How I met my husband: Online Dating Sites, Creeps, and Serial Dating Seniors

My husband and I met through an Online dating site.  Neither of us can remember what the name of the site was...it was 10 years ago and there weren't as many sites as there are now.  I think it might have been Match.com and he thinks it was something on Yahoo (I think they are one in the same).  It really doesn't matter at this point.  At that time online dating was not as popular as it is today.  Most of us using an internet dating site kept it to ourselves about how we seemed to meet such a variety of people to date. 

Lately I have been hearing about so many really bad match-ups from online dating sites.  My single daughter used a few different sites and never met anyone worthy of a second date, and some didn't even make it to the first date.  I wonder if there are more creeps using the sites today or just more people, therefore the odds are greater that you will meet more creeps.  I don't know.

Several of my single friends in their 60's and 70's use dating sites to Serial Date!  Have you heard of this?  Serial Dating is quite popular.  People go on dating sites to meet other potential dates...not to find potential relationships...just to date lots of people.   Serial dating insures that they will always have a date on Friday night, and Saturday, and Sunday...or any day of the week, if not every day of the week.  I thought only young men in their 20's were 'players' (I am stereotyping - based on my daughters dates over the past few years), but I guess Serial Dating is now popular with all age groups . 

One of our friends who is 66 years of age dates so many women that one time we were all going out to dinner as a group.  When his 'date' showed up at the restaurant we thought she was the woman he went on a date with the previous night.  She was tall, slim, artificially blonde...just like the woman we met the night before.  My husband said, "Hi Susan, so great to see you again!"  She gave him the strangest look but smiled and accepted the welcoming hug.  Her name was Patty! Oops!

Another of our single friends who is 74 years of age serial dates as well.  He is with a new woman every time we see him.  He recently told us he just got back from a week-long trip to California with a woman.  They rode out on his motorcycle and stayed in her condo on the beach.  Had a great time he said.  We thought, "Wow, a week together, this must be getting serious."  Then he said he had to get back because he had a date...with yet another woman!

I am so glad I am happily married...I would sure hate to meet one of these men as a potential date.  Mr Holly and I almost didn't meet at all.  We were both so disappointed with the way things had been going on the dating site.   He gave up and canceled his membership but they told him that his profile would remain live for the remaining three days left in the month.  I had been contacted by so many creeps that I was going to cancel my membership at the end of the month, but thought I would give this one last try...but this time "I" was going contact someone rather than letting them contact me.  So I searched through the potential men in my town and saw Mr Holly's profile.  His photo was a snapshot someone had taken of him sitting in a chair.  He looked un-posed and very casual.  He had a full beard and I LOVE facial hair.  He was a contractor and I LOVE men who work with their hands.  So I sent him an email. 

He almost didn't reply because he thought his membership was closed, and besides he was sick of online dating.  But his sister convinced him to give it one more chance.  We exchanged cell phone numbers and talked on the phone that night for 4-1/2 hours!  -thank goodness for unlimited minutes!  We met in person the next day and the connection was instant.  We went on a first date that lasted 7 days.  My adult daughters thought I had lost my mind.  They even hacked my email account to find out what I was up to.   I did call them on the 3rd day...boy did I get a butt chewing, LOL.

We've been together for 10 years and we can both honestly say we are still very much "in love".  We are thankful that online dating sites were available then...but SO thankful that we don't have to use them now.  How about you?  Have you tried online dating sites?  Did you meet your spouse (or significant other) through an online dating site?  Are you still looking for Mr or Mrs Right-for-me?

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