We met on October 23, 2010. Both of us had recently moved to Arizona. Eric moved for law school from Michigan, and I moved from Toronto for graduate school.

As a going-away present from my roommate and lifelong friend, she gifted me a subscription to JDate – she was convinced I would meet the love of my life in Arizona. I was a very hesitant JDate user. Coming from a vibrant Jewish city to the “wild west” was difficult. Eric sent me a very non-threatening email, saying he was interested in meeting more Jewish people his age. (JDate users – non-threatening and friendly was key!) After numerous forward courtship requests, I decided to give Eric a fighting chance as my first-ever JDate!

We quickly moved our relationship offline. Eric called me three days later for a date, and we drove out to Joe Farm House, a picnic restaurant. I have never in my life felt like I had a better conversation on a date. We connected instantly, but Eric waited three days to call between each date to make contact. His “by the book” dating technique ended in about a month, as we were inseparable, exploring our new city together.

On February 2, 2013 (after three years of dating), Eric and I drove up north to the snowy mountains of Flagstaff, Arizona. At this point I hadn’t seen snow in over two years. Being a former figure skater, I had missed the cold greatly. We went sledding and took a walk on a snow-covered trail. As the pines hovered above us, Eric tackled me into the snow and asked me to marry him. We celebrated at a quaint bed and breakfast covered in rose petals.

On February 23, 2014, we got married surrounded by family and friends in sunny Arizona. JDate helped us find each other and create a new community to call home. Being hesitant to leave a vibrant Jewish community, where Jewish young people surrounded me daily, I could never have guessed that I would find my Beshert in Arizona. Expanding my horizons allowed me to find this amazing fairytale. My advice is that you never really know where and when true love will find you – so leap into every opportunity you get!

Marina and Eric
Tempe, Arizona