Ann & John

“We have the same dream when we retire, to become full-time RVers. We both just want to see the whole country.” - Ann

How would you describe your dating lives before joining eLove? 

Ann:  Non-existent. 

John: I wasn’t dating at all; all I was doing was working. 

Did either of you have any opinions about matchmaking services before signing up with eLove? 

Ann: I never thought of it. 

John: A couple of decades ago, I tried Successful Singles. The women were looking for wealthy men. I don’t consider myself wealthy, not even close to it; I’m a working man.  I got slightly involved with one woman, but that didn’t work out. Before Ann, the last dating I did was 10 years ago, someone I met in 1998, at the end of the year. For the last 10 years I hadn’t dated anyone. 

What inspired you both to sign up?

John: I was vulnerable and lonely and I went down there and got talked into it.  It was something that had come up on my computer about eLove and a free interview.  I got talked into signing up, and right now I could hug the girl (their matchmaker)! 

Ann: I was on different websites, and eLove came up. I entered my information and they called me and I went in and talked to them and figured I’d give it a shot. 

What was the interview process like? 

John: The interviewer was extremely personable and very congenial and pleasant to talk to. She wasn’t pushy. She knew what she was talking about and she wasn’t going over the line, and she just knew how to move things along. It was a pleasant experience. 

Then you two were matched. What happened next? 

Ann: They sent me an email with John’s name and a little bit of information about him and his phone number. I wasn’t going to call John; I was going to wait for him to call me. 

How many other people were you both matched with?  

Ann: I had only met one and John was the second.

John: She was the seventh name they sent me.

What was your first date like? 

Ann: We went to the Cheesecake Factory in the mall. He was waiting at the front door and I was waiting at the back door. It ended up that I was a little bit late because I was out back. We had lunch and we just got along really good and were talking and I went back to his house because he had a pool and it was a very hot day. Then we went for a ride in his motor home, and he brought me back to the mall. We met at like 1 o’clock in the afternoon and I got home at 10:30 that night! 

What were some of your first impressions of each other?

Ann: He had a full beard and I didn’t know if I liked that or not, and he’s as tall as I am. Other than that, he just seemed very outgoing, which I liked. Then he gave me my choice whether to eat inside or outside, and I’d forgotten how hot it was, dummy me, I was dying. But he never complained. From talking that night on the phone, we found out that we both liked camping. And we have the same dream when we retire, to become full-time RVers. We both just want to see the whole country.

John: She was pleasant-looking. She was very nice to talk to and we got along and things went fine. It worked out good that she’d picked outside because since it was so hot, it gave me the opportunity to ask her to go swimming. 

Ann: He had a method to his madness! 

John: That we had the same dream was great. I had almost given up on that idea. I didn’t want to do it by myself. It was a lost dream, and then when Ann said it was something she wanted to do, I thought it was a kick in the head! Maybe this can happen! That was a big motivation to make things work even more, from the very beginning.

What do your friends think of how the two of you met?

Ann: My kids know and they like John, so they don’t care. They were pushing me to do it. 

John: Everyone really likes Ann. She’s a hit. My nieces made the remark, “Don’t screw this up!” She’s a big hit with my whole family.

It’s been close to six months now and you talk about the future, so are you engaged? 

Ann:  We have a commitment to each other.  

How do the two of you enjoy spending time together? 

Ann: Movies. Shopping, but I like shopping more than he does. He’s a good sport though. Playing cards, playing trivia, so he can beat me. We went on a road trip in October and he made me drive the motor home. The first time, my jeans were wet from the sweat on my hands; the second time, not bad. 

Do you have any advice for others considering signing up? 

Ann: Go for it and don’t get discouraged if the first ones don’t work out. Try it because you never know who is out there waiting for you. 

John: Find someone you like to be with, someone you like to be around on a pretty constant basis. Once  you have that, you’ve got something.