John

John and I had been chatting on Tinder for a few weeks before meeting up at a pub near me. I texted him that I was en route but had to stop at the bank first, to which he responded "Good, it's your turn to buy drinks", so I knew he had a good sense of humour if nothing else.

John is 40 years old, tall (6 feet), divorced and has an 11 year old daughter. He has an interesting job as a prison guard at Kingston Penn and lives in Spencerville which is about 45 mins away. His daughter is in Kanata though, so he said he's "in town" usually 3-4 times a week. To be honest, when he first walked into the pub, I didn't recognize him at first. He looked a bit different from his photos, but in a good way! He said the same about me. He is definitely a good looking guy and looks like he's in great shape. I noticed right away that he has a pretty thick Newfoundland accent (where he's originally from). John seemed really interested in getting to know me and asked me lots of questions about myself - where do I work, what do I do for fun in my spare time, etc. We seem to have quite a bit in common and I like that he enjoys being active as well. He doesn't really know the Ottawa area very well so said he would love to go snowshoeing in Gatineau Park sometime. He loves to cook, travel and enjoys drinking wine.

It is also a good sign that he seems like a really good Dad to his daughter and has a good relationship with his ex, which must make things easier. I'm not 100% sure of the reason for the split or what the custody arrangement is like, but I think he sees his daughter on the weekends. His ex is a dancer and owns her own studio (of course I had to put my creeper skills to the test and search for her... she's gorgeous). I never thought I would date someone who is divorced or has a child, but I'm trying to keep an open mind, have fun and see where it goes.

His job is definitely a scary one, but he seems to be good at it and says it pays well. Still, it involves some shift work but he also gets quite a bit of time off. He was in the military before becoming a guard.

I am excited to show him the city - he said he'd get in touch with me after March Break!