Always Where You Least Expect

When people would say they found their girlfriend or spouse online, I used to think that was a bit strange.  How could somebody find their perfect match on a website?  It was a few weeks ago that my opinion was completely turned around and I understood completely how possible it was.

Ever since my last relationship broke off a couple of years ago, I had been taking it slow, going on dates here and there.  But although the girls I would date were really nice, I just didn't hit it off with them and the relationships didn't seem to progress.  Then, one day, my sister felt inspired to have me sign up for LDSSingles.com, an LDS dating website.

Because Steph felt so strongly about having me sign up, I created a profile, added a small bio, and threw about ten pictures on there from my Facebook page.  I completed all of the surveys and started looking at the different profiles, but I really didn't have any hope that I would find someone on that website.  That is, until I received a message from a profile with this picture:

I was really intrigued.  Not only was I blown away by how cute the girl in the picture was, I was also surprised that she would send me a message instead of just a flirt (basically sending an emoticon to someone with nothing else).  First, this meant that if she was able to send me a message that she was paying for membership on the website, and second, it meant that she was interested enough in knowing me that she was willing to make the first move and contact me.

I was determined to meet this mystery girl, and decided then and there to find my wallet in order to fully subscribe to the website.  It was torture waiting the two hours for the website to activate the membership before I could respond back.

We started sending each other messages on a regular basis, and the messages themselves got longer and longer.  Even in digital form, we were really able to get to know each other, and it was remarkable how much we had in common.  It seems like every email revealed more similarities between us, whether they were interests and hobbies, or even the fact that we are both left-handed.  I began to look forward to each moment that I would be alerted of a new message waiting for me in my inbox.

The time finally came when we were able to meet up and go on our first date.  I was pretty nervous, but at the same time extremely excited.  I had planned to take her to dinner and then, if things were going well, to maybe get some dessert somewhere as well.  I rang her doorbell and, although I was expecting as much, was shocked when the beautiful girl from the photos, Whitney Day, answered the door.  She was breathtakingly gorgeous and her smile lit up the neighborhood.  I knew then and there that a special night was in store.

We went to Brick Oven in Provo for dinner, where we became so engrossed in conversation that we stayed there for over three hours just talking and getting to know each other.  With each topic, we discovered just how alike we really were and that our standards, beliefs, hopes, dreams, and future plans lined up perfectly.  It was as if I had known her for years, as opposed to days.  This did not feel like a normal first date for me.  Instead of emotionally preparing an exit for myself so as not to get too attached and open myself up for getting hurt, I found myself wondering even while we were together when I would get to see her again.

After we left the restaurant, we decided to go to Macey's in Provo to get some ice cream, and while eating our dessert we were once again amazed at how similar we were in everything we talked about.  It was so surreal to me that someone so beautiful and so amazing could still be single, and that she was interested in spending time with me.

After ice cream we reluctantly decided that it was time to head back to her house and call it a night, as I was leaving on a motorcycle trip the following morning and still hadn't packed.  As we drove back to her house, my mind was racing, wondering how I could ever convince a girl that perfect to want to do something again with me.  I had been hurt in the past in past relationships and it was difficult to come out of that comfort zone again, and I didn't know how to proceed.  I could tell already that I liked her and really wanted to get to know her.

We sat in my car for a little while, talking and playing each other our favorite songs on our iPods.  It was there that I opened up and told her plainly how much I enjoyed the time that we spent together and how grateful I was that she messaged me on that website so that we could have the chance to get to know each other better.  I expressed to her how amazed I was that we had so much in common, and that I really wanted to see her again, to which she readily agreed.

We got out of the car and I began walking her to the door.  We gave each other a hug, and then I did something that was as much a surprise to me as it was to her:  I bent down and gave her a kiss.  I had never kissed anyone on a first date before, but there was something about Whitney and how special she was that drew me in and it just felt like the perfect way to leave her with no doubt about how I felt about her.

Dazed but elated, I said my goodbyes and went back home, truly on cloud nine from the amazing experience that I just had with such an amazing girl.

I left for my motorcycle trip with my cousin and my friend down to Bryce Canyon and during the long hours on the highways, I found my mind constantly drifting back to her, to the wonderful night we shared together the previous day, and how much I already missed being with her.  Throughout the trip we would text each other as much as possible, and it was torturous whenever I would enter an area that had no cell reception.

After returning home from my trip, we quickly made several plans to be with each other again that week.  We spent time watching movies, going to dinner, watching the stars together, and we even got to drive up to Brigham City together to go through the Brigham City Utah Temple open house, which was a wonderful night.  I loved being able to spend so much time with her, having very meaningful conversations and feeling completely at ease and able to be myself around her.

That Friday we had the chance to see a theatrical production of Wait Until Dark in Provo, which was very exciting.  It was also our one-week anniversary of knowing each other beyond emailing back and forth, and Whitney surprised me that night with a CD that she made for me with several songs that reminded her of us, which she organized in order of how our relationship had progressed.  It was so sweet, and the album has scarcely left the CD tray of my car since that time.

But the fun didn't stop there.  The very next day I was invited by her family to accompany them and her to a BYU game in Provo, which was extremely fun.  I hadn't been to a live BYU football game for at least ten years, and it was very nostalgic to enter the stadium again.  But this time I got to enter the stadium hand-in-hand with a very pretty girl, which made it that much better.

The adventures have been never-ending.  Since that week, we have never missed a chance to see each other, spending time with each other every single day, rain or shine, even when we have been exhausted from work.  We have done so much together, and even something as simple as going shopping at the mall has been incredibly fun for me because it means that I get to spend more time with her.

It hasn't been too long that we've known each other in conventional terms, but as I mentioned before, I feel as if I have known her my entire life.  She is the most wonderful girl I have met in my life, and can easily say that she owns the key to my heart and that I love her more than life itself.  With each passing day she grows more beautiful and I see more and more examples of just what an incredible person she is.  It is my ever-present goal to make sure that I am always deserving of her love, and I am willing to do everything I can to make sure that she is happy.

It still shocks me that I could meet the love of my life from an online dating website.  It just sounds bizarre.  But I am so glad that I was able to sign up for that website and have the amazing opportunity to meet Whitney, who has made me happier than I can remember.  I can't wait to see what the future holds in store for us, and I know that there are many, many more adventures to come.