Dear JDate,

cont-mt-shari-michaelIn the summer of 2001, I moved to the Washington, DC area from Buffalo, NY to work as a summer legal intern with a federal agency. I knew very few people in DC so I tended to hang out with the same crowd of people night after night. After several unsuccessful attempts at dating within the clique, I turned to JDate.com to solve my dating woes.

Since I was only going to be in DC for the summer and because response time with respect to online dating can be prolonged, I promised myself that I would only choose one woman to contact. I narrowed it down to two redheads with blue eyes who both happened to be named Shari. Although they both seemed to be compatible with me, it came down to the fact that my fiancée has an absolutely beautiful smile. I sent her an email and awaited her reply.

Shari (the one with the beautiful smile) decided to wait two weeks before responding to my email. I had just about given up hope when I finally heard from her. After emailing several times, we exchanged phone numbers and decided that we would meet for drinks. Drinks led to food, and food later led to coffee and dessert. We spent hours talking, and I knew the moment she left my presence that I wanted to see her again…and soon. We spoke the day after and made another date. The summer flew by and we were inseparable for a little over a month. When it was time for me to return for my third year of law school in Buffalo, we decided that we would attempt to have a long-distance relationship.

Thank G-d for Southwest Airlines. It cost only about $80 roundtrip between the Baltimore and Buffalo airports. Shari and I were able to see each other on average about twice a month, sometimes more, rarely less. By the end of 2001, we decided that we wanted to live together the following year. And when graduation rolled around, we decided that I would move down to DC and find a job in the capital. I took the New York State Bar Exam (and subsequently, passed), moved out of Buffalo, and we moved into a one-bedroom English basement apartment in Capital Hill. Unbeknownst to Shari, however, prior to moving down to DC, I made a stop at my hometown (near Poughkeepsie, NY) and purchased an engagement ring.

After an agonizing month of looking for a job, I found a position with the Department of Labor. Once I was employed, I knew it was time for me to pop the proverbial question. About a month later (due to conditions beyond our control), Shari returned from a weeklong business trip. I greeted her with a dozen of her favorite roses and took her out to a restaurant she had wanted to try. When we got back to the apartment, Shari went to the kitchen to place the flowers in water. Coincidentally, she had brought me back a present from her trip. I decided to bring Shari her “present.” I got down on one knee in our tiny kitchen and asked her to continue making me the happiest man in the world for the rest of our lives. Frankly, she was stunned. But not so stunned that she didn’t say, “Yes!” She cried. We embraced and kissed. It was the happiest moment of our lives.

Shari and I plan on getting married on May 9, 2004 in Annapolis. Thank you for helping us find each other. We couldn’t be happier!

Shari & Michael
Washington D.C.

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