Matchmaker Success

The Right One ~ Kristy & David

I’ve pretty much told everybody that this has been the easiest relationship I’ve ever had in my life. From that first night we met, it was very easy – Kristy

What were your dating lives like before joining The Right One?

Kristy: Very minimal. I did some online dating, but not much. I was a single mom and I didn’t like spending time away from my son.

David: Non-existent. I wasn’t into the bar scene and I was fairly busy. I did a little bit of online dating, but people’s honesty on the computer is not very good.

Kristy, did you have any opinions about matchmaking services before signing up with The Right One?

I had actually used The Right One several years ago and it was good.

David, what inspired you to sign up with The Right One?

I found The Right One online, but I didn’t know what it was. I thought it was just another online dating service.

What did you particularly like about working with the people at The Right One?

Kristy:  I felt safe, there was the background check. Everybody seemed to be pretty much on the same page. I never had any problem with myself or the other individuals being very honest about it when it just didn’t feel right or we weren’t really interested. Instead, we could decide not to pursue this because it wasn’t like being set up with someone through a friend. There were no ties, that part I liked, but I didn’t like the number of guys I had to meet before I found David.

Kristy, how many referrals did you meet or talk to before you met David?

The second time I used the service, David was either my fourth or fifth introduction.

David, what did you particularly enjoy about the interview process with The Right One?

Everybody is on the same page; everybody is after the same thing, the end result. They cut through the preliminary hassle; everybody knows what their ultimate goal is going into this. You’re looking for a life partner--it’s not just random dates. Kristy is more of a “people person” than I am and I have a hard time meeting people. I work a lot of hours and I’m busy most of the time. I don’t have a lot of time for unnecessary socializing. Kristy was my third referral.

What was your first date like?

Kristy: I was just feeling a little disheartened about the whole thing. I was really busy with my career and focusing on finding more of a father for my son and I’d given up a bit on that, the ideal situation that people talk about. It was one of those things where I set up another date and I was going to go out and do this, but I didn’t have high hopes or expectations. I just thought it was going to be another date and hopefully I’d have a good supper and go home.

But I got there and he was a pretty good-looking guy, and very nice. We just seemed to hit it off and we were able to talk pretty easily. I didn’t have to force anything. I’ve pretty much told everybody that this has been the easiest relationship I’ve ever had in my life. From that first night we met, it was very easy.

He was entertaining, funny, and very intelligent. I could have a conversation with him, which is something I struggled with, with a lot of other guys I met. They were almost impossible to carry on a conversation with and I didn’t have that problem at all with David.

David: I thought she was cute. We had dinner and 1½ hours later, she was out of babysitter time and we had to go. It felt like we had been there for only 10 minutes; it went very, very quick. She’s a very pleasant, intelligent lady.

She has a good career and is far more intelligent than I am. She’s very devoted to her son and family. Hey, she wasn’t nuts!

Kristy, what was the proposal like?

We’d been having some generalized discussions about what we wanted from life and what we anticipated or saw happening. It wasn’t just out of the blue; I had an idea. One night we were just talking and I don’t even remember how the conversation started, but he smiled at me and said, “You know I’m going to ask you.” And of course I was just like: “Yes!”  He proposed to me and took me ring shopping on my birthday. That was a pretty special day.

How long had you been dating when you got engaged?

Kristy: Two months. Other than that first date we went on alone, I don’t think we had another date alone until after we got engaged. We always had one of the kids with us or we were doing something with the family.

Kristy, how do you all spend your time together now as a family?

Dave drives race cars, and my son who is five now will start driving race cars or go-karts too, so that’s where a lot of our family activity stuff is, as well as just family time and doing things together. Going to the movies or spending time at home is about as much of a treat as anything.

What future plans do you have as a family?

Kristy: I think raising all the kids is huge. I think just getting to spend our time together and getting to know each other better is probably one of our most immediate goals.

Dave: There are three things that come to mind for me: One, trying to combine two entire households; two, we want to put an addition on the house; three, go to Greece in a year.

Do you have any advice for someone who might be considering joining The Right One?

Dave: It seems like an expensive outlay, as it’s fairly pricey, especially for someone on a limited income, but it was well worth the money for me. Be honest with yourself is probably the biggest thing.

Kristy: That is probably the biggest thing really, that soul-searching at the beginning. The reason this thing works is because everybody is in it for the same reason. Their heart is in it at that point in time to have a true lifelong goal of marriage or whatever. So if you’re not there yet and just want to date, it’s probably not going to work so well. It’s not the same kind of tool as the bar scene, going out to meet somebody for the fun of it. That’s not at all what the service is about.

The Right One ~ Becky & Steve

Once I took hold of his hand, it was like everybody just melts away like in the movies where the couple just swirls up into the air and I’m hearing, “I love you and I want to marry you.” - Becky

What were your dating lives like before joining The Right One?

Becky: How does “nil” sound?

Steve: I’d had just one or two dates. I hadn’t been widowed too long at the time.

When you did meet, how many others had you been referred to through The Right One?

Becky: Steve was my first referral.

Steve: She would have been my third name or the second date; one, we just talked on the phone and didn’t decide to meet.

Becky, what was your opinion of Internet dating sites before you signed up with The Right One?

I thought a lot of the guys on there were just after somebody who is a size 8 and looks better than they do. I hadn’t had good success with them at all.

What inspired you to try a matchmaking service?

Becky: It was interesting because I knew I wouldn’t find somebody online, but I thought: I’m going to check this group out, what the heck, what do I have to lose? I want to find out about this and see if it’s any good. I went online and gave my phone number and they called me, and after that there was no more online and I liked that. I liked the personal touch.

Steve: They cold-called me; mine was just a phone call asking if I was single and that was my reference. I had no point of reference prior to that. I was open.

What did you particularly like about the interview process?

Becky: The person I met with was very personable and willing to share and made me feel very comfortable. I was apprehensive when I first went in, but after I talked to her for a while the apprehension left and I could communicate my thoughts, desires and needs.

Steve: They were sensitive; they were asking me several questions about the timing of my wife’s death, rather than just trying to get me to sign up for something to get the money. I was impressed with the testing and the interview part. I was just interested to see what it was because of what they said. I was open and I wasn’t not going to sign up, but I sure hadn’t thought about doing it that much prior to the phone call and interview. They wanted to make sure I was ready before we even started filling out the papers. I wasn’t interested in the bars and local scene, that wasn’t where I was coming from.

Becky: I think I can echo what Steve says, and they were very thorough. Before they let me do anything and before they even told me what the cost was or anything like that, we talked about how long it had been since Brad had died and how I was feeling about getting back into the dating scene.

Steve, what inspired you to contact Becky?

Just whatever information they had there just appealed to me right off the bat. I just had a personal gut feeling about it more than what was actually in there, because there wasn’t that much information.

Steve, what did you do for your first date?

We went to Red Lobster and had lunch.

Becky, what was your first impression of Steve?

I thought he was a good-looking guy. I just thought it might be nice to talk to him.

Steve, what was your first impression of Becky?

I thought she was attractive, neat, and I don’t know how they matched us that well, but she was what I was looking for. I just felt good from the very beginning of this relationship. It just looked like really where I needed to go.

Becky, what do your friends and family think about how the two of you met?

If they ask us how we met, we tell them and they say, “Oh, interesting!” I never got a negative reaction. I was clear with people that we didn’t meet blindly. There was sufficient testing and checking; it wasn’t just someone saying they were something that they weren’t. I make sure people understand that. I was not interested in somebody trying to convince me they were something. I knew somebody else checked things out and the interview part was the most valuable part of this whole thing for me, and the background checks.

What was the proposal like?

Becky: We had dated a while and I decided we were just too much alike and we would never make it. So in May I informed him of that, and I was very good at getting my point across. He was almost ready to hang everything up but he had promised to be my friend, so he wasn’t going to quite let me get out of his life.

Our church has an annual conference once a year and they were doing a memorial service; they do a memorial service every year for the pastors and spouses who have died. I told Steve as his friend I would be there, because I remember what it was like when they did Brad’s service, because my husband had also been a pastor. Steve had gone back three times looking for me and the dinner I was at had gone over time so I was a little late, but I wasn’t late for the service.

I sat with him and his mom. I thought that when they were doing this service for Brad, it would have been nice for somebody to hold my hand. Without thinking that we hadn’t had more than just a polite hug between the two of us--we’d talked a lot but there hadn’t been much physical contact--I just grabbed hold of his hand. That was it. Once I took hold of his hand, I don’t know what the guy was saying that was speaking, it was like everybody just melts away like in the movies where the couple just swirls up into the air and I’m hearing, “I love you and I want to marry you.” And I’m looking around trying to figure out who is talking.

Steve: Our first lunch was nearly four hours, not just a five-minute “in and out.” She just inspired me to get more done. She was someone who lit my fire to get going. We agreed we would stay friends because I knew I had made a friend for life from the beginning; we have so many similarities. The matching was perfect in that sense, though a lot of the things that are similar in our lives weren’t on the test or in the questionnaire.

I had taken my mom with me that day and I just knew right there that that was it. I just felt comfortable with that. I just knew we were going to get married from that minute on. We both knew that and we just felt it together.

I never considered trying to meet somebody over the Internet. That wasn’t an option for me. But the way this was done was a very complete way and a very comfortable way. I tell people the similarities in our life: Emotional situations, loss of spouses, and loss of children. In our ceremony at the wedding, we acknowledged, we had pictures of both our husband and wife and our two children. Becky wrote a special part for that and the pastor read that and we shared the flowers with the family members that were there from the loved ones that had passed on.

We’re able to deal with that on the same emotional basis. It’s a strengthening thing and not a weakening thing for us. We didn’t replace that person, but we didn’t die with that person when they died. God gave us life to continue on. That was good and that allowed us to continue. And the more we find out about each other, how much more it is just what it’s supposed to be.

You two were married last summer?

Steve: We got married six weeks from that date.

Becky: That was June 7th that we fell in love, and we were married July 12th.

Wow! When did you actually meet?

Becky: February 4th.

What is your life like now? How do you like to spend time together?

Becky: We started going to the parks and walking around and watching nature and spending time like that, which was real meaningful for both of us. We continue to have a date night every week and because we have other commitments, we have to be apart some. We have more than one residence right now, so that’s a challenge but we’re able to work through that. We’re both very busy when we’re apart so the time doesn’t go slowly. We only talk to each other four or five times a day!

Steve: We also cruised to Alaska with our family for our honeymoon in August.

Becky: It was wonderful.

Do you have any advice for people who are considering joining The Right One?

Becky:  One of the ladies in my church, she’s been widowed a couple of years and I referred her. I told her about Steven and I, and I think that when she heard a success story she was more inclined to do something like that. So I think I would just say: “Try it, you never know what you’re going to find or where you’re going to find a person.” If you don’t go through a reputable service like The Right One or you just go online, check them out, Google them, do a person’s report or something. It’s worth the money you pay.

Steve: For me, the other thing about the process here was that we were both ready to move on in our life and we were looking to have someone special in our life. You’ll see somebody who might be attractive to you for whatever reason or someone you meet in an organization similar to yours, but that person may or may not be at that point in life that they’re ready. They were checking with us for that beforehand and then we were put together with someone where we didn’t have to go through the part of, “Well, I don’t know if I want to date yet or have a relationship yet,” that kind of thing. That was very refreshing and good. I think that was a real plus in the program.

Any closing comments?

Becky: It’s been great, and our friends and family have embraced both of us and that has been a good thing. It was fast, but it felt like forever between the time we fell in love and got married. After I came to the point where I decided that I would like to get married again, I said, “I don’t want to mess around with dating and everything, I just want to find somebody and know that’s it and get married,” and that’s what I did.

The Right One saves a lot of heartache and a lot of pain.

The Right One ~ Kristi & Jason

What were your dating lives like before joining The Right One?

Kristi: I didn’t have a lot of dating experience. I’d been on a few dates, but no real serious relationships. I’d tried online dating for a while and didn’t like it; it was just very random, nothing to tell you much about the person. This was supposed to match you more compatibly.

Jason: I didn’t have one.

Did you have an opinion of matchmaking services before you joined The Right One?

Kristi: I didn’t have much of an opinion; I just thought I would try it. I had gone there to see what it was about and she talked me into it. I had seen an ad when I was on the computer one night.

Jason: That’s how I found it too, an online ad.

What inspired you to sign up with The Right One?

Kristi: I wanted to meet somebody that I would like and be compatible with. The person I talked to at The Right One inspired me to do it, because she said that they usually have pretty good outcomes. She just talked me into it.

Did you enjoy the interview process?

Kristi: It was okay; it was very long, lots and lots of questions. Most of it was filling out that questionnaire, but I thought the questions were pretty on-target. I think it was appropriate, because you need to know all that stuff to be able to match somebody.

Jason: She made it seem like it was secure, and she was really nice. They did background checks, and that way I didn’t get anyone that was psychotic or anything. That is what I liked about it. I just felt comfortable there. When I started doing the paperwork, it went pretty smooth. It was very long--very, very long.  The night I was there, we had tornadoes and we had to go to the basement for a while, so that took a long time.

Kristi: You never told me that!

What was your first date like?

Kristi: We had talked on the phone for a while before our first date. I felt pretty comfortable with Jason before we met; he’s easy to talk to. We met at Outback and we ate and had a few drinks and got along pretty well and ended up going to the casinos that night. It went well; we had fun, I had fun.

Kristi, what was your first impression of Jason?

He was easy to talk to, nice, and he’s cute. I think Jason is really sweet.

Jason, what were some of your initial impressions of Kristi?

She’s very, very easy to talk to; she understands a lot. She is cute and she’s just easygoing; there isn’t too much that bothers her. I’m busy with work and she understands that.

What do your friends think about how you two met?

Kristi: My close friends know and they think it’s a good idea because it’s hard to meet people, it’s hard to meet somebody in a bar. I just think it’s harder to meet people today than it used to be. My friends were very encouraging with it.

Jason: My friends were happy for me because I don’t go to bars or anything like that.

What kinds of things do you like to do together?

Jason: I enjoy bike and car shows and I think Kristi does too.

Kristi: I had fun those times that I went. We usually like going to dinner and hanging out and talking.

Any advice for people who might be considering joining The Right One?

Jason: Go for it, it’s worth the money.

Kristi: I would agree with that!

The Right One ~ Sandy & Ron

“I knew it on the first date that she was the one I wanted to be with. I never said anything to her because I was afraid I would scare her off. I waited until the second date.” - Ron

Before you joined The Right One, what were your dating lives like?

Ron: Zero, zip and nothing. I never tried any other dating services, not having a computer or anything.

Sandy: I had a couple of dates through some other services, online dating. They’re a joke. I did a lot of it for laughs. I went out on a couple of dates and we had really nothing in common. I had also done eHarmony and actually they ask the same amount of questions that The Right One did, almost the same questions, as a matter of fact. But I still got just any old Joe Blow down the block. It didn’t match you.

What inspired you to join The Right One?

Ron: I had seen signs around town and having no computer, I went up to the local library and they helped me out to get online with it. Then from there they had the folks notify me by phone or mail.

Sandy: I did it as a lark really. I figured I’d give it a shot, as I’d tried everything else and I was still dating online.

What did you particularly enjoy about the interview process with The Right One?

Ron: They were very friendly there and very thorough. I know they do a thorough background check on everyone.

Sandy: I felt very comfortable talking to them.

Ron, what inspired you to make contact with Sandy?

Oh, I tried to contact all of them they sent to me, and some of them never responded to anything. She didn’t at the time because she was busy, but she did call back later on and we talked and set up our first date.

Tell me about your first date.

Sandy: We met at Bakers Square and we had lunch there. Then we went to a flea market, followed by a walk through the mall. We just kept walking and talking and getting to know each other. We went to a couple of different parks and just enjoyed the day. It was beautiful weather and everything.

So how long was your first date? It sounds like you covered a lot of ground both literally and figuratively.

SEVEN hours: 1:00 in the afternoon to 8:00 at night.

Sandy, what was your first impression of Ron?

He was too old.

Did you know how old he was before you met him?

It was on the paper but I figured, “Oh, I’ll give it a shot.”  But all I kept thinking about was that he was so much older than I expected. I ended up the date with: “He is still too old.” But he was very easy to talk to and I just enjoyed being with him.

Ron, what was your first impression of Sandy?

I thought she was a very beautiful lady. We agreed to meet at Bakers Square, separate vehicles of course.  She parked the second car over from me. The minute she got out of the car, she smiled at me and waved to let me know it was her. I was just completely at ease at that moment. I had been nervous up to that point but after that, I was just completely at ease.

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

Ron: My family is glad that things worked out and I’m happy now. They accept her and her family.

Sandy: My two sons have both done the same thing. I don’t know what service they used but they both did it for their second wives.  So they couldn’t say too much about it.

I understand you both met only one other person through The Right One. Sandy, when did you know that Ron was a keeper?

I had a friend at work who kept telling me, “He’s a keeper, he’s a keeper.” But I feel that it was the second date. It was the fact that he was such a gentleman and he cared about things I was doing. He wasn’t into himself. He wanted to know what I wanted to do all the time.

What about you, Ron? When did you know that Sandy was a keeper?

It’s difficult to say in a way, but I knew it on the first date that she was the one I wanted to be with. I never said anything to her because I was afraid I would scare her off. I waited until the second date. We started talking about what we wanted in life and we both wanted to get remarried and everything like that. And started discussing what we like to do, where we like to go and all of that. And 85% of it was the same thing for each other.  As she said, we’re both soul mates for each other.

Ron, what was the proposal like?

We had been dating for approximately a month and we had talked about it throughout the dating process and we both wanted to get married. I just asked her one evening at dinner if she would marry me and she said yes. So we went shopping for a ring a couple of days afterwards.

Sandy: Actually I think I was surprised but I immediately answered yes.

What are your lives together like now? How do you like to spend your time together?

Ron: We still like to go for walks and we love to shop and we just love to laugh and have fun together.

Do you have any advice for others who might be searching for love through The Right One?

Sandy: You have to at least give it a try. It definitely works. I feel I’ve met my soul mate. He isn’t just my husband; he’s my soul mate. We have so much in common and every day we find something new that we have in common with each other. Like right now, over Halloween, we found out that we enjoyed the same candy bars even.

Ron: Give it a try and don’t just stop at one date and say, “It’s not worth it.” Go out two or three times or more; it might take a lot longer for some people. But for us, it was basically love on the first date.

The Right One ~ Mary Kay & Scott

“She’s very dedicated to the things that are important to her in her life, which really mirror a lot of the things that are important to me. We just really hit it off right away and it was really neat.” - Scott

What was your dating life like before you joined The Right One?

Mary Kay: It wasn’t like I didn’t date a lot, but the few times before I had met Scott I had gone on some blind dates and was somewhat disappointed. We didn’t have a great deal in common and for me, there was no real attraction. I’m very dedicated and I knew that finding somebody at a bar or something, in your 40s, I didn’t want that. I was real reluctant to try online dating because I didn’t think the screening and stuff was there. You really didn’t know who you were dealing with at all and I didn’t trust it.

Mary Kay, what inspired you to join The Right One?

They sent me an email and I responded to it probably because I was bored, because I needed to be out on a date but I wasn’t. I hadn’t quite finished answering the profile and actually my laptop ran out of battery, so I just forgot about it and they emailed me back. I’m glad they did because otherwise I wouldn’t have met Scott. I was interested in it just because I knew it was a safer way to go, since they were going to do the screening. That’s a big deal in this world; in our society it can be kind of scary, and a couple of bad experiences, you might just stay home for the rest of your life.

Scott, what inspired you to try The Right One?

I actually was playing on the internet and I found The Right One. What attracted me to it was the “weeding out” process of just finding somebody you’re compatible with. I’m from a lot smaller community than Mary Kay is, so your business is pretty much everybody’s business. That’s another reason I probably would have never gone to an Internet dating site or anything like that, where you put your picture on it and all that. I felt like if you’re paying for this service, obviously they’re professionals and they’re going to provide a good service and find somebody you’re compatible with because that’s really what it’s all about.

How did you like working with the people at The Right One? What did you enjoy about the interview process?

Scott: I think it took about an hour to an hour and a half. The gal that interviewed me, her name was Charity. She was a very, very nice gal and she had a good personality and she made it a lot of fun. She’s very good at her job and she totally suckered me. But as Mary Kay said, it turned out really good because I would have never met Mary Kay had it not been for that.

Mary Kay: I actually had the same person and you didn’t feel as though she was pressuring you into anything, like a typical marketing and sales person. I really enjoyed her. I spent a great deal of time and I was there pretty late and actually we had a lot of fun. I didn’t go there with the intention of joining; I just was curious. I was just looking for more information to see what it was all about. She was a real doll. And then I think it was important because actually Scott and I have a number of things in common and things that we enjoy doing. It was comforting to know, for example, that he’s not a big sports fanatic; a lot of men are and I’m not. So that is just one of a number of things that was comforting to know. I didn’t have to force myself into watching sports on the weekends anymore. It’s just a small example

What number referral were you for each other?

Mary Kay: Scott was my first and I was Scott’s second.

Tell me about your first date.

Mary Kay: We went to Kona Grille in Omaha. It’s a real nice restaurant that we met at on a Sunday at like 4:00 or 4:30. We live about an hour and 50 minutes apart.

Scott: But we do have some mutual friends and relatives. Mary Kay’s sister lives just probably 10 minutes from me.

Mary Kay: When I first talked to Charity she asked me how far away I’d consider and she must have thought we were a pretty decent match because I remember she asked me if I would make an exception. And I said, “Well, my sister lives there anyway, so close to him.” When I first went in I thought that was too far away but it seems to have worked out. It would be nice to have him in the same town but I think we care enough about one another that we’re making it work.

Mary Kay, what was your first impression of Scott?

I would say I was attracted to him right away but after a few hours I was even more attracted to him. He’s got such a kind soul and I knew that right away about him. And the more time I spent with him the more time I wanted to spend with him. And actually we spent a great deal of time, since it turned into Sunday evening quickly and there were a lot of places even in Omaha that were closed. We had a lovely dinner and we walked for a long time and we didn’t want to leave one another. I didn’t get home until after 9:00 and I live 10 minutes away from the Kona Grille. I don’t think we intended to do that but it just happened that way.

Scott: Yeah, it was awesome! It was quite a nice evening.

What was your first impression of Mary Kay?

She was a very, very pretty gal and I was attracted to her almost immediately. Just talking to her, we had a lot in common and she is just a very warm, pleasant person and she has a great personality and she’s very dedicated to the things that are important to her in her life, which really mirror a lot of the things that are important to me. We just really hit it off right away and it was really neat.

Are you able to see each other pretty frequently, considering the distance between you?

Scott: With what I do I’m busier in certain seasons. Right now I’m in a busy time but last week we were together almost all weekend. And we see each other at least two nights and one day a week at least.

Mary Kay: We usually see one another on the weekends and then we try to see each other on Wednesday evenings. I have a very demanding job and this is Scott’s busiest time, so we make time for one another.

What do your friends and relatives think of how you met?

Mary Kay: I really haven’t mentioned it to too many people but the few that I have were all very supportive; they just felt the same way that I did: That it’s a safer way to go. I spend so much time with my coworkers and they know me very well. For a long time they said, “How are you going to meet anybody if you don’t do anything about it? Are you having fun by yourself on the weekends?” So they would always ask when I came in on Monday, “What did you do?” And I would say, “Not much. I watched some movies.” And so they would get on my back and they were all very supportive of it.

How do you like to spend your time together?

Mary Kay: We like to go on walks. We like to help one another out. Last week he had a great deal of time because it had rained so much. Anything that needed to be done in my house, Scott did it in just a couple of days. Just ordinary everyday things. As long as we’re together, we enjoy doing it.

Scott: We like to watch movies, love to go out to dinner and have a glass of Merlot together. We love to talk and we spend a lot of time talking and we agree on a lot of the same things. That’s kind of nice. I think Mary Kay and I both understand that if we try and pretend we’re somebody we’re not there is no way that this will work. We have to be realistic.

Mary Kay: I told Scott, “What you see is what you get.” I’m not going to be anybody but myself right from the get-go and sometimes that comes with age. I just have to be myself. I don’t care what we do together as long as we can spend time together, even if it’s getting him caught up to make sure he has his shopping done for the next couple of weeks. It doesn’t matter to me because I’m just as happy helping him and I know he feels the same way.

Do you talk about the future?

Mary Kay: Sometimes. Scott has done it. It’s probably a little too soon. I’m a very cautious person.

Scott: We’re going to Las Vegas and getting married next week.  That was a joke!

Do you have any advice for people who might be considering joining The Right One?

Mary Kay: I think for women who want to save themselves a lot of grief and time, that it’s a really valuable service. In this day and age the screening and everything is pretty important.

Any advice from you, Scott?

Both of us lead very busy lives, as I’m sure a lot of people that would be part of your service do. Just meeting people that you have a lot in common with is pretty important. It can just lead to a lot of happier days rather than being frustrated.

Mary Kay: I think overall Scott and I are thrilled that we had the opportunity to meet.

The Right One ~ Maggie & Kevin

”He decided that we should go on a picnic, and it was just marvelous. It was out of this world.” - Maggie

Describe your dating life before you joined The Right One.

Maggie: It wasn't that interesting. I was dating someone online but I couldn't find anyone who lived close to me. I dated someone from another state but I didn't like that. He was far away and we didn't meet that often, so there was no way that we could get to know each other. In the meantime, I was also getting referrals from The Right One. The first one I called the gentleman said he was going to call and never did. Then the next one had never heard of me. So I didn't really have any luck until the third one.

Kevin: I was married 20 years before my wife passed. Being somewhat shy, trying to date again seemed very alien to me. I did have a couple of dates with one woman, and they were pleasant, but I might not have been ready to venture forward at that time.

What was your opinion of matchmakers and dating sites before you tried this service?

Maggie: There are so many people who lie. You don't know who you're talking too. There are some nice people out there, but I wasn't really happy with the online dating.

Kevin: I did not want to get involved with any Internet dating services as I felt that they couldn't be trusted.

What inspired you to try The Right One? How did you hear about them?

Maggie: I got a phone call from The Right One at home and that's how it started. Then I went in for an interview and I was getting the referrals, but I just went on one date. I think Kevin was the sixth one.

Kevin: When I received the phone solicitation, I became quite curious about the process in general. I wanted to experience something different.

How does The Right One's interview process work?

Maggie: The interview process works very well. You are asked so many questions. They made me feel that they are very serious when it comes to safety, and that not everyone can qualify. They check criminal backgrounds and all of the information that people are giving them - they actually do check it out. If I say I'm divorced, then I don't have to bring any paperwork; they check it out.

I really felt safe that the referrals that I would be getting were true and that whoever I would meet was actually being checked for a criminal background. No one is lying about status, single, divorced or widower, etc. I know this is true and that they're sending me a person who is not committed. On an Internet site though, you really don't know.

You want to meet someone who is safe, and even though I might have hesitated about the cost, I can understand that The Right One hires so many people to work as a group to make sure that they send the person who is actually checked out and who isn't a phony. I really liked that.

Kevin: I thought the process took a long time. I went through several questions at first, and I thought I had completed the questionnaire. Then a second layer of questions came. Overall impression was that the membership service was trying to get an accurate perception of me to use in the referral process.

How did you like working with the company?

Maggie: The person who interviewed me was a very nice person. I don't remember her name, but she was a lovely lady. She made me feel welcome and I really was impressed with the interview.

Kevin: I did enjoy working with the interviewer. She did make the process comfortable.

Who made the initial contact?

Maggie: Before I met Kevin, someone called me from The Right One and asked me what I was looking for, because Kevin didn't really fit into my criteria when it came to age. I think I listed my age preference as up to 45 and Kevin was 48. They told me that they had a pretty nice gentleman, an educated widower with 2 kids, but that he was a little bit older then what I was looking for. I figured that a few years isn't going to hurt me, especially since when I joined The Right One I was 38 and now I'm 40 something, so it didn't make a big difference. When I got his referral in the mail, I was kind of scared to call because of my experience when I called a few previous gentlemen, so I decided to wait and see if he would call. He did call me and we had a nice conversation, even though he probably didn't understand everything I was saying because my cell phone doesn't work that well. We had a nice conversation and we set up a date. The first time he called, we shared our schedule and calendar and set up a date to meet.

Describe your first date. How did it go?

Maggie: I'll tell you something funny. He asked me about my experience with The Right One and I told him what happened to me. I think it was the 3rd referral I got from The Right One, a gentleman called me and we talked and he suggested we trade photos. So that's what I did. I didn't know the rules and I gave him my email address and he sent some photos. Then I sent him some of mine and I never heard from him again. I didn't know and I made a mistake, but it was so funny, and I told this to Kevin. So I think he was scared to actually meet me. He was probably thinking "What am I getting myself into? If this gentleman saw her picture and never called her back, then what am I getting into?" But I think it was so funny. Now when we talk about it, we just laugh. When he met me he was thinking "I don't know what this guy was up to, but I'm glad I actually did go out on this date." I was being honest and I wanted to see if he was going to be brave enough to meet me.

Did you go to a restaurant?

Maggie: We went to Hamburger in Paradise. We met halfway and had a nice meal and a nice conversation. I really enjoyed the date. When we left the restaurant, he asked me if it would be okay if he called me again and I said yes. So he called the following week and we set up another date. We went to another restaurant and again we had such a nice conversation. Basically, he was a very nice gentleman; he treated me like a lady. It was a very nice conversation, nice meal, we talked about our lives and so it was a very pleasant date.

Then again we left the restaurant and he mentioned something that it would be nice if we went out again but he said that he was going to be very busy coaching. This was around Easter time and he said he was coaching basketball and that it would be a while until he called because he would be really busy. I think it took about three weeks. I sent in very nice feedback about Kevin but I didn't put my membership on hold. So The Right One decided to send me another referral but I wasn't really happy because I was still thinking about Kevin and that he was probably going to call me. I was kind of confused. I wasn't sure if he gave me bad feedback and that's why they had sent me another referral. I called The Right One and told her the situation. She said there was a miscommunication and that's why they had sent me another referral because I didn't put my membership on hold.

So I got scared and thought to myself, 'Okay I'm going to do something I've never done in my life. I'm going to call this guy; I'm going to call Kevin.' I don't really want to go on a date with this new referral.  I called Kevin and I was so nervous. I'm thinking 'Okay, what am I doing? At first I thought 'He's not going to pick up' and I'm thinking 'What kind of a message am I going to leave him?' Then he picked up and he sounded so happy that I called. So I knew right away that he didn't give me a bad referral because he sounded too happy. He was planning on calling me on the same day that I called him. I told him what happened; I was honest. I know you're busy but here is the situation, I got a new referral and I wasn't sure if you gave me bad feedback or were planning on meeting again. And he was like "Yes, of course I'm planning on meeting you again. Why don't you just tell this guy you're actually going to be meeting with me?" So that was a good sign and I thought 'Okay, he's really interested in me.'

We set up another date right away. I think I called him on probably Tuesday or Wednesday and we set up a date for Saturday. On our third date, we kind of were trying to see where the relationship could go, if there was going to be any chemistry between us, because we had never really checked that. So he decided that we should go on a picnic, and it was just marvelous. It was out of this world.

Kevin: I decided to suggest a location to eat where I had never been before. I figure at least I would experience something that I wanted to try even if the date didn't go well. This location was also about halfway between our homes. I wanted to make sure that neither one would have to travel too far. We had a good time, a lot of conversation.

What was your first impression of each other?

Maggie: I never really liked shorter guys and Kevin is on the short side. He's 5' 6" or 5' 7" and I really had an issue with that because my ex-husband was tall. Women sometimes get this crazy idea and a picture that this has to be it. I'm crazy about height. So I'm thinking gosh Kevin's got everything except height. It was an issue. I really like tall guys and Kevin has everything except he's not tall. But I never said that to him. He's the greatest guy on earth but that's why it's good to have an open mind. It is very important because sometimes you've got this ideal that you're looking for and you wind up missing so much. He's the best guy on earth.

Anyway, I was really trying to let it go and put this aside. Don't worry about the height and try to get to know him, of which I am really proud of myself, because it was hard to do. But I went through so much in my life, my ex was handsome and tall, but he was bipolar. So I'm thinking that I really have to look closely at this guy because he's a gentleman and I don't really want to just give this gentleman to another lady. So this is not an issue anymore for me. I'm kind of ashamed that it was an issue. It shouldn't have been but we have faults. It's not a problem anymore. He's the greatest guy on earth and I would never change him for another.

Kevin: I was a little nervous to meet Maggie as she mentioned to me that she sent a picture to a previous referral, but the person never responded back to meet with her. When I first saw her, I thought to myself that this guy must have been crazy. My intention through out the date was to keep focused on her eyes during our conversation. I was impressed with her strength as an individual.

What do your friends thing about how you two met?

Maggie: A lot of people are curious. "Oh really, I never heard of it. How does that work?" So they keep asking questions. I say to give me credit actually because I'm bilingual and I have an accent and I really was scared to join The Right One. When I was going for an interview, I asked, "What if they don't want me because I have an accent and some people might not understand me?" But they never made an issue of it. I was really worried about that, but a lot of people say "I really like your accent" but still sometimes I'm afraid to talk to a bigger group of people. Where now when I'm with Kevin, he makes me feel wonderful. He's a teacher and he never lectures me. He says he loves my accent and what I'm trying to say is for him my accent could have been an issue but he had an open mind.

Kevin: They have been curious about how we met. Once I tell them, many have started telling me of other individuals that they know that have gone through dating services. So my friends have been very supportive.

How would you describe your life together now?

Maggie: It's beautiful. It's just amazing. We spend so much time together and my kids love him. He's a very good man and he's got a kind heart. He cares about my kids, he cares about my feelings, and he's a wonderful person. Our kids met about two weeks ago. It was just so wonderful because both of our kids tried to be nice to each other. His girls were taking care of my kids so I could actually spend time alone with Kevin.  It was just wonderful and he's just such a wonderful man and a good father. He raised his daughters in such a nice way where I really would like my kids to be raised in that way too, where they really respect people and try to be nice. I really am proud of him and he went through so much in his life. He wife was sick, and one of the things that probably made me date this man was his story. When I heard about him and I didn't hear about it until we actually met. We didn't talk about it over the phone. When we met and we were in the restaurant I asked him if that would be okay if I asked him what happened to make him a widower. And he told me that his wife was sick, she had MS for 14 years and he actually took care of her for 14 years. I thought this was so wonderful. Where do you find a man like that who is going to take care of a sick wife and taking care of those two little children he had? This is not an issue for me and I'm actually happy that he treated this lady as he should have and he never left her and stayed with her until the end and that he was a good father and husband. That was one of the things that actually made me trust him because I had trust issues. I thought if I can't trust this man, I wouldn't be able to trust anybody.

Kevin: This has been the busiest summer I have ever had that I can remember. We are both very happy to be together. Maggie tells me that this is the happiest she has been in her life. I take this comment as the greatest complement I could ever receive as it makes me feel special that I can supply happiness to one's life. It gives you a sense of purpose.

You've been dating since March. Is it too soon to talk about the future?

Maggie: I know he's telling me that he's serious about me and I'm serious about him. We haven't talked about any wedding plans yet. We kind of touched on the subject. We're both Catholics and he's a widower and I'm a divorcee, so I won't be able to get married in a church and we actually talked about an annulment. So I think this is like a first step. But we don't have a date yet. I'm in no rush to really jump into marriage because I'm enjoying this dating time so much with him. But we're spending four out of seven days together, so almost like living together.

Kevin: We started out seeing each other about every other weekend to now I will come see her during the middle part of the week and every weekend.  At this point, we have talked about being life partners.

Do you have any advice for others who are searching for love using The Right One dating service?

Maggie: Oh, I would definitely tell them go for it! I found the right one, I actually found the right guy and I think The Right One did a wonderful job, and I really am grateful. There is no way our paths would have crossed otherwise. If he lived too far away from me, I lived far away from him and we didn't even, our paths were not even close. So if it weren't for The Right One, we wouldn't have ever met.

Pick up the phone and call and find out. I know he would have called but what if he hadn't called? Actually I was thinking about it and I was too proud to call and I've had this conversation in my head and something was telling me, okay so you don't want to call this guy and you're okay with another lady taking him and I'm like no, no, no I better call. You have to be patient because I almost gave up. I'm thinking I don't think I will find anybody. But then look, the 6th referral came and I'm thinking oh my God, I think this is it. So I was really happy that I was patient and really found Kevin and I want to thank you for that.

So you should probably put your pride aside and make the phone call and see what happens. Even if he doesn't pick up the phone or call, so what? I've dealt with this situation and a few guys didn't call me. So what? It's not the end of the world. Maybe I'm not good for him but I could be good for some other guy. So I would definitely tell other people that The Right One is doing a good job.

Kevin: I know that one can become discouraged through the dating process. I suggest to keep an open mind and let love come to you. Do not try to force or create a relationship. If it is meant to be, the relationship will develop as time goes on.

The Right One ~ Marli & Jeff

”We’ve tried a lot of things together. We just seem to have an awful lot in common.” - Marli

Marli, describe your dating life to me before you joined The Right One.

It was pretty non-existent. I had tried Match.com and eHarmony but it just wasn’t working at all. It was time to try something new.

What was your opinion of matchmakers & online dating sites before you tried The Right One?

I had some formed some friendships, but that was about it. I just went through an awful lot of questions. I guess I really contemplated on the questions and wondered if people were really answering them truthfully.

What inspired you to try The Right One?

I was contacted and I thought I’d go in and see what it was all about. It just blossomed from there.

How did you like working with them?

They were very friendly and sociable. They seemed to understand the difference in the dating world today and that people are just trying to find different avenues to meet. I think it’s probably different for each generation and some of the techniques that are used today, for example with online dating, are set up for a younger generation.

Did you like the interview process? Can you tell me how that works?

Yes, the interview process was good. I was answering an awful lot of questions but after that part of it was over, the person who interviewed me brought my personality out. I’m not really sure what they do with all of that, but somehow it seemed to work.

Tell me about meeting Jeff. Who made the initial contact?

I actually made the initial contact. I had been notified probably two weeks prior and was waiting for him to contact me, and I was kind of seeing another gentleman through The Right One, but I wasn’t that intrigued with him, mainly because he smoked. So I just called Jeff and wondered if he would like to get together for coffee, and he called me back and we made arrangements to meet that week.

How many men had you met through the service before you met Jeff?

Just two.

Describe your first date. What did you do? How did it go?

We met in an old market area in a downtown area of Omaha that has been refurbished. A lot of old buildings and a real neat place to just wander around and shop and stop for coffee, that type of thing. We went to this nice little place for coffee, and we talked for a couple of hours. Then he had to go, and so we parted company. That was about it for the first date, but we really got to know each other quite well in those two hours. We shared a lot of information.

What was your first impression of Jeff?

We met on the street corner, and I wasn’t quite sure what to think. He seemed like a bundle of energy, and yes, I was somewhat taken with him. He had a fast walk, and was very sociable and talkative, and that intrigued me.

What do your friends think about the way you two met?

They thought it was kind of neat. They were asking me about it and how it went, because they knew that I had not had much success in that avenue of my life. So they were thrilled.

How do you like to spend your time together?

We’ve tried a lot of things together. We’ve tried skeet shooting. He roller blades and I bike a bit so we got out to do that. We’ve gone to a couple of movies, gone out to eat. When the weather turns cooler we’ll probably start dancing. We just seem to have an awful lot in common.

Is it too soon to talk about the future?

Yes. In my mind, I could see being with him for quite a while. I think he thinks the same thing, but right now he’s in the process of dealing with a situation with his daughter as far as her health, and I think they need to get through that situation before he can really concentrate on something down the road. I think he’s anxious to move on with his life, and I think he thinks as highly of me as I do of him, so we’ll just see where it goes from there.

Do you have any advice for others searching for love via The Right One Dating service?

Don’t give up. It may not be the first person that you meet, but you just never know who is right around the corner.

The Right One ~ Kirsten & Jeff

”He proposed on the back porch of our house, where we’ll be living for the next 30 years. That was a really great way to do it.” - Kirsten

Kirsten, describe your dating life before you joined The Right One?
I had tried the bar scene. I used to go out with other single girlfriends and sometimes I’d meet people, but nothing would come of it. I didn’t really want to date anyone I worked with. I had also tried services like Match and eHarmony and I met some people that way, but again, nothing really long lasting.

What was your opinion of matchmakers & online dating sites before you tried The Right One?
I thought there wasn’t really much involvement in an individuals search for a partner. It’s kind of a meat market. It wasn’t based on any true compatibility. I like the Right One. It does weed out the people who aren’t serious or may not be ready to meet someone. It’s nice they did the background checks.

What inspired you to try The Right One?
I had just moved to Waltham and thought I would give it a try. I called them and went in for an interview a few days later. I was a little skeptical at first. The woman I met with was really professional and she came across very well, so I decided I would go for since because I tried every other possible option I could think of to find someone.

And your goal was marriage and children…
Yeah, that’s the thing. I was 28 or 29 when I signed up for it and I wanted marriage and children. I thought I would be proactive and take the first step. I just put myself out there. There were four people I met before Jeff and they were all nice people but we just didn’t feel the chemistry.

Tell me about meeting Jeff. What was your first impression of him?
When I first met him, I thought he was really easy to get along with, really easy to talk to. I didn’t feel nervous or self-conscious. He seemed like a very warm, smart, and friendly person. We had drinks at a place near my place, and it was really easy and comfortable.

What do your friends think about how you two met?
They think it’s great. I didn’t want to hide it from anyone. I work with someone who met her husband through a similar service.

Congratulations on getting engaged! Can you tell me about the proposal?
We had been looking at houses six months ago. At the time, Jeff had said: “You know, if we’re looking for houses, maybe we should look at rings.” One day he suggested that we have lunch on the back porch of our new house. I thought something was up. So we set up a picnic and relaxed on the back porch. Among the sandwiches and margaritas, it was there that he asked me. He proposed on the back porch of our house, where we’ll be living for the next 30 years. That was a really great way to do it.

When is the wedding?
It will be the fall around October of 2009. We want it to be a fall wedding with all the changing colors on the trees.

What are your future plans?
We both want kids at some point. We’re not rushing it, but it’s definitely something we want.

How can others searching for love via The Right One benefit from your experience?
I would say that it definitely worked for me. I would recommend this to other people who want to join. Try to be as specific as possible as to what kind of person you’re looking for. You have to be open. I felt a little bit discouraged when I didn’t immediately meet someone right away, but it’s amazing how your idea of who you think you’re compatible with can change. Deep down you might need something different then you originally thought. I definitely found that to be true.

The Right One ~ Lori & Ed

”I was anticipating a warm, caring, loving woman and I got that and a whole lot more. I was definitely impressed with her.”

Describe your dating life before you joined The Right One.
Lori: I used different dating sites like Match and Catholic Match. I would date friends of people, that sort of thing.

Ed: I spent a lot of time on Internet sites that weren’t giving me the type of person I was looking for. I eventually came to a point in my life where I wanted to settle down and try to build a new life again, which is why I went to The Right One.

What was your opinion of matchmakers & online dating sites before you tried The Right One?
Ed: I was finding myself meeting people who actually misrepresented themselves. But the way The Right One is designed, everything is legitimate and professional, and that’s why I went with it.

When did you find out that people misrepresented themselves when you were online dating?
Ed: The First date. They said they might be 5’ 7”, have blond hair, blue eyes and an hour glass figure, and then be the exact opposite, to put it lightly, which was disconcerting.

What inspired you to try The Right One?
Lori: I guess I was looking for a service that could provide me with quality people. I liked the fact that it was actually a real person who was picking these people, and that they did background checks.

Ed: I got divorced and wasn’t putting in much effort with dating on my own. The Right One provided the opportunity for me to have people “arrive” in my mailbox, people who, like me, were looking to write the next chapter in their lives.

How does the interview process work? How did you like working with The Right One?
Lori: The interview process was really intense. My interview took about three hours. I felt that she really got a good sense of who I am.

Ed: I agree with Lori that the interview was definitely very comprehensive. It definitely gave me the ability to put all of my red flags on the forefront so they knew what not to look for. And once the process started, the counselor who worked with me was very excited and supportive of me all the way through.

Describe your first date. What did you do? How did it go?
Ed: We spent the time talking and getting to know each other. It was very comfortable and easy to hold a conversation, to joke and laugh. I did want to show my polite, romantic and sweet side by making sure that she was there. I then I acknowledged her after she went inside by calling and telling her that she had left her car lights on. Since I was parked behind her, I would present her with a hello and flowers. That was my intention. But considering society today, however, it was more of a shock than a surprise for her. With quick wit and a smile we laughed it off and had a great time.

What was your first impression of each other?
Lori: He certainly surprised me. He was dressed in a suit with a pink rose, which was very sweet. I thought he was a true gentleman.

Ed: I was definitely impressed with her, and my first knee jerk reaction was “Don’t say or do anything stupid to ruin this.”

What do your friends think about how you two met?
Lori: My friends thought the service was a good idea. They were supportive and happy.

Ed: Their goal is to see me happy. Some of my friends were supportive, and some waited to see what would happen.

How about your life together now, what do you do for fun? Do you get to see each other often?
Lori: We’ve been dating for four months now. We go out or we’ll stay home and watch movies. We do a lot of things. We’re always together and we’re both teachers so we have the summers off, so that’s been helpful.

Do you talk about the future?
Lori: We do talk about the future. We’re planning a very, very big vacation next year to Disney with the kids.

Ed: We’re very casual. The kids get along well and we try to do things together. I have said before, when you’re a member of the Right One, it is instilled in your mind, if you feel that way, that the focus is to meet the next best thing that ever happened to you. When both parties hit it off, it should be understood that if you continue, you only have one goal. That goal is to write the next chapter, culminating in marriage. So when Lori and I hit it off, there was that small window to back out if you didn’t want to build that long relationship. We clearly closed that window and we are building a future that will last forever. We do have a very romantic trip planned, and yes, we’re definitely thinking about big trips for the future with the kids.

Do you have any advice for others searching for love using The Right One?
Lori: Don’t put too much pressure on the first meeting, and don’t think that in that first meeting that you’re going to find your husband or wife. Just be easygoing and let things happen.

Ed: Make sure that chapter one is completely closed before beginning the next chapter in your life.

The Right One - Jo & Keith B

”We’ve both been single and we both know how it feels to be alone, and what’s nice is we’re together and we’re going through the same things everyday. There’s somebody there who understands. That’s a really nice thing.”

Jo, how was your dating life before you joined The Right One?
I was divorced and doing the bar scene (and that didn’t work out). I had children to protect and I had found out a lot about myself through dating, and I really needed to meet someone who had some credentials, someone who shared the same views and ideas that I had.

What was your opinion of matchmakers & dating sites before you tried this service?
Probably the most typical… I didn't want to seem desperate. I didn’t want to post my information out there for people to see and I would go online and see different people that I knew and I just didn't want to put my information and picture out there. It just didn't feel comfortable.

What inspired you to try The Right One?
I got the mailer and I threw it away, and then I finally tried it. I decided to go ahead and do it because it felt like the last couple of men that I dated had made me feel that I was dating somebody that I didn’t want to be around. I didn’t want to waste my time. You know what? I didn’t even want to get married when I started dating. I was thinking that I was just going to have a good time and it ended up being more like self acknowledgment – like ‘You know what? I actually do want to be with somebody.’

At The Right One, I was asked where I saw myself in five years? Did I see myself married? And I didn’t think so. I didn’t ever want to get married. The interviewer would drop her pen and look at me. Just to share information, I used to frequent the bar scene quite a bit because I like to dance and I like to socialize and one night a guy I’d seen there was there all night and he came over to me and said ‘I see you here all the time. Do you mind if I sit with you?’ and I said ‘No problem.’ And we had a great time; we danced a couple of times. Later he walked me out to my car. I wasn’t interested in dating him. I don’t think he was with me either. But the next day I turned on my TV and he was on the news – his daughter had been murdered in their kitchen. Yeah? I was with that guy last night. Who am I meeting out here in the bar? I have children to protect. That incident started getting me really scared, and then another guy was calling me late one night, and I just started thinking that it was all just really unsafe. You know the old days when you give your name and number on a napkin? Those days are over. Now people are downloading you on a cell phone.

How did you like working with them?
I liked it. The whole thing was very interesting. The first date I went on, it just didn’t click for me, but the second date turned out to be my husband. Initially we just talked on the phone, as we were so busy with our own lives, we never got a chance to meet. The third guy I met, and I went on a date with him (and it was okay) but then I finally had contact with Keith and we met and ever since then we’ve been clicking really well. I had signed up for ten dates and I was planning on meeting all of them, but well, it just ended up that I just didn't want to after I met Keith. Like my, he’d only met one person before we met.

How does the interview process work?
I've told everybody I've met that this is the perfect thing to do. I mean I don’t know if it would work for them, but it worked for me and that’s my testimony. You feel safe and you’re not worried. You know that whomever you meet is looking for the same thing you are. You know, the funny thing is, is that when I got his information that says I’m Keith, I’m 35 years old, I’ve got two kids, I’m a single dad, I've got custody of my kids, I play guitar, I live in a small hick town in Nebraska - I’m thinking ‘Oh my God, he’s five years younger than I am, I don’t want two extra kids, I’ve got three already, I don’t like a hard rock and roll guy. I was also thinking “I don’t know how much money you spent, but lets together and get it done and over with. I’m sure you’re not the right one.’ And so I’m visualizing a ZZ top looking guy with sunglasses and a long beard. I had no idea what to expect. But we had so much fun talking on the phone.

Who made the initial contact?
We played phone tag with messages for a while, and Keith gave up on me for a week. He was busy, he’s a single dad, and I’m a single mom. And we decided to get together around July 4th but we were both busy, so the first free day that we had was July 9th, three years ago.

Describe your first date. How did it go?
For me, it was magical. Very magical. We went downtown to Old Market, which has a lot of shops and eating places, bars, brick sidewalks, horses, waterfalls. It’s whimsical and romantic. I told him that I’d be at Mr. Toads, a bar on the corner. And I was going to be outside, and he asked, “How will I recognize you?” and I said, “I’ll have a blue purse.” And I put it on top of the table. And he shared with me later that he drove by and he liked what he saw and he came back and parked and met me. He didn't tell me about that until after we were married.

What was your first impression of Keith?
Well, remember that I thought he was going to be like one of the guys from ZZ Top? I saw him and I asked “You’re Keith?” He had a very nice trimmed beard and he just seemed so… normal looking. <laughs>. We had a really good date; the conversation flowed. We talked for a while and then we took a walk through the park through the waterfall area, and strolled through art galleries and had a few drinks and went through the ice cream shop. We just went shopping, and at one point along the way, we were walking (and I’m short, I’m like 4’10” and a half and I wanted somebody who was six foot under and he’s 5’7 or 5’10) and I just grabbed his hand and we started holding hands. It was just a very perfect fit; it felt very natural. We talked about it later; he was surprised that I grabbed his hand. We were walking down the sidewalk like friends and we were holding hands. That is probably something that I've never done with anybody on a first date. Actually I was pretty tired, I was pretty worked up and nervous about the date all day, thinking that I wasn’t going to go and then I was thinking about getting my friends to go with me, maybe look from across the street, you know crazy thoughts, and then I finally calmed down and went on the date, and I relaxed when I met him because he’s just a very calming presence in my life. We just grabbed hands and we were very quiet, we were just together. Around 10pm, I told him that I was tired and that I should go home, so he walked me to my car. Later he told me that he didn't want it to end, but I was pretty tired and we didn't kiss on the first date. He said he had a really good time and I did too. We just gave a quick embrace and he waved good-bye to me. My daughter, who’s 19, later asked me what I thought and I thought ‘You know, it was nice, it was good, it was nice.’ But you know, the more we got to know each other, and within a month we were head over heels for each other. We were just in love. And we just hadn’t said the L word yet.  It was about a month later when he told me that he loved me, and I’m like ‘I love you, too!”

What do your friends think about how you two met?
Crazy, wild and very interested and wanting to know how this happened. Sometimes when acquaintances or strangers ask how we met, we just look at each other and we say “Mr. Toads.” I tell my close friends and co-workers that we met through a dating service called The Right One. My ex-husband even asked me how I met Keith, and when I told him, he said, “I don’t have that much money.” But its like, you know what? How much is your life worth to you?

Can you describe when you fell in love?
We were very comfortable with each other from the very beginning. It just was two or three days later that we met for a lunch date, and then we just started going out every weekend. He had a pretty good idea the very first night. We walked over to the park and we grabbed each other’s hands and he says he knew then. Like I said, it felt very comfortable. He gave me a Valentines’ bouquet and a card that read “Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetie, I love you. With each and every day I feel stronger in love with you and I wish everybody could be as happy as we are.” We truly are very happy. We haven’t even had an argument, and you know what?  With me having three kids and him with two kids, a blended family, two cats that he doesn’t particularly care for, and that says a lot, I always tease him and tell him that that the only thing that makes me mad is that I hadn’t met him earlier.

How did you introduce the blended families?
He works Monday through Saturday. He lived 25 miles away so we didn’t get to see each other every day, we’d only see each other on weekends, and every once in a while we’d see each other for five or ten minutes before he went home after work. We’d meet at a park or quickly meet for lunch. Our weekends were very special to us. I offered to meet his kids. We probably introduced the kids about a month and a half, two months later. Because we knew we had something. His oldest son still remembers the first day he met me. I wore a dress. I went to his house to meet his children first. I wouldn’t take him to my house because I’d had so many bad experiences with dating so we used to meet at the Wal-Mart <laughs> parking lot and then we’d go out. I was just being safe. There are a lot of issues around divorce and kids and trusting.  What makes it really special for us is that my ex-husband is also remarried and really happy in his relationship and I get along really well with his new wife. She’s done a wonderful job transitioning to step-mom, mom. It’s just all been really good.

You’re married now. How did Keith propose?
I have been married twice before. Once for three years to my college sweetheart, with whom I had my first kid. And once to Rob for twelve years and had two kids, and I had been divorced for three years. When I met Keith, I was not going to get married again. I had told Keith that I loved him, we could be together forever, but… why be married? That was my attitude. I didn’t need to be married to show that I love you more. He lived 25 miles away, remember, so we saw each other on weekends and I offered to take care of his kids on Saturday morning when he went to work, so at 7 o’clock in the morning he would drop off his two kids, and he’d go to work until noon or 1:30. When he got home, he’d be so tired that he’d take a nap and so during that time I got to know his kids. Our kids blended we’d do things together, we’d go out after his nap, and either my oldest daughter would baby-sit and we’d have our night out or we’d spend time with the kids. Then Sunday morning it evolved into him spending the night at my apartment and he’d say “I have to do laundry, go grocery shopping, get the kids ready for school the next day because they live far away, so after a whole, lets see… we met in on July 9th? So that whole year, in that summer, we thought enough of this weekend stuff, and we decided to start looking for a place to live together. We ended up buying a house and we decided the heck with being married, lets just move in together, so we bought a house that was perfect with enough bedrooms, enough of everything we needed. We moved in together and then he stopped talking about getting married, because when he was asking, I was wondering, ‘oh my God, how is that going to work? What are we going to do? Everything’s working so well right now, why throw in something different?’ So that was my attitude. And then after a while, after we moved in together, he didn’t say anything to me. Then I started to wonder, ‘Are we still getting married? Are you still interested?’ He just kind of held back.

So one day… we had been working hard and thinking about taking a vacation and I suggested Mexico or Florida, for a week, just to get away. We were on our way out, and we went upstairs to get our jackets, and he grabbed my hands and got down on his knees and said “Instead of going somewhere on vacation, why don’t we go somewhere on our honeymoon?” I’m like… Huh? That’s when the ring came out and I was totally shocked. He hadn’t been talking about marriage for a while so I had no idea. He’d gone shopping for a ring.

I’m sure it’s pretty.
It’s very pretty. I get compliments on it all the time. It’s not what I would have picked out for myself because it’s huge and gaudy, because that’s how he sees me.

He sees you as huge and gaudy? <laughing>
Well, he sees me as ‘This is what I deserve or this is what I need or this is what I want.’

What was the wedding like?
He had been married before in Vegas. I had done a church wedding and I had done an outdoor wedding, and with five kids, I said, you know, I really don’t want to do the whole wedding church thing. What we ended up doing was very simple. We went to Jamaica and got married on the ocean. Very beautiful. It turned out really nice. We survived the hurricane that came through, the tropical storm. We almost didn’t get married on the beach but the rain stopped and the sun came out just long enough to get us married, take pictures and cut the cake, and then afterwards it started pouring again, so it worked out great.

How would you describe your life together now?
He says it’s all soccer now. <laughing> We have four soccer practices, five or six a week, and four games on the weekend. Right now we’re just trying to be mom and dad to our kids and get them to school every day. We’ve both been single and we both know how it feels to be alone, and what’s nice is we’re together and we’re going through the same things everyday. There’s somebody there who understands. That’s a really nice thing.

Do you have any advice for others searching for love via The Right One Dating service?
Don’t give up hope. It worked out well for us. I’m not sure if I was even looking for marriage, like I said, so that was pretty special in and of itself. I got more than what I was looking for, and maybe deep inside, perhaps I wasn’t being honest with myself, but it’s been perfect. It’s been great.