By Emily Zimmer | Anthologie
Even before Candi met Dave, his voice gave her a sense of peace.
In the fall of 2011, Candi and Dave started communicating through the online dating site, OKCupid. Candi, a project manager, had been on the website for a year and had gone on some less-than-stellar dates. When she stumbled upon Dave’s profile, she was hopeful because his pictures suggested he shared her sense of adventure.
“I was about to throw in the towel,” Candi said. "I had gone on a bunch of bad dates and I thought: 'okay, I'll give one more profile a try' ... and then I saw Dave's profile."
Some of Dave’s profile pictures showed Dave, a pilot, on a camping trip up North with some friends. A lover of travel and all things outdoors, after seeing his captivating photos, Candi thought she had a good feeling about Dave, so she messaged him.
Dave said he felt the same thing when he saw Candi’s profile. One of her profile pictures was from a trip to Seattle and she was enjoying a beer. Dave thought that they may have a love of travel in common and the fact that she was having a beer was a bonus.
Due to both Dave and Candi’s hectic schedules keeping them from meeting up, they agreed to exchange phone numbers. The first voicemail came in from Dave, who was passing through Atlanta between flights.
“After hearing the destinations planned for Dave’s work day, I remember feeling a sense of relief and immediate trust,” Candi said.
On Oct. 30, 2011, Candi and Dave had their first “real date." They met at Zantigo Mexican Restaurant in Bloomington. Over lunch, Candi and Dave started to get to know one another.
“We ended up sitting there for four hours talking,” Dave recalled.
They talked about travel, work, families, and their mutual love for the outdoors. Their chemistry was strong and they enjoyed each other’s company for the afternoon.
“Now when we go back on occasion we sit in our same booth, if it’s not taken, and stare people down if it is,” Candi quipped
While they met online, Candi and Dave discovered that they lived only a mile and a half from one another.
“We had been in the same proximity for eight years or so … and we probably would have never crossed paths otherwise,” said Dave.
For their second date, Candi and Dave went for a run in their neighborhood. Candi said living near one another made it easy to keep meeting. Considering they are both busy professionals that part came as a surprise. Candi said they simply enjoyed doing things together and made it a priority to do so.
“It was so easy,” said Candi of making time for one another.
The December after they met, Candi and Dave went on a winter camping trip to Wild River State Park. It was an opportunity to spend quality time together. Although they had been dating only a few weeks, Candi said it felt natural. That first trip would lead to many others.
Travel is an integral part of their relationship. Both travel for work and enjoy seeing new places. If they have a fault when it comes to travel, Candi said it’s trying to pack in too much.
“We just want to see everything we can,” said Candi.
Traveling together had provided the couple a tight bond. They share stories from cities all over the United States, including Denver, Chicago, and more. In fact, the centerpieces at their wedding represent each of the cities the couple has traveled to together.
“We just work well together when we travel,” Candi said.
Candi said Dave also provides a level head on their travels, which comes in handy, especially when things don’t go as planned. Such as when Candi’s car overheated on the side of I-29 outside of Sioux Falls.
“Dave’s the calm in my storm,” she said.
On the other side, Dave said Candi challenges him to be more adventurous and outgoing.
“She’s fun to be with and always opens my eyes to new things,” Dave said.
