I Don't Know Who Was More Surprised On Tom's Birthday
Tom, 29, was a member of more than one dating site, but he didn’t find someone until he dedicated himself to CatholicMatch exclusively for six months. On those other sites, he felt disheartened. “The thing I found most frustrating on the other dating sites I used was that there were men on there who were just looking to hook up. So when guys like me would try to start conversations, some of the women would be very guarded because they didn’t think that I was genuinely looking for a relationship.”
Engagement photo
Jenna, 30, also tried other dating sites. “While I met some wonderful men, I knew they weren’t who I was looking for. My sister, along with a co-worker of mine told me about CatholicMatch,” she recalls.
“I signed up for a three-month subscription, in May of 2015, and two days later I said ‘hi’ to Tom!”
Tom kept Jenna’s interest because he was good at keeping the conversation going, so there were many messages back and forth. She also appreciated that Tom was family-oriented and that they shared things in common. “We both have big families; we also share our Catholic faith, music, movies, and we both would do anything for our family and friends."
For Tom, it was Jenna’s photo that first piqued his interest. “To be honest, what attracted me to Jenna was her smile in her pictures; I love a girl with a beautiful smile. Then I read her profile and saw how much we had in common, and I was smitten.
When we started talking and texting, I fell in love with her sense of humor, her family orientation, the drive and pride she takes in her work, and the fact that she shared my Catholic beliefs was great."
A pre-date date
Proposal
For their first meeting, Tom and Jenna, who both live in Minnesota, met up at the lake in Winsted in the town where she manages a restaurant. They ended up talking non-stop for an hour. “Jenna had just gotten off of work, and I had been camping with my family nearby. I could tell she was very nervous, so I tried to put her at ease by cracking some jokes. She smiled and laughed at them, but it was hard for me to get a read on her or her feelings. So, I thought I would ask her out on an actual date, and to my delight, she said, ‘Yes!’”
She adds, “Our first date was at Jackie B’s in Montrose. I was exhausted from having finished the busiest weekend of the year at work, and he was exhausted from attending Winstock (a huge country music festival).”
“I brought her flowers, and I think that surprised her and maybe put her at ease a little bit,” he says. “Dinner went great, not only did I get her to smile and laugh, but we also had a great conversation too. Afterward, when I got in my car, I knew I was in trouble because I really liked her."
Jenna and Tom continued to see each other, but it required some compromise to make things work. The two lived forty-five minutes apart and worked opposite shifts, so this required them to be creative and to put the effort in keeping the relationship going. “Those things just make us appreciate our time together more,” Jenna explains.
And that time together blossomed into a beautiful friendship.
We each tried to surprise the other
Showing off the ring!
