Showing posts with label online dating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online dating. Show all posts

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Fall into Love: Cecelia Dowdy's story


Finding Love Online
A Fall into Love story by Cecelia Dowdy

When I was in my thirties, I’d been hearing about online dating. One of my roommates had signed up for online dating so, I decided to give it a try. I set up a profile on Match.com. I met some interesting people on that site, but, I didn’t really click with any of them. When I received a response from a man named Christopher Toomer, I was intrigued. He literally lived down the street from me and we had a lot in common. We listened to the same kind of music and both of us also loved reading.

He gave me his phone number and I called him on the phone. We started talking about music, work, things that were interesting to us.

The conversation kind of paused when he said, “I’m totally blind.”

I said, “What?” I’d thought I’d misheard him.

He then explained that he’d been born blind. He even mentioned how he’d trained with a seeing eye dog one summer but never completed the training. The dog pooped on his shoes and he’d had to leave the training facility early because his mom had broken her hip and he was needed at home.

I was stunned. I honestly didn’t know if I wanted to date someone who was totally blind. But, he was independent, owned his own home, and he had a good job at the IRS as a computer programmer.

So, during our initial conversation, he told me he had to go because he was on his way to the grocery store. He said he was going to Safeway, right down the street from us. So, curious, I went to Safeway to observe him. After all, I could see him but he could not see me. He walked into the store, grinning, swinging his cane back and forth. One of the supermarket employees met him at the door. He gave her a list of groceries that he needed to purchase. So, she went to get the groceries while he sat down and patiently waited for her.

So, afterwards, I admitted about what I’d done, going to observe him without his knowing. After that, whenever we talked on the phone, our conversations would last for hours. The first time we went out, I went to pick him up in my car and we went to Starbucks.

We started seeing each other regularly after that. He’d come over to my place or I’d go over to his. I made him a dinner of fried fish and when we slow-danced to James Brown, that’s when I knew I was in love!

We got engaged about a year later. He took me out to dinner at a romantic restaurant called Paul’s. He asked me to marry him and I said, “Yes.”

Our wedding was perfect! Some of the wedding guests told us that ours was the best, most romantic wedding they’d ever attended. We uncaged a dozen doves into the air. The dancing, the food, the love…it was so wonderful – a day that I’ll always remember!

We’ve been married for fourteen years and we have a 12-year-old son. Our lives are full and complete! We are truly blessed!

~*~
Author Bio: 
Cecelia Dowdy has been an avid reader since she learned to string letters together to form words. 


While pursuing a business degree in college one of her professors tried to convince her to get an English degree since he felt she was a great writer. Years later, after receiving her B.S. in Finance, she took her former teacher's advice, and started pursuing her literary career. 

She loves to read, write, and bake delicious desserts during her spare time. She also loves visiting new places and listening to old tunes with her husband. Currently, she resides with her spouse and young son in Maryland.

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Blurb for Sweet Dreams (book) by Cecelia Dowdy: Misty Stewart found Christ shortly after the birth of her baby, causing her to make drastic changes in her life. Short-tempered and street-smart, she realizes being around her un-saved, dysfunctional family is draining her, so she feels the Lord wants her to distance herself from her relatives. She hopes this distance from her family will allow her to deepen her faith, making it possible for her to raise her two-year-old daughter, Jennifer, in a better environment. 


Struggling to raise her daughter alone, she bonds with her new neighbor, Sterling Richards. She’s drawn to kind-hearted Sterling, but wonders about the deep sadness that he harbors. Sterling has familial problems that run deep, and romance is the last thing on his mind.

Sterling Richards, a professional baker, is grieving over the recent death of his father/business partner. Since his father left him as the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy, his relationship with his identical twin brothers is strained. Why would his father fail to include his twin sons as part of the inheritance? He now struggles to mend the relationship with his brothers, struggling to run his father’s bakery alone.

Can Sterling and Misty find the courage to love one another?

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Connect with Cecelia:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdnovelist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeceliaDowdyAuthor/


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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

True Love Stories: God Sent Him A Map

Remember that pickup line where the guy tells the girl, "Babe, I'm lost. Can you give me directions to your heart?"

Pickup lines aside, did you know that God is in the matchmaking business? And that He can give you a map that leads you to your perfect match? 

Who knew that God would send directions to someone's heart for you? You're about to read a true love story of how God sent a certain man directions to a certain woman's heart!


Intrigued? Read on...

~*~
God Sent Him a Map
Susan J. Reinhardt's true love story

I'd been praying for a special guy to come along and sweep me off my feet. Not a lot was happening in that department. My friends and I would joke about my one date per year - usually a total disaster.

One day, I was reading in Proverbs where it says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing." Hmm, he was supposed to find me. I immediately prayed, "Lord, I know You promised I'd get married, but this guy hasn't found me. Could You send him a map?"

Not long after, my best friend called me and told me she'd heard about a new Internet dating site on a popular Christian radio program. They matched people on 29 categories unlike most of the other sites. I'd heard enough horror stories that I wasn't very receptive to the idea. "Oh yeah, that's a great way to meet an ax murderer."

But her words stuck. Maybe it was worth a shot. So, I filled out this humongous profile questionnaire, paid the fee, and waited. And waited. I received a few matches with long gaps in between. Most turned out to be non-princely frogs.

In 2002, the Lord began speaking to my heart about returning to Bible School. I couldn't fathom why since I'd already graduated from Bible School. It would require that I quit a well-paying job and put my life on hold for a year - or so I thought.

Finally, I yielded to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and applied to the school in upstate New York. As part of the commitment, I cancelled my membership in the Internet dating service. I guessed I had missed God on that one.

Two weeks later, I got an email from them: You have a match. Huh? I thought I cancelled the subscription. I talked to my best friend, and she shrugged it off. "Why not answer? It probably won't work out anyway."

David and I began communicating through the site and then by telephone. The fact that I was attending Bible School in a few months caught his attention and intrigued him. A devout Christian, he loved talking about the Word of God.

We met in person a few days after Christmas 2002. As we got into his car, he threw a number of maps into the backseat and apologized. "I'm known as the original map guy."

When he arrived home that night, he called me and asked if I wanted to pursue the relationship. I told him I'd like that very much. He then proceeded to say, "Good, because I'm going to marry you."

God sent him a map, and we were married a year later. 


~*~
Author bio: 
Susan J. Reinhardt's publishing credits include her novels, The Moses Conspiracy, The Christmas Wish, and The Scent of Fear, as well as devotionals, short articles, and contributions to anthologies. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. A widow, daughter, stepmom, and active church member, Susan resides in Pennsylvania. When not writing, she enjoys time with family and friends, reading, couponing, gardening, and finding small treasures in antique shops.

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Buy Susan's book The Moses Conspiracy:
Amazon.com, http://amzn.to/1vsoXHB

BarnesandNoble.com, http://bit.ly/1CYUlhu

Kobobooks.com, http://bit.ly/1F5DsRH

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Connect with Susan:

Blog - http://susanjreinhardt.blogspot.com