Dear JDate,
David and I met thanks to JDate. My friend Deborah told me about JDate and encouraged me to join. I was at a point in my life where meeting someone was a priority to me, and I decided to be more proactive than ever before. I went on a number of dates with nice men, but was still looking when I received an email from David. I remember really liking the message and being impressed by David’s sentiment. Plus, we had something incredible in common: we both had diabetes.
Our first date (6/24/99) was a movie screening and dinner afterwards at Swinger’s. I had made it a practice to always meet my dates in public places, but when David suggested that I come to his condo and drive together to the screening, it seemed fine. I was a little nervous as I drove down Sunset Boulevard, but that feeling faded. I entered his condo and was promptly greeted by his dog, Satellite. I had always been afraid of dogs, but Satellite didn’t look too threatening. David asked me a lot of questions – I could tell he interviewed people regularly! We discovered that we both grew up in the Valley and even attended some of the same schools.
We had a casual second date – a yoga class and coffee. Our third date was memorable for a lot of reasons, but primarily because it affirmed that our relationship was more than platonic. I prepared a picnic dinner, which we enjoyed at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert ended with fireworks, and the evening concluded with our first kiss. To this day, we agree to disagree on our anniversary date. I say that our first date in June should mark our anniversary, and David sticks to the July date. So, we celebrate twice every year!
We moved into a home together in Encino in 2001 and were engaged in Italy in 2002. We decided to spend the day in Assisi; we made our way down to the Basilica of St. Francis – what a sight! It took my breath away. We found a spot on the cement in front of the church to feast on our daily lunch of fresh bread, pecorino cheese, tomatoes, water and fruit. A group of high school or college students nearby was singing Italian folk songs, and tourists were milling all around us. In my day bag, I discovered a card David had given me in New York (prior to Italy). I didn’t realize that I had been carrying it around, but David seized the moment and asked me to read the card aloud as he had “supposedly” forgotten what he wrote. I fell into the trap and recited his sweet words about our future together. When I finished, I looked down and saw a blue ring box on my knee. I opened the box, and the ring was absolutely incredible. David asked me to marry him, and I said something like, “Of course I will.” Unbeknownst to me, David had shown the ring to my parents and told them of his plans. We spent a few quiet, tearful moments together before approaching a tourist to take our picture as an engaged couple. We celebrated that night with a fantastic dinner in Siena and came back to the hotel to call our immediate family with the good news. Everyone is always so impressed when they hear where David proposed.
David has many great traits — he has an incredibly positive outlook on life. This has impressed me from the beginning and continues to impress me to this day. He focuses on the joys in life (no matter how simple they are), and how lucky he is to be on this earth. He wants to make sure that he lives each moment to the fullest. Many people aspire to live their life in the present, but David actually does it. He has a wonderful sense of humor. He has a gift of being able to make others laugh regardless of the time or place. He is an ambitious man; he uses his ambition to propel him in his career and life in general. David sets goals for himself, and it is his ambition that helps him to work toward and achieve these goals. Another admirable trait is David’s creativity. The artist in David comes out whether it’s a home improvement project, a story/article or thinking of a creative way to solve a problem.
We had a wonderful Italian-themed wedding in Santa Barbara in 2003, and welcomed our first child, Benjamin Robert, in 2005. A big thank you to JDate for bringing us together!
Devon & David
Encino, California