About Me:
How do you just say that you're a nice, successful woman looking to share her life with her future soul mate? I guess that would do it. I'm A 35 year old, proud mom of a 15 year old boy, 13 year old girl and 7 year old boy. I'm past the breakup and excited to meet some good MEN here. Friendship is not at all out of the question. It's welcomed. My business isn't glamorous -- I own my own Web design firm -- but it is small, and I love the challenge of running my own company (also a stylist). I'm not married to my work, classic movies and the occasional fishing or hunting excursion (nothing like a little time alone to recharge your batteries). Things are different now, but I look forward to taking some chances and seeing who's out there.

About the One I'm Looking For:
I smile when I think of you. I walk down town and I want to buy you a something that you pointed out but would never get for yourself. You like my kids. You put up with my mom. (She means well; really, she does!) You fawn over me, cook me dinner, massage me before bed and have a highly developed sense of humor. I think it's cute when you snort as you laugh. You make fun of me when I can't leave the house without forgetting my cell phone. You act younger than you look because I like mature MEN who haven't forgotten what it's like to be a boy.

My Idea of a Perfect First Date:
It doesn't involve a chain restaurant, a roller coaster or a movie. It may involve eating, excitement or entertainment. It definitely involves me, you and a long, drawn-out moment where we don't want to say good night.

My Perception of an Ideal Relationship:
After a 13-year relationship, I may be rusty about this courting stuff, but I'm not jaded by divorce. It's even clearer to me that there's not just one person out there. And even if you get lucky and meet a winner, there's a mountain of work ahead, no matter what. It's knowing that the work is worth it, that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which redeems the institution of marriage. I'm not looking to jump into anything, but I'm a firm believer in chemistry and wouldn't turn my back on someone incredible just because I'm recently single. A perfect relationship is one in which the reality is not that far from your fantasy. As long as you have a realistic fantasy, you are bound to one day find your bliss.

What I've Learned from Past Relationships:
It's better to understand than to be understood. Laughter can save a relationship; lack of laughter can kill it. Having kids makes you a better person, but it will also complicate your marriage in ways impossible to understand from the outside. NASCAR will tear your heart out, but it's fun to have something outside yourself to root for together. Oysters or soup can actually be an aphrodisiac if served at the right time of night. And finally, this being-single thing isn't going to be nearly as bad as I thought it might be...