About the daters ...

How you’re D.C. ...

Gina: I do love all the cross-pollination that occurs when you have educated, professional people from all walks (military and ex-military, engineers, journalists, diplomats, teachers) talking about what they did/saw/experienced. I can chat with the best of ’em!

Dennis: Married into an old Washington family [now a widower], and I ran for Congress in 2010.

Brag a little ...

Gina: My friends describe me as funny, smart, bubbly and adventurous. I like what I do for a living and I’m good at it. I’m low-maintenance and upbeat. Physically, I’m holding my own — people routinely think I’m younger than I am and I’m a respectable size 4/6. Did I mention that I cook too?

Dennis: Smart, funny, deep knowledge and a great conversationalist, sensitive guy but very, very adventurous. If I haven’t done it, I’m usually game (except for singing).

Your type ...

Gina: Smart, nerdy, wonky guys who possess a masculine, capable he-man swagger and who are smart enough to know that they don’t know it all. Personal integrity is also very important. I guess I like Eagle Scouts with an edge.

Dennis: Very attractive (not short), on the slimmer side, active, successful, smart, really knows how to put herself together, three to five years younger than me, and, unfortunately, someone who can understand what it means to have a significant loss in life. Not that they have to had experienced it, but must be capable of understanding.

Interests to share ...

Gina: It would be great if they liked to cook or eat great food. (I once made pizza for a guy and he said, “I don’t know why you just don’t order Domino’s.”) I would also prefer someone who is educated and intellectual but also has a generous helping of whimsy and lack of pretension. For example, I loved “The Avengers” but also really enjoyed Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life.”

Dennis: Being active (golf, tennis, skiing), ballroom dancing, traveling, pushing yourself to experience new things to broaden horizons (thus my applying for this — God help me) and having a passion for things you do, great taste in contemporary design.

About the date ...

7:30 p.m., Filomena Ristorante, Georgetown

Gina: I knew his name and that’s all, so it’s like unwrapping a package that you have no idea what’s in it. I got there at 7:30.

Dennis: I got there right on time and went to the maitre d’ stand. There was a little confusion, [but] it turned out that Gina was standing right there. So, she just cut through the confusion for them and said, “Dennis?” And I said, “Gina?”

Gina: I wouldn’t say he was necessarily my type. He was tall and slender, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I generally go for people who are a little bit bigger, a little more built out. But it’s really about personality. The right personality can just make anything interesting.

Dennis: She looked great; she was really dressed very nicely. I’m not sure that she was would be the sort of person I would typically be initially attracted to — it’s nothing in particular, I can’t really nail down why — but as soon as I saw her I thought, This is going to be a great evening.