Frank DiCamillo joined Match.com just in time.
Kevin Jordan, Sr., had messaged DiCamillo through the dating site but, per the site’s rules, DiCamillo couldn’t respond until he officially joined. His interest piqued by Jordan’s note that he too had children from a previous marriage, DiCamillo joined and replied — on the very day Jordan’s membership expired.
The couple had their first date Nov. 17, 2011, at the Cheesecake Factory at Christiana Mall.
“He made me feel so comfortable,” Jordan said about their first meeting. “There was just a very relaxed, comfortable feel, like I was at home — as much as he tried to push limits,” laughed Jordan.
“I like to know where the line is,” DiCamillo said. “I said to the waitress, ‘Don’t you think he has nice eyes? Don’t you think we’d make a nice couple?’ And she goes, ‘Oh yeah’ and he starts laughing, and I was like, ‘OK, I don’t see the line yet. He was very fun to play with.”
Jordan, 48, who hails from Southwest Philadelphia, is a travel agent, while DiCamillo, 53, originally from Northeast Philadelphia, works in insurance sales.
Among their commonalities, the couple said, is that they both came out after marriages to women and have adult children; Jordan has a 25-year-old daughter and 22-year-old son, while DiCamillo has a 21-year-old daughter.
Blending their families, DiCamillo said, has been smooth.
“It’s been going really well. I think what makes it easier is the ages: They’re all in the same age range, so they have a lot in common,” he said.
The couple moved in together in Boothwyn after about a year of dating.
Jordan said they try to avoid falling into a routine, planning outings like to Our Night Out socials in Wilmington and other excursions.
“You can’t get stuck in the routine of get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, do the dishes, sit on the couch, fall asleep,” Jordan said. “We like to mix it up; the other night we actually just stood in the kitchen around the island and talked because some nights you shouldn’t just sit on the couch. You’ve always got to keep it interesting.”
Each fall, the couple has taken a trip for DiCamillo’s birthday — Mexico, San Francisco and, this past October, Italy and France. They had talked about getting engaged and decided to mutually exchange rings while on a gondola ride in Venice.
“We both agreed to do it somewhere on our trip. I think we’re both still somewhat old-fashioned in the sense of wanting an engagement and then a marriage; we both have the same common ground of commitment,” Jordan said. “When we got off the gondola, everyone on our trip was waiting for us and shook our hands and said congratulations. It was a trip with people from all over the world, all different ages, some people in their 80s, and they were so accepting. It was a great feeling.”
DiCamillo said the couple plans to approach the next phase of their relationship with the lessons they’ve already learned.
“You just have to laugh. Do the dumbest things, don’t be afraid to be silly,” he said. “And just spend as much time together as you can.”
Jordan’s daughter is getting married next year, with DiCamillo’s daughter as one of her bridesmaids. The couple plans to wait until after her wedding to plan a destination wedding with their families.
“We’re really lucky guys,” said Jordan.