I had been on JDate and a few other dating sites for a few months with little to no success.  I had previously sent Renee a message a few months back but she did not have a membership at the time.  Some time had passed and I let my membership expire as nothing promising developed.

One day I logged on to see that I had a new message.  I realized it was Renee who messaged me and I remembered liking her profile so I renewed my membership just to talk to her.  Let me say that was the best decision I ever made.

We emailed back and forth for a few weeks before deciding to meet up at Dave and Buster’s for our first date.  As our meeting time got closer, the more nervous I became.  I was waiting for her and I remember seeing her walk in with a smile on her face and my first impression was that she was adorable.  I was even more amazed by how comfortable I immediately felt around her and sensed the same in return.  Within minutes we were both relaxed and talking as if we had known each other for years.  During the evening, we realized that we had grown up just blocks away from each other, went to same preschool and played little league at the same park.  The time seemed to just fly by.  Before we realized it, more than three hours had passed.

I remembered a tactic that my cousin’s husband used during their courtship. He would ask her out for the next date while still on the current date. So I decided to give this a try and asked Renee out on a second date while we were still on our first.  It worked.   At the conclusion of the evening as we walked to our cars, I wanted to give her a goodnight kiss.  However, I didn’t want to rush things so I opted for a hug.

On our third date, we went out to dinner and the comfort level had grown even deeper.  After dinner we drove to the driving range and as we got out of our cars, I decided to do something out of character. I raced over to Renee and kissed her for the first time just as she was getting her clubs out of her car.

It was the best first kiss of my life.  We both were left speechless.  By the expression on her face I could tell that she was happy as well.   Over the next few weeks we often had dates that would last well into the early morning.  We talked about everything from religion to politics to family.  There was never an awkward moment as we both enjoyed each other’s company.

As the relationship bloomed, so did our feelings for each other.  After about four to five months, I knew I was in love.  In April 2010, we took a trip for a week to Orlando to go to Disney World.  Neither one of us had ever been on a trip like that with a significant other.  I was hoping that we would not get sick of each other.

After spending that week together, I really started to feel like she was “The One” and I wanted to spend my life with her.   The best thing was that the feelings were mutual.  We got back from the trip and within the next few weeks started to look at rings.  Little did she know that I bought one shortly thereafter.

When I finally decided that I was ready to propose, I wanted to do something that she wouldn’t see coming and that she would remember forever.  We decided to go up to Niagara Falls for the evening and have a nice dinner.  I told her we were staying at a mid-level hotel chain.  Little did she know, I had made reservations to stay at a five-start luxury hotel with falls-view room.  

During dinner at a romantic restaurant, I surprised her by announcing that we were staying at that hotel (the restaurant was in the hotel we stayed at).  She was very happy with the surprise.  The next part of the plan was that we were going to walk down to the park right next to the falls as they light up at night.  I had also done research and knew that fireworks started at 10 p.m.  Ironically enough, as we were finishing our food, we overheard the waitress telling another couple about fireworks.  I played dumb and asked her about them.  She told us where they were and the time they started.  Renee and I agreed to check them out.

After dinner, we walked down to the park overlooking the falls around 9:30 p.m.  We found a nice spot with a good view and not too many people around.  My heart was racing as I knew this was it.  I just told her that I loved her and started my semi-prepared speech.  I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me; she said yes.  The look on her face and how happy she was were priceless and made it all worthwhile.

This was June 25, 2010.  Although we haven’t set a date, we are thinking sometime in 2012.  Renee and I look forward to spending our lives together.

Thank you JDate for helping us find happiness.

Joey and Renee
Williamsville, New York