Shannon & Mike

I put in my criteria: “No children” and I’d never opened my mind to that possibility. When they called to set me up with Shannon, they told me she had a daughter and I thought I’d give it a try. What a blessing that turned out to be!  I’m so glad she was part of the package – Mike

How would you describe your dating lives before joining Together Dating?

Shannon: I met some crazy people and it wasn’t great, through friends.

Mike: I didn’t really date much. I would meet someone but we’d not hit it off. I thought I would give this a try and hopefully they would set me up with someone who I had some things in common with. I tried online dating with Match.com, but no success there. I literally didn’t meet anybody; I got no responses. I think a lot of online dating is completely dishonest. I don’t think you can really trust it. I dated a little through friends, but nothing really worked out.

What inspired you to sign up with Together Dating?

Mike: I found a flier in my mailbox that was for a website. It wasn’t Together Dating, but when I went to the site, it asked for information and then I got a call from Together Dating, so it was all connected.

Shannon: I wasn’t finding people who I had anything in common with and I had seen signs around town stuck in the grass. They were everywhere for a while!

Did you have any opinions about matchmaking services before joining Together Dating?

Mike: I never really thought of giving it a try. I had seen ads but never gave it much thought.

Shannon: I guess I remember it from commercials in the 80s, but hadn’t heard much about matchmaking since then. Through Match.com and a couple of other online sites, I wasn’t finding people who were very mature.

What did you especially enjoy about the interview process with Together Dating?

Shannon: I liked that they did a background check and credit check. I just want to be safe if I’m going to do something like that. I liked the personality profile and that it was actually people and not a computer matching me up with somebody.

Mike: I liked that the personality profile was very thorough; it pretty much hits every aspect of your personality. It asks you a lot of questions, but it gets around to everything and it’s very accurate. Although they set me up with a few I had nothing in common with, overall I think they did a good job. The ladies were very friendly and I felt welcome there.

How many other referrals did you each have before you met?

Mike: I had met four before I called Shannon.

Shannon: Just one.

What was your first date like? Where did you go?

Mike: We met at Starbucks. I forgot to ask her what she would be wearing, so I had no way of identifying her. I was just sitting there for a while and it turns out she was in there for a while too. I remember seeing her come in, but I didn’t know it was her. Every woman that walked through the door, I’m thinking, "Is that her?" I thought she was very attractive and cute. I was watching her as she ordered her coffee and sat down, and then she texted me saying, “I’m wearing a pink sweater.” I went over to her table and we started talking. It turned into a longer date. We went to a restaurant and had dinner.

I noticed she was a little shy, which I like. I dated women before who just yapped away and I thought Shannon was easy to talk to because I’m shy too. I thought it was really good. She let me talk and listen and I like that.

Shannon: It was good. I didn’t know what he looked like and I was a little nervous. He was very friendly and looked me right in the eye and I knew I could trust him. He seemed like a good match. We had some small talk and then a little more depth to the conversation. I think it was me who asked him if he wanted to go to dinner, for the record.

We laughed a few times, which was a good tension-breaker. We had some of the same taste in music. I wouldn’t say Michael was my “type” that I usually go for: The quiet, mean-looking guy. Michael was very friendly and it was easy to talk to him.

What do your friends and family members think of how you met?

Mike: Most say, “Okay,” and don’t really say much else about it.

Shannon: Some people I talk to say, “I don’t know if I would do that,” because they have the whole online dating stereotype in their head.

Mike: That’s the thing. You have to explain the difference. That is the first thing they’ll say: “Oh, online?” And then you have to say, “No,” and that you actually went into an office and dealt with people there.

How long did the two of you date before you got married?

Mike: It was April of 2007 when we met, and we married in September 2008.

Shannon, what was the proposal like?

Shannon: It was Christmas morning and we opened our presents. He opened his first and then I opened mine. We had talked about it beforehand but nothing was set in stone. We just said that probably someday we’d get married, and we were living together. I got to my last present and it was a Chia Pet, and that was a joke between us. I always wanted a Chia Pet when I was little but never got one, so he got me one. I was kind of expecting a ring but I wasn’t sure if he was going to give it to me. He said, “Why don’t you look in the box?” and there was this little cheesy alarm clock in there, and a ring box in there. Then he was down on his knee and he asked me. It was very sweet.

Mike: I was just happy she didn’t throw the Chia Pet out before I had a chance.

How would you describe your lives together now?

Mike: I love it. I love feeling stable knowing I’ll always have Shannon there for me. She’s very supportive and she’s like my rock.

Shannon: My daughter is four and we will go and get ice cream or go to the mall and the play area or go have a nice dinner out. Monica just adores Mike.

Mike: She’s great; I adore Monica. She’s sweet and like the daughter I always wanted.

Do you have any advice for people who are considering signing up for Together Dating?

Mike: Be patient, because the first few times you might be disappointed. The first couple of times, I was getting pretty frustrated and feeling that it wasn’t working. It will work - you just have to give it time.

Shannon: Keep an open mind because you never know. Mike wasn’t my usual “type.” We’re both so shy I don’t think it ever would have happened any other way.

Mike: That’s a good point. It’s hard with two shy people, to get to talking you pretty much have to be forced into that situation, but it worked out for us. I put in my criteria: “No children” and I’d never opened my mind to that possibility. When they called to set me up with Shannon, they told me she had a daughter and I thought I’d give it a try. What a blessing that turned out to be!  I’m so glad she was part of the package.