Aug 2015 update: I'm currently "dating" someone (who lives less than 500 miles away from me). I'm choosing not to date anyone else at this time until I know what will become of that relationship. But if you feel particularly compelled to write me with clear intentions, I will likely respond to you anyway. :)

=================================

I'm a down-to-earth, LDS guy seeking a woman with whom I might form a genuine friendship that would naturally lead to a loving relationship. While I welcome friendships, I ultimately seek a companion for life and eternity. ;)

I'm confident that the following particular combination of traits (in no particular order) makes me unique among men:
* I'm joyfully Christian and politically conservative.
* I rarely watch TV, but I enjoy movies or stories about love, redemption, and sacrifice.
* I enjoy baking, and I LOVE the smell and taste of homemade bread -- cinnamon rolls especially!
* My favorite foods are all plant based. (I don't crave meat much, but I do like eggs and cheese.)
* I like my food piqant/spicy!
* I enjoy my job as a software engineer. It suits my analytical, curious, and creative nature.
* Cleanliness, organization, and order are important to me. (You'll find my shoes at the door.)
* I'm not really interested in guns, hunting, fishing, professional sports, or the latest fads/fashions.
* I enjoy understated activities, simple pleasures, and the "little things" in life.
* I enjoy being physically active. (e.g. walking, jogging, hiking, biking)
* I'm intellectually curious. (Science is cool!)
* I'm fascinated by artifacts from the past and the stories that accompany them.
* I'm very warm-natured, so I love cool/cold weather. (And it's a good excuse to cuddle.)
* I'm introverted by nature, but I enjoy the company of people.
* I tend towards being a homebody, but I don't always like to stay home.
* I find a minimalistic lifestyle appealing.
* I find plants as equally fascinating as animals. I like to garden and grow things.
* I learn best by repetition.
* I'm very visually-oriented. My best and favorite work professionally has been creating data visualizations. I love variegated sunrises or sunsets, the color orange, fractal images, and the contrast and interplay of light and shadows. And photography is phun!
* My musical tastes focus on types such as religious hymns, piano, Christmas (year-round), classical, orchestral, showtunes, and film/movie/video game soundtracks, but I also like some electronic, folk/traditional, jazz, gospel, rock and roll, big band, and a variety of other stuff. I'm sure my exact musical tastes are unique ONLY to me! :)

I'm definitely more introverted than extroverted, so I'd much prefer a few deep friendships to many superficial ones. I've been told I'm quiet and intense; I think there's truth to both. Though I may be perceived as being detached from or disinterested in others, the truth is that I am happiest when I'm doing things with others: working, serving, exercising, building or creating things, enjoying nature's beauties, learning or teaching, engaging in friendly banter or heartfelt discussions, playing games (board, video, other), cooking, doing something with music (listening, singing, whistling, playing), reading, finding creative solutions to problems or puzzles, being silly, etc. Good company makes any activity enjoyable!

What am I looking for in a companion? A long list of must-have's seems unwise and counterproductive, so I'll keep it simple:
We would share the practice of similar values, standards, and priorities so that a mutual sense of trust, respect, and admiration can and will flourish between us. In short we would share a similar orientation and heading. And we'd also share many other similar interests, aspirations, habits, tendencies, views, quirks, preferences, sense of adventure, sense of humor, etc. because these are a huge part of what keeps a relationship interesting.

I know that's really subjective, but I don't pretend to know exactly what type of woman will gravitate towards me. ...except that such a woman will undoubtedly find my attraction irresistible. =P

I feel I covered interests and hobbies pretty well in my introduction.

If you're considering writing me, please read what follows...

I've noticed that on this website most messages I receive tend to be of the short, "Hi! How are you doing?" variety. I appreciate the kindly gesture, but that doesn't tell me much about your intent for contacting me, so I will likely not reply unless I choose to ask you a question about why you decided to write.

Also, I find it interesting that I receive many messages from women who live very far away -- often in the Philippines. (Is this web site very popular there?) I won't completely rule out the possibility of a long-distance relationship, but because I have children, I'm not interested in pursuing a relationship with someone who lives on a different continent. Also, since I highly value communication, I'd strongly prefer that each of us speak English well (as I don't see myself picking up another language easily anytime soon).

If you choose to write me, please explain your intent. For example, if you're interested in pursuing a long-term relationship and you live more than 1000 miles away from me, please take a moment to address the concern I have about the distance between us. Otherwise, I'll likely assume you're sending a friendly message to me and don't have an interest in a possible relationship. Thanks! :)