I want to retire from dating. Don't get me wrong - I love the butterflies and anticipation that come in the first few dates - Will he be as cute as his picture? Does he like me? Oooh, is he going to kiss me? Good stuff. :)

But the thing is, I don't want just the first few chapters - I want the ever after. I want someone who is like the Allegro movement of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik or my favorite foufy drink at Starbucks - because no matter how many times I hear/taste them, they instantly make me happy. I want to be with someone who makes me light up just because he walked in the room.

So what do I have to offer? Glad you asked:
1. 100% of my friends think I would be an awesome girlfriend because I'm loyal, caring and quick with a one liner.
2. I will notice your favorite beverages/snacks and keep the kitchen stocked accordingly. :)
3. I will always be on your side and look for the best in you even when we disagree.
4. I'm always looking for new things to try so when you say, "What do you want to do tonight?" I won't just say, "Whatever you want to do." I'm a girl with ideas!! But I'm also laidback and can go with the flow and enjoy whatever activity you want to do too.
5. Well some things you're just going to have to find out for yourself...

One of the big passions of my life is my career. I'm a school psychologist at two different buildings so I work with students in grades pre-k through 6. Every day is different because every student's needs are different so I enjoy the myriad challenges that greet me each day. I'm a huge nerd when it comes to anything relating to psychology or sociology so be prepared to occasionally hear me gush over the results of some new study that indicates things like the biological reasons why some songs become huge hits and others flop.

Enjoying the simple pleasures in life like sleeping late on the weekends, or getting an ice cream cone and going for a walk on a sunny day.

Everyone says my smile. I'm usually smiling or laughing about something (unless it's wildly inappropriate, of course). I'm a glass half full person and I try to see the humor in situations rather than let things get me down.

Books - I enjoy reading just about anything but my favorite books are often historical fiction. I love returning to the classics too, and I've lost count of the number of times I've read Wuthering Heights, Pride & Prejudice and others.

Movies - I don't watch a lot of movies but I tend to skew towards comedies or action movies when I do (The Hangover, Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man).

Shows - I don't watch a ton of TV but I do like Seinfeld, Big Bang Theory and the Voice. Currently I'm hooked on Restaurant Stakeout and Mystery Diners. For some reason seeing all those rowdy restaurant workers cracks me up.

Music - Such a broad category. I guess I'll just say I love everyone from Norah Jones to Lady Gaga to Pavarotti. I'm definitely getting more and more into opera. I saw La Boheme and Rigoletto last year and have tickets to four performances at the Lyric this coming season too. One of my favorite ways to spend a summer evening is to head down to Millennium Park with a picnic and a bottle of wine and enjoy a concert by the orchestra.

Food - I'm vegetarian but I can and do enjoy all different types of food (I know some people get concerned about this). I'm originally from a small town where there wasn't a lot of variety i n the food scene. Since I came to Chicago I have been enjoying cuisine from around the globe including: Indian, Polish, Thai, sushi, tapas, Mexican and Ethiopian to name a few. And there's always a special place in my heart for Italian!!

My family, friends and 2 cats of course. Also, traveling, my iPhone and good veggie burgers.

Gosh, I feel like I should put something really deep here, like world peace or the national debt. Of course, I think about those things sometimes but honestly it's pretty varied. Right now it's mostly thinking about all the fun things I want to do this summer.

Out having dinner with friends or collapsing from exhaustion on my couch.

Well, it's not really private but I guess it's embarrassing if that counts. I love to sing (badly) along with the radio in my car. So if you see me out driving around you might catch me belting out the lyrics to "Bad Romance" or "Karma Chameleon". Don't worry, I don't subject passengers to this, I only pretend I'm a Grammy winning artist when I'm alone. :)

You're a funny, sweet gentleman who is a good conversationalist. I'm really attracted to confident, take-charge guys. Basic social skills and an open mind are definitely a must!! :)

So you've read this far - what do you think? If I sound like someone you'd want to meet and you've also been thinking that you're at a place in your life where you'd like to bow out of the dating scene, please say hi. It might work out, it might not. But hey, it only takes one. :)