Congratulations to Ray and Rachel from Pennsylvania!

Ray knew on his very first date with Rachel that he was falling in love with her. He sent us the most beautiful story about how they first connected and that first date, along with some wise words of advice for any singles out there looking for the one.

He writes:

“I truly hope this inspires someone who is seriously looking for a life partner. We all know the dating scene (at least I’ll assume so if your reading this) and how it can be a NIGHTMARE. At times it can feel hopeless, so much time and energy goes into learning about people just to be let down time and time again. When I liked the profile and messages of my now girlfriend for the first time, I had ZERO expectations. Matter of fact it was approximately 3 weeks after she read my first message before she even responded, so needless to say I figured I’d never hear from her, which isn’t unusual with online dating. No harm, no foul, cool. But then she messaged me and we started talking. A few weeks’ messages went back and forth, we exchanged numbers and had our first phone call. It went really well and immediately I felt like we could relate on such a deep level.

I finally talked her into going out on a date with me, but she made me work for it and wait. I had just got done dating someone who played the waiting game with me and I almost quit talking to this “new” interest. However, my previous experiences from meeting and talking with women on Zoosk allowed me to learn that just because a conversation doesn’t “feel” like this person is worth it, doesn’t mean they aren’t. I’ve made some really good connections actually on Zoosk, but none were it for me. So I figured, I’ll give it a chance. We met at a fun place that has games, bowling, pool, pizza, drinks, somewhere where there was no stress and we could laugh and see how we operated together. We ate dinner there first and the waitress seemed a bit disgusted because each time she would come to take our order, we were so lost in conversation already we lost sight of food.

As we talked and got to know each other, the food finally came, and I asked if she would like to pray with me, she nearly teared up in joy as it turns out we’re both practicing Christians. By the time we were done with dinner I had completely fell in love with this amazing, beautiful, DEEP woman. Now I know what most of you might think, “yea, yea, you were just lusting over her, too good to be true,” etc… Believe me I told myself how crazy it was because I’ve lived enough to know that doesn’t just happen and those feelings “take time” to build. Yes they do take time to grow and build on, most certainly, but it was as if this beautiful love was already there just waiting for us to acknowledge it. I actually met her with a single rose and a single sunflower (her favorite flower is the sunflower and mine is the rose, it represented a part of each of us) also a home made card with a poem in it. The poem read: “Yay! This is our first date, and I hope it goes great! Your personality has put me in a nice state, and who knows might even be a mate? So let’s not wait, because your time and effort I truly appreciate! Also, you look great! How would I know beforehand you may think? Oh dear don’t be silly, I knew when I’d see you I’d never even want to blink! So let’s go and have a good time, and who knows, we may find something divine!”

I felt compelled to do these things for her because as an artist that she is I knew she would have an appreciation for such a gesture. I believe she was really blown away as no one has ever done that for her before she exclaimed! By dinner’s end I knew I had completely fallen in love with this beautiful woman, not just her, but her soul, who she was, the looks were just a bonus, but what’s really important is the chemistry and what type of person someone is inside.

We played some games and had a BLAST, we were there until about closing time. Out in the parking lot we shared a kiss before saying goodbye and it felt different. We both knew we would be seeing each other again, very soon, and we did. Although it was scary, it felt so natural, where we could sit in silence from the beginning and nothing needed to be said, we just knew. Might I add we are both empaths as well, so that made our relationship even more beautiful. We were closing places down everywhere we went for a date. On our third or fourth date I couldn’t hold back anymore and told her how I felt; the feelings were mutual and it was such a happy time (still is!). Our families quickly accepted each other and we all get along amazing, we now live together, and are building something far more beautiful than either of us could have ever imagined. We have plans on getting married in the future. We are truly blessed, our communication is amazing and our love and support for each other has been unwavering.

It now makes sense why we had to go through all those “duds” and heartbreaks, it prepared us for each other, so if you are frustrated with dating, don’t give up, think of what you do want instead of what you don’t, and remember each date is a step closer to the love of your life! Thank you Zoosk for allowing me to share the start of our amazing life journey with all. I truly hope this inspires someone and to know, it is possible to find your match. Just like any goal, DON’T GIVE UP, KEEP GOING UNTIL YOU REACH IT AND BY LAW IT WILL COME!!!”

We are so happy we were able to help you two find one another! We wish you all the best for your future together.

Are you ready to start your own love story? Sign up here today! If you’ve already met the one using Zoosk and want to share your story, you can share the details here.