When I started on JDate in 2004, I shortly realized it was too soon after my last relationship. But since I’d already paid for 6 months of service, I figured I’d look at some of the other features the site had to offer until I was “ready” to get out there and date. I met some really interesting people through the message boards and the chat room, some of which are now amazing lifelong friends. They helped me embrace the dating process, and were great cheerleaders along the way. With their strength and guidance, I made sure to keep looking until I found “The One” for me. Friends asked me why I chose the username “Morpheus66,” and the reason was that the movie “The Matrix” had a character named “Morpheus” who spent his days searching for “The One.”

Once I was ready to meet the woman of my dreams, I decided to focus on my writing skills and make an amazing profile. I hoped it was fun, witty, sarcastic and above all, incredibly honest. Included was a list of ten things you need to know about me, a few of which were, “everyone loves grilled cheese” and “actions speak louder than words.” Mostly I wore my heart on my sleeve – the woman of my dreams would need to know who I was from the moment she saw my openness and honesty.

Well, after three years, I decided that I needed to just stop looking and let it happen – I felt I was just trying too hard. About a week later, I received a JDate email from a woman who lived just three miles away from me. We communicated a few times over JDate email and then by phone. Her profile was very generic, but she was a beautiful, striking woman and definitely someone I wanted to meet. Karie was only on JDate for about 30 days before she “found” me. Timing didn’t seem to be on our side, though. After a series of HUGE blunders on my part, Karie actually gave me more than one chance, which is a rare occurrence (as most of her friends would attest).

We finally met on Tuesday evening, August 28, 2007 (and I was actually early, which is a small feat for me as many of my friends know). I saw Karie drive up to the Westlake Village Inn in her gray 350Z with ME HANDFUL on her license plate, while I watched leaning against one of the pillars out front. I had a big smile on my face as that beautiful woman with long, brown hair, long legs and a great smile walked towards me. We sat down and had a few martinis as we learned about each other. But, the cocktail waitress who had just quit smoking was interrupting incessantly, so we left and took a walk by the lake around the back. We ended up standing on a staircase around back next to the lake and continued talking for a few more hours. I was instantly hooked – this striking, intelligent, beautiful woman had me mesmerized. Although my request to go grab coffee afterward was turned down, we somehow managed to spend every night together after that for a week, and have been together ever since. Karie and I got married in a beautiful Jewish ceremony at the very same place we met by the lake on May 15, 2010, and are looking forward to a lifetime of happiness together. I’ve finally found my Beshert – thanks JDate!

Some advice about dating on JDate:

Be honest in your profile. Tell people all about what you want, what you need and be true to your heart. If you’re allergic to cats, let them know. If you like to be lazy on Sundays, spell it out for them. Above all, use current pictures – it’s so refreshing to meet someone and see the exact person whose pictures were posted on their profile. Don’t be so quick to judge people only by their profile as everyone deserves a chance. Some people are better talkers than they are writers… my wife is one of them. Be patient because not everyone finds love immediately. It took me over three years, but only took my wife 30 days until we met each other. Use JDate’s other features, like the chat room and message boards… through those avenues I met amazing people who helped me through the ups and downs of dating, some of who are amazing and incredible lifelong friends.

Sincerely,

Mark & Karie
Thousand Oaks, California