“If I had waited around for certain people to send me Icebreakers, I would have missed out big time.”

Brian and Jackie

Using Yahoo! Personals was the best decision of my life! The notion of online dating seemed novel and a bit awkward, but that feeling did not prevent me from trying it. If anything, it motivated me.

For the first couple of weeks I browsed profiles. This allowed me to get comfortable with the idea of online dating and find someone who could be compatible with me. I received many Icebreakers, but no one matched what I was looking for. Finally I decided I had to send Icebreakers to people who interested me, especially because I am a picky person when it comes to dating. I come from a very traditional household, so it was strange for me to be the initiator. But if I had waited around for certain people to send me Icebreakers, I would have missed out big time.

I sent Icebreakers to quite a few people to get the ball rolling; some people responded, which felt great, and some people didn't respond, which made me feel rejected. But those feelings drove the experience. Eventually the Icebreakers turned into emails and I found connections with different people.

After a month passed, some people were not responding as frequently as in the beginning, so I began to lose hope. Then I received an email from someone new. I had sent him an Icebreaker previously, but he didn't respond as quickly as other people. We emailed each other for awhile. Through our emails we realized we had a lot in common -- surfing, traveling, photography, and just being outside whether it was camping, hiking or exercising. Then we talked on the phone a few times. After a couple of weeks we decided it was time to meet.

We thought about where to meet for quite awhile and concluded that Starbucks was the perfect location -- a social, non-intimidating setting great for conversation and exemplary coffee.

We reached our decision to meet on a Sunday. The next Wednesday was to be the big day. Though Monday and Tuesday flew by, each day my nervousness increased. On more than one occasion I thought about calling him to cancel. Inevitably the day came and never have I felt so anxious. I didn't have a backup plan, so if the date went sour I would be doomed. I left my house half an hour before I was supposed to meet him-- plenty of time, but of course I hit traffic. My arms and legs began to rattle with fear of being late and making a bad first impression because no one hits traffic on the 15 South at 7:45 p.m. I called him to say I was going to be late due to traffic. That calmed me down until I pulled into a parking space and stepped out of my car.

Moments later I stood at Starbucks, glancing over the crowded outdoor tables for a face I had only seen on Yahoo! Personals. It took me less than a minute to spot him. Slowly I approached the table where he was sitting. He looked like the pictures he posted, which gave me a positive feeling. I couldn't have been more pleased. I smiled and said, "Hi, Brian?" He looked up and replied, "Jackie, nice to meet you. Would you like me to get you some coffee?" I didn't want him to buy coffee because I had no idea if I was going to see him again, so I said, "No, thank you" and bolted inside.

Standing in line to get coffee, my excitement began to replace my nervousness. I walked back to the table and we started a great conversation. I talked about my recent trip to Singapore, and Brian talked about his adventures while living in Honduras. Although we were in separate countries our activities were similar -- scuba diving and traveling to neighboring countries as much as possible. Also, a few political topics surfaced, but we had similar opinions. Suddenly it was 10:00 p.m. and we had to leave because Starbucks was closing for the night. As we parted, we agreed to meet again.

Now it is two years and three months later and our wedding is in June.

Success tips from Jackie

• Take the initiative. Send Icebreakers to people who interest you.
• First date: We met at a Starbucks in La Jolla.

Do you have a love story to share? Let us know!

Back to top

More Success Stories