Jamie

I liked that Jamie took the initiative to contact me. A lot can be said for that... I just did a quick check and I've contacted 8 dudes in the past few weeks on pof with zero responses! After a lot of texting back and forth, Jamie seemed really sweet and attentive.

Jamie is 6'1", 41 years old and separated from his wife (after 11 years of marriage), who has a teenage daughter from a previous relationship. Jamie basically helped raised the daughter and still wants to be a part of her life. I learned that his wife had cheated on him, multiple times. And yet, Jamie seemed to have a really positive outlook on life and felt like the right woman was out there for him somewhere and that he had a lot to offer to a relationship.

After about a week of chatting (including an actual phone call!), Jamie suggested we meet up on Sunday afternoon for a bike ride. What a great idea, I thought! All I've ever wanted is to find someone who wants to go for bike rides with me (seriously). It seems so simple, but it quite literally might be the best date idea ever. We met up at Dow's Lake and I spotted him right away. Immediately, I was a bit disappointed as I felt he looked quite different from some of the photos he had posted. I knew right away that I wasn't going to be interested/not physically attracted to him, but the great thing about a bike date is that at least I got my exercise in for the day! It was a beautiful day outside, so we rode side-by-side and chatted for about 1.5 hrs.

I felt like Jamie told me some sketchy stories that you probably shouldn't tell someone on a first date. One involved how he got fired from his previous job (he's in the car sales business). He talked about his ex-wife (although still refers to her as his 'wife') A LOT.  Due to the nature of his job (commission-based), he barely got any time off work and didn't exactly seem like a world traveler. It reminded me of my ex and his job...something I am now trying to avoid in a future partner! Jamie is a country boy and I'm a city girl. I also got the impression that he is looking for more of a friendship than a relationship. It must be hard to get back into the dating world after being married for 11 years!

After our bike ride, Jamie asked if I would like to go for a drink on the patio, but I said I needed to get going as I had a lot of errands to run (I lied). I'm trying to get better at not wasting my time (or his) if I don't feel a real connection with someone.