Samantha came here with a clear purpose. “I know several people who have met their significant others through online dating,” she says, acknowledging her hope to follow in their footsteps. She tried other sites first, though, and Mr. Right didn’t immediately present himself. “I was trying to be patient,” Samantha notes. “I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight, but I hadn’t been having much luck. After trying other sites I heard good things about yours, so I decided to try it.”

Jamaal also came to us after trying out the other guys. “It was something new,” Jamaal says of our site. He signed up with the username “Jaye81” but didn’t bring high expectations to the table. “I wasn’t necessarily looking for love, but new experiences,” explains Jamaal.

Just a few weeks after joining us, these singles crossed paths. “I sent him a Flirt first,” remembers Samantha. “He was very good looking, and seemed straightforward and sweet. Honestly, I wasn’t sure he would respond, mainly because of our age difference.”

But Jamaal was impressed with what he found on Samantha’s profile, under the username “InkedGirl.” He says that “she seemed straightforward, spunky, and not about games.”

These two didn’t rush into anything. “We talked nearly every day for three months before I went to her city to meet her for the first time,” Jamaal recalls.

Samantha picks up the story there. “He came to my hometown for a four-day weekend, and I took him sightseeing. I already knew I would marry him one day!”

Jamaal didn’t hesitate to go see Samantha in person, even though this wasn’t the kind of thing he would normally do. “It was different than a normal first date,” he tells us. “Given the distance I traveled, and the fact that it wasn’t just one date, it was a long weekend.”

A long weekend together is a test for any new couple, and by all accounts these two passed that test with flying colors. Jamaal says that afterwards he was “very sure” they would see each other again. Samantha was even more certain there would be a return engagement. “I knew BEFORE our first date,” she laughs.

We asked them if there was anything they appreciate about each other that the profiles didn’t really convey. “How genuine he is,” Samantha answers quickly. “How much of a good man he is, how goodhearted and trustworthy.” And Jamaal is amazed by “how kind and willing she is to do little things for me, to show how much she cares.”

Interestingly, neither person would characterize the other as the “type” they thought they were looking for. “He’s not similar at all,” Samantha says. “I don’t really have a type,” admits Jamaal.

It wasn’t entirely smooth sailing for them at first, either. “The distance between us was an obstacle,” says Samantha. “As well as my family accepting me meeting someone online who lived 600 miles away!”

Moving that far to be with Samantha wasn’t an easy decision for Jamaal to make, he says, but she was sure worth it. “I am happier, and more comfortable [since meeting Samantha],” believes Jamaal.

Here is what the happy couple has to say to singles who are still looking for their “partner in crime.” Samantha advises us to “be patient, go on a lot of dates, and most definitely date people who aren’t your ‘type.’” It worked for her! Jamaal adds, “Each person’s experience is unique; don’t force it, just go with it.”

And don’t be afraid to relocate for the right person, if it’s feasible for you!