Dear 100hookup,

In June of 2005, Penni’s 100hookup profile caught Adam’s eye. After an email, a few IMs and one phone call, their first date was dinner at Pulse, near Rockefeller Center. Penni’s smile was everything Adam hoped it would be. “She had a really sweet look about her,” he says. “And I was just floored by her personality. I could tell she was a fiery one and a lot of fun.”

“We completely hit it off,” Penni remembers. “We could tell we had very similar personalities.”

The couple’s romance bloomed over the summer in the city. They became largely inseparable and did a lot of exploring and picnicking in Central Park, deepening their bond all the while. Almost a year after they met, Adam arranged a surprise weekend getaway to a picturesque Victorian chateau on Mohonk Mountain. They hiked a trail to a 110-step tower with a view of five or six states, depending on the weather.

At the summit, they were faced with one more challenge – a steep crevasse just three feet wide. The only way up was a narrow rope ladder. “It was called ‘The Lemon Squeeze,’” Adam remembers. “It was quite an appropriate name because one of the only items of warm clothing Penni brought was a yellow sweatshirt. She was a sweet little yellow lemon going through the Lemon Squeeze.”

Taking in the view, Penni was thirsty for Gatorade and needed a Power Bar. But when she asked, Adam reached into his back pocket and went down on one knee.

“I have something you’ll want instead,” he said, and opened a ring box for his future wife.

“We were on top of the world, all the way up, and I thought ‘what a reward!’” Penni says. “It was amazing.”

Adam and Penni were married in June 2007 at the Rockleigh Country Club, nestled in the heart of the historic town of Rockleigh, New Jersey.

Tips for other 100hookuprs:

“I think people need to be less critical of little things, like spelling errors,” Penni says. “Chill out! Would you be that reactionary with someone you met in a bar? To me, online dating is just like meeting someone in the office or a bar – relax, go for a beer, and see where it goes. We’re much more critical of people online.”

Adam observes that 100hookuprs often overdo it with their profile photos, “using pictures where they’re all done up to the nines, in makeup and all. Penni’s caught my eye because they were so natural. You could tell that was how she looked in reality…. And I used a variety of pictures reflecting different aspects of how I really look. It’s better to under-promise and over-deliver!”

Adam adds that men shouldn’t hesitate to meet the family of a girl they like. “They’ve seen all the decisions that didn’t work out for her, in terms of dates. I wasn’t afraid to get in front of the family and show them what kind of person I was. The fact that Penni’s family was a big fan of mine helped me a lot. They voted for me with Penni.”

In the end, Adam and Penni are overwhelmed with their good fortune. “I feel like I’m marrying up,” Adam says. “The fact that from day-one we’ve been perfect and inseparable is what shocks me the most.”

Penni feels blessed, but always knew her soul mate was out there. “I kind of always knew I’d find an Adam. I’m really glad that I found a number of good relationships on 100hookup and am friends with many of those people to this day…. But I knew someday I’d find someone really right for me!”

Penni & Adam
New York City, New York

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