.
How did you like working with them?
Annette: I thought they were very professional. They made me
feel very relaxed and I honestly felt having that connection with
another person helped as opposed to the online websites – you don’t get
that. You don’t get someone who is willing to listen to you as you’re
telling them your life story or love story.
Paul: I thought working with Together was great. They really listened to what you had to say.
How does the interview process work?
Annette: It was very relaxed, very easy and it felt like I was
talking to a friend over lunch, although we were in the office. It felt
very easy for me to open up to the young lady who interviewed me. It
lasted about 1 to 1 ½ hours. I think it depends on how much you talk.
First you fill out a questionnaire, and then they call you back into
the office and you just talk to them. What kind of person are you
looking for, how long have you been looking, why have you not found
that person you’re looking for, etc. After the interview process, they
ask you if you want to continue, if you are ready to invest in your
love life, that sort of thing. And that’s when the background check
comes in. I signed up for two years worth of introductions.
Paul: First, you fill out a profile (about you and the person you are looking for). Then, you have a conference with a consultant.
Tell me about meeting Paul, who made the initial contact?
Annette: He did, and although this is the 21st century, there
are still some things that I won’t bend on, and calling a guy is one of
them. So I insisted that he call. Actually you get their paperwork,
which includes their profile, and I thought he sounded like an
interesting person. It actually took him a month and a half to call me.
You’re not really in a relationship but you’re going out with people to
see if it will work and if it doesn’t or if you’re just really friends
then you have the option of continuing on with someone else. So at that
point, he was actually dating someone and it didn’t work out, so he
thought he’d call me.
How many people did you meet before you met Paul?
Annette: Five and actually there were two people after him. So I would have to say eight, but he was number six.
Tell me about your first date.
Annette: We stayed locally for me and that was a first, because
most of the guys were from Maryland and I had to drive quite a ways to
meet some of them. So he was the first one to insist on coming to me,
and I’m in Virginia. I was very impressed by that and actually I was
surprisingly on time for the date, considering I’m never on time for
anything. I thought it was going to be interesting. And we had dinner.
You can have the option of just meeting for coffee or actually going
out on a date. So we just met for dinner and we just talked for two
hours straight about anything and everything.
Paul: My first date with Annette was on November 17th at King Street Blues in Crystal City. I had never been there so I had no problem meeting her there. When I first saw her, I thought to myself, “I hope that is her!” I thought she was pretty. I was so nervous. We sat and talked for hours getting to know each other.
What was your first impression of each other?
Annette: I thought he was very nice, very caring, a good
listener, but I could tell he was nervous. We talk about this today, I
tell him I didn’t understand some of what he was saying because he was
talking too fast. I know now that when he gets nervous that’s what he
does. He talks really fast. We went on to actually become engaged, I’m
happy to say…
Paul: I thought she was great, very smart, and a good listener.
Can you tell me about the proposal?
Annette: It was my birthday, so it just happened a couple of months
ago. I knew he had the ring and I could feel that he was going to come
around to it, but when and where I wasn’t too sure. So I just told him
whenever he felt comfortable to just do it. So he waited until around
ten at night and we were eating pizza. So there’s no romance in that,
but he was comfortable.
What do your friends think about how you two met?
Annette: Actually, the way Paul and I met did not surprise any
of them. My friends know people who have done that [dating service] and
have been successful or met on the Internet and they’re successful as
well. The hardest thing was trying to explain it to my parents. Here we
are in the 21st century, and I had to go to Together Dating in order to
find him because it wasn’t working on my own.
Paul: My friends are glad that I have someone who loves and understands me!
How do your parents feel about Paul?
Annette: Oh, they like him. They really do like him. When we
have family functions they’re always asking where Paul is or if he is
coming. It’s getting kind of hard for us because we’re trying to split
our time between the two families. We were talking about it this
weekend, how are we going to do the holidays when they come up after we
are married?
How would you describe your life together now?
Annette: I’m very happy. I always tell the story, I teach 10th
through 12th grade High School classes, and before I met Paul my career
was really where I was focused, and after a while you start to become
complacent and that’s normally not me but there wasn’t anything to
really occupy my time at that point. It was basically being with my
family or work. And after I met Paul, and we were going out, even my
students knew something was up. I wouldn’t tell them my personal
business, but they knew something was going on because they said I just
seemed so happy. I would let a lot of things they would do slide. This
is who I am, and this is how I should be anyway. I think he brought
that part of me out again.
Paul: It could not be better. She is everything I ever wanted. She means the world to me
What do you two do for fun?
Annette: As a matter of fact, yesterday we were coming back from
Williamsburg, Virginia and he suggested that we stop at a go-cart
place. I haven’t been on a go-cart nor seen a go-cart since I was
eight. I said, “Okay, I’ll go.” And it was so much fun, we went go-cart
racing, we played miniature golf and we went to the arcade. We’re in
our late 30s but we still act like we are in high school. I really do
appreciate being in a relationship that is mature yet fun and exciting!
What are your future plans?
Annette: We decided to stay in Virginia. Right now we do have
some possibilities of moving into a house or a condo. We’re trying to
figure it out because he just graduated from the university, and at
this point, he has a job but he’s trying to find a better job. So I’m
just giving him time, but the wedding is in April, so he doesn’t have
that much time.
Do you have any advice for others who are searching for love via the Together Dating?
Annette: It actually works. The thing about it is that you just
have to keep an open mind, and if you need help, if you need someone to
talk to, they’re always willing to be there for you to talk to them.
There were some times when I thought, “I don’t think this is working; I’m
not seeing the benefit. What do I do?” And the one thing the lady told
me was to give it time.
Paul: Try it. It does work and Annette and I are proof!
