Even though our first date was at a hibachi restaurant which literally made the date hot and steamy, it was really behind the flames of the grill where our romance started to simmer. Things were going so well that after dinner we set up shop in a cozy coffee house and talked into the wee hours of the night. Speaking of Wii, during our first date, she had mentioned that she was a huge fan of the original Mario games and that her birthday was coming up in about a week. Well, I couldn’t resist the chance to show her how special I thought she was and ordered her a Nintendo along with all the Mario games for her birthday. As she has told me several times since then, that sealed the deal.

While there were considerable obstacles in our paths, the chemistry we had was enough to plow right through them. For starters, I was working as a consultant at the time and spent my weeks onsite about three hours away.

However, the gravity of our relationship made a change in my situation irresistible. After a job change and feeling less like a nomad, we became an official item at my sister’s wedding. Ironically, it was a JDate wedding.

My sister has been married happily for years now with a caring husband and a wonderful little boy. You might be wondering at this point, what are the chances of two couples in an immediate family being set up through JDate? Well let me just blow your mind with this: My mother is also happily married with someone she met on JDate. Amazed? Well yeah, so are we…

Moving back to the main storyline, Danielle and I have been together for four years and have shared so many amazing experiences. We both deeply enjoy traveling and being active, so we’ve played on co-ed soccer and softball teams together and trekked all over Israel and Puerto Rico hiking, biking and kayaking at every opportunity. Sounds nice, huh? Well that’s just the tip of the iceberg! We’ve also road-tripped down the California coast and cruised the Caribbean. Perhaps best of all, was our most recent trip to Europe where we spent nearly two weeks between Paris and Prague. However, it’s not so much the places that we’ve been that are really special, but the way in which anywhere we are seems to be the safest, happiest and most magical place in the world because of our bond.

With all this said, it’s probably not very surprising when I tell you that we are getting ready to be married. We have an extremely loving relationship and are growing stronger both as a couple and individuals every day. Neither of us can imagine life without the other.

Danielle and Michael
Fairfax, Virginia