THANK YOU!!!!

There are quite a few people I would like to thank:

The Guys!

Thank you so much for doing this project with me.

I had a blast because of each and every one of you.

Family & Friends!

Support like you wouldn't believe, from these folks!

Jaime-Pants!

Thank you for sacrificing your own time to come along on all five of my second dates. Your videos and pictures are fantastic!

Trissy!

Photographer Extraordinaire!

I'm not big into photoshoots, but when I did my 30 In 30 Photoshoot with Trissy, it was so easy and actually a lot of fun.

Look her up!

http://www.tristinaarquettephotography.blogspot.com/

and last but not least

the inspiration for this project

Tamara Duricka Johnson

Thank you!!!

Her book is coming out in October. Read it!

Beks & . . .

I couldn't do it! I'm sorry, I know this is very disappointing, especially to those of you who had a March Madness type dating brackett. The truth is, I went out with 25 amazing guys this month and I couldn't pick just one guy. There are a few of the guys from the "Final Five" that I would like to go out with again, and there are definitely a few of the guys from the first date round that I would like to get to know better. I didn't go into this project expecting this to happen. In fact, I thought it would be easy to pick just one guy in the end. But it wasn't easy. When you have so many great choices, it's actually pretty hard. I know some people will be mad at me for not picking anyone, but I also know that the people that mean the most to me, my awesome family and friends, will support me no matter what. So now I will leave it up to the guys. If any of them want to get to know me better, I would love for them to ask me out. No blogging, pictures, videos or expectations. Just me. :)

Beks & Justin

Justin Dickey! What can I say about Justin? He beats me in everything from Root Beer Tests to Putt Putt Golf . . . and I love it! No I don't love losing, but I love competing against someone who gives it their all. Justin and I went to Boondocks for our second date. We started out at the batting cages and then moved on to a super fun game of mini golf. I have so much fun with Justin, it doesn't matter what we're doing. He just has this contagious smile and adventurous personality. It's seriously addictive. By the time we finished at Boondocks, Justin and I were famished and had to get food asap. Or rather, I was famished, Justin doesn't get hungry - it's weird. So we drove around Draper for a little while until we decided on Noodles & Co. Justin and I had a great time talking at dinner and then we had to rush to get him back home to finish his homework. I don't want him to get a bad grade because of me. I feel like I can't say this enough, but I have so much fun with Justin. I just like being around him. I hope I get the chance to see him again very soon. :)

Beks & Johnny

One of the things I like most about Johnny is how excited he gets. I had been texting him during the week to tell him what the plans would be for our date and his responses were always so enthusiastic, like "Oh baby!" - ha ha ha, that's my favorite one. When I picked up Johnny at his house, he was even more excited and enthusiastic than his text messages. We drove over to a nearby church to meet up with my friends, Shawnna and Leo, who are fantastic ballroom dancers and would be teaching us a few moves. It was so much fun dancing with Johnny. He would be concentrating so hard that it made me laugh, then my laughing would distract him and he would stumble over the steps a little bit. After repeating the moves several times, Johnny had mastered the basic step of the Fox Trot. Swing, however, that's another story. In fact, we should probably forget that we even tried to learn that one. Thank goodness both Shawnna and Leo are very patient people. Ha ha ha! After the dance lesson, we were on our way to Bombay House for dinner when we passed O' Falafel and I immediately changed my mind of where I wanted to eat. Johnny was completely cool with this sudden change of events. Actually, I'm pretty sure I have converted Johnny to the O' Falafel restaurant and he will be visiting again soon. It's that good! After dinner we went back to Johnny's place because he had a surprise adventure waiting there for me. With me on his bicycle and Johnny on his long board, we took a little ride downtown so Johnny could show me a few of his favorite sights. At one point, we were crossing over one of the Trax lines and one of the wheels on Johnny's long board got stuck send him flying into the air. It was like slow motion watching this. As he was mid-air, I thought he was going to land flat on his face and just eat it, hard. However, Johnny is a very nimble guy and he just tucked and rolled and was able to pull out of that gnarly fall unscathed. Awesome, just awesome! One of the sights Johnny wanted me to see was what he called, the Batman view of the city. I interrupted that thought for just a moment because right across the street from this Batman view was one of my favorite spots in the city - it reminds me of Gotham City right there in downtown Salt Lake. So we walked through "Gotham City" first where thugs and pick-pockets could have jumped us at any moment, then we walked over to this parking structure and went to the very top. I loved it! Johnny was right, this spot would totally be Batman's view of the city. It was so beautiful and calm up there and we could look over into "Gotham City". We only geeked out for a little while before we went back to Johnny's house and said good night. I always have so much fun with Johnny. I love how Johnny can think of the most awesome adventures and pull them off effortlessly. That's one thing I'm looking for in my life, more adventure. With Johnny, that won't be a problem at all. :)

Beks & Tyler E.

There is one responsibility that doesn't go away when you're dating every night . . . your church calling. Before my date with Tyler, I had to run home right after work and make a huge salad for our Ward Service Auction. As of Sunday night, I thought I was going to have to take Tyler with me to drop this salad off as part of our date. But I didn't have to do that. Somehow my friend and home teacher extraordinaire, Erik, had that feeling that Monday night, right before my date would be the best time to stop by. Erik is so incredibly great! He helped me make the salad and then he even hand delivered it to the Auction for me. All so I could have the best date possible with Tyler. Thank you Erik!!! Tyler met me at my place shortly after Erik and the salad left. He brought a bouquet of flowers with him, but they weren't just any flowers, they were edible flowers that Tyler himself cut out of fruit and arranged beautifully. I quickly set the bouquet of fruit flowers down so I could give Tyler a great big hug. Then we were off to dinner at Thyme & Seasons. I absolutely love this little place! Chef Hai is a jack of all trades and knows how to cook just about anything. He doesn't really have a menu, he just asks you what you'd like to eat and then he makes it. Tyler said he was in the mood for something Indian, Italian or Asian, so I picked Pad Thai. Both Tyler and I absolutely loved it! After dinner, Tyler and I went back to my place to relax. We watched an episode of Pushing Daisies because I love it now, and then we just talked. Tyler asked some pretty deep and serious questions. The kind of questions you don't think to ask when you're 18. I found myself wanting to answer all of his questions with a little bit of sugar coating. But I stopped myself. I figured that if he was brave enough to ask those kinds of questions, I could be brave enough to answer them honestly. Even if it meant admitting to some things about myself that I'm not particularly proud of. Let's just say that you shouldn't push my buttons when I'm hungry or already in a foul mood. It felt really good to just put it all out there not knowing if Tyler could accept this about me or if it scared him off for good. I really like talking to Tyler and I'm looking forward to many more discussions with him. :)

Beks & Jonathan

I am so mad at myself right now! I accidentally deleted one of the videos from my second date with Jonathan. :( Why doesn't YouTube have a trash bin?!!! Oh well. There's nothing we can do now except tell you about my great date with Jonathan. To start our date, Jonathan met me for sacrament meeting in my ward. I got to introduce him to a couple of my friends and was only slightly embarrassed when the Bishopric kept smiling at us from their seats. After church, Jonathan went home to change his clothes and I rushed back to my place to make some Chicken Noodle Soup for lunch. Jonathan insists that he was late, but I think he was right on time. I had just finished the soup and was ready to start making cupcakes. But they weren't just any old cupcakes. They were French Toast-Bacon cupcakes with maple frosting, and they were AWESOME! After our completely tasty meal, we settled in on the couch to watch an episode of Pushing Daisies. My friend, Calvin, has been trying to get me to watch this show for a really long time. So when Jonathan mentioned it was one of his favorite shows during our last date, I thought this would be the perfect time. We were about half-way through the first episode when I looked over to see that Jonathan had fallen asleep. Aw! Poor guy was completely tuckered out. I let Jonathan sleep for the rest of the show, which I enjoyed immensely, Calvin! Then when he woke up he told me that he was looking forward to his Sunday nap. I can relate to that! I absolutely love a good Sunday nap! So I packed up some soup and cupcakes for Jonathan to take home, then I gave him a great big hug. It was such a relaxing day. I can see many Sunday's spent like this with Jonathan in my future. :)

Beks & Tyler H.

Tyler loves the outdoors so I thought it would be fun go on a little hike to some hot pots. We started out the morning by grabbing some breakfast at Kneaders. I just love the french toast there. While we ate, Tyler caught me up on everything that has happened in his life since our first date. After breakfast, Tyler and I met up with my friends, Jaime and Scott, then we headed down to Spanish Fork Canyon. I had only been to the Three Forks Hot Pots once in my life and it was in the middle of the night so I couldn't everything. It's much prettier during the day. Tyler was so nice. He stayed back to get know Scott while he let me have a little much needed Jaime time. Thank you, Tyler! When we finally arrived at the hot pots, we relaxed and soaked for about 45 minutes before we had to head back down the trail. Tyler had to be to work by 4pm so that meant we would have to speed to get him back in time. We were so close. If it hadn't been for traffic on the I-15, we totally would have made it in time. I hope Tyler's boss is as easy going as he is. I love adventurous people like Tyler. I think we could have a lot of fun together.

March Madness and the Final Five!

I'm sorry this has taken so long to post, Mom!

I hope you like my picks. :)

In no particular order:

Jonathan Hussey

Tyler Hopkins

Justin Dickey

Johnny Duncan

and

Tyler Edwards

Thank you!!!!!!

to all of the amazing guys I was so fortunate to meet this month.

I had a fabulous time and would recommend that my single gals date any of these guys.

In fact!

That's exactly what I'm going to do.

ALL THE SINGLE LADIES . . .

please go to the Sign-Up page of this blog and send me an email with all of your info and the guy that you would like to go out with. I will then forward all appropriate submissions to the guys and they'll take it from there.

Trust me gals, you don't want to miss an opportunity with one of these fantastic fellas!

Justin Dickey

Before our date, Justin sent me a text message saying that this would be the most ADHD date I have ever been on. He wasn't kidding! :)

Justin had a super creative idea for our date. The Date Bucket List. He decided to study up on my blog and pick one thing to do from each of the 24 previous dates, then quiz me on whose date it came from. Let's see how all of you do. I'll give a prize to the first person who gets them all right.

Justin started out the date by picking me up at my place and giving me a great big hug then demanding full disclosure. Then we walked out to our car where a birthday present was waiting on my seat. The birthday present was an R2D2 action figure. Awesome! We had to decide what to do first so Justin asked me to choose one of his pockets. Justin pulled a piece of paper that said FOOD out of his right pant pocket. We then drove down south to keep checking things off our Date Bucket List. During our drive, Justin and I talked about past relationships as well as lots of other things.

We made it to In N Out in no time where we ordered a couple of burgers. Justin kept each part of the date a secret so I wouldn't guess before we got there. It was so much fun! After a quick dinner, we drove to a neighborhood park where we put on a couple of Jazz jackets and used the new geocaching app on Justin's phone to find a hidden treasure. Very clever!

Next up, Justin took me for a walk around Ikea. Then we stopped by Barnes & Noble to play a fun game where we had to pick a book that describes each other and one that describes ourselves. For Justin, I picked a wrestling book because he spent his childhood and teenage years wrestling. He picked a travel atlas for me because I love to travel. I actually really loved that game - it was so fun to see that we were both paying attention during this whirlwind of a date. After the book game we ran over to Sports Authority for a quick game of golf.

It's not over yet. Justin then introduced me to a couple of his friends when we stopped by their house to play two games of ping pong. Those games really made me thirsty, so I guess it's a good thing the next stop was Justin's house. He set up a little taste testing game for me. He bought 8 different kinds of Root Beer and I had to try to guess each one. I failed miserably. I didn't get a single guess right. Justin, however, got 3 out of the 8 drinks correct. It's hard! I was so angry with myself that I had failed that test, so Justin let me use his airsoft gun to take all of my aggression out on some disposable cups. I felt much better after that. :)

Justin put on some of his favorite music while we made super good guacamole and s'mores. I love that Justin is so well rounded with his music collection. I don't know a lot of guys who can listen to a song from the Hairspray soundtrack and the jump right into the Dropkick Murphy's.

On our way to get some dessert at Nielsen's Frozen Custard, we played Words With Friends on our phones. Unfortunately, Nielsen's was closed by the time we got there, but that was alright with me. I was already stuffed! Justin drove me home and before we said good night, we got in a few good rounds of Guess Who, one of my favorite childhood "board"games, and quite fitting for tonight. Wouldn't you say? :)

I really didn't think he'd be able to pull it off. I mean, 24 dates all wrapped up into one, who could possibly do that?! Justin Dickey, that's who!

Justin completely wore me out with this date. After we said good night I immediately jumped into my pj's. Then I got a text from Justin reminding me that we were supposed to take a picture and that he was running up my stairs right then.

I had SO much fun with Justin and I can't wait for the chance to plan a date for him. It might not be as "ADHD" as Justin's, but I'll do my best. :)

Ken Taylor

Before I tell you about my date with Ken, can I just toot my own little horn really quick? I am currently #1 in the NCAA standings at work. That's right! This girl, who doesn't know anything about College Basketball, but likes it nonetheless, is in first place with her bracket! :) Ken is a study-aholic and had a school project meeting until 8:40 pm so I had plenty of time to catch up on a few games last night.

After Ken's meeting, he rushed over to my place to pick me up. Then we drove up to Roy to go to dinner. Ken had texted me earlier in the day to ask where I wanted to go. I chose the Burger Bar! The Burger Bar is one of the best burger joints in Utah, and I'll tell you why . . . the bun. I truly believe that you can throw the best, most delicious fixin's on your burger and if the bun is bad, that's all you'll taste. However, if you have a good bun, you can get away with just the patty, ketchup and cheese, like Ken, and it's still a fantastic burger. I had been craving a Big Cheese Ben for weeks! Now that I've had one you'd think that I'd be good, but no. Now I just want another.

I met Ken a year and a half ago when he came to my 2nd Annual PreThanksgiving Dinner in 2009. Since then, we have chatted several times and we've seen each other here and there but never went out when it was just the two of us. I've always thought that he was extremely good looking (my sister, Amy, even gave him the nickname of Hottie Pa-Tottie Pants) and just an all around fun guy to hang out with. I'm so glad I finally got the chance to get to know him better. Ken is such a nice guy! We had a great time talking and learning about each other's past relationships.

We ended the date by driving back to my house where we snapped a few photos. We were laughing during most of the pictures but we finally got a good one. I just adore Ken! I think we are going to be friends for a long time. :)

Andrew Winegar

I have a horrible confession. For some reason unbeknownst to me, before our date I decided that I wasn't going to like Andrew. I thought that he was probably an arrogant jerk. I honestly don't know why I thought this, but I did and I feel terrible about it. I couldn't have been more wrong!

Andrew came to my place to pick me up and he was looking so cute in his cowboy boots! We drove down to Pei Wei for dinner where we talked about all sorts of stuff. Andrew told me all about his family and their love for old board games like scrabble. Andrew also mentioned that he loves to hunt and do just about anything outdoors. Another thing we talked about was one of Andrew's past relationships. Without sharing too much of Andrew's personal life, I can tell you that he is an incredibly decent guy. A few years ago, Andrew's fiance suddenly passed away. I can't even imagine going through something like that. We talked about eternal perspective and how sometimes you need to just have faith that everything is going to work itself out in the end.

After dinner, we continued our conversation in the car on our way to the hockey game. Andrew knows a bunch of my buddies and was good friends with my brother, Zo, during high school. We had a lot of fun reminiscing about the old days and sharing lots of funny stories. I was telling Andrew about my brother's fear of rats and I couldn't control my laughing. It's entirely possible that I snorted at one point but I couldn't tell because I was laughing so hard. I know for a fact that I started to cry. I probably should have been embarrassed by this, but I wasn't. I was completely comfortable laughing that hard around Andrew.

During the hockey game I introduced Andrew to a little thing called Words With Friends. I thought he would really enjoy this game since he loves to play scrabble with his family. Neither one of us are incredibly proud of what I'm about to tell you, but it was part of the date so I figure I gotta. Andrew and I spent the entire 3rd period of that hockey game playing Words With Friends with each other. Nerds!!!! ha ha ha

After the game we went back to Andrews house because I asked him to show me his place. He is remodeling the entire thing! He finished the top floor in 3 months and is now working on the basement. It is beautiful! I was so ultra impressed. I would love to remodel my place but I have no idea what I'm doing and I also lack a little thing I like to call cash. I'm incredibly envious of Andrew's skills.

We ended the date by driving back to my house where Andrew gave me a hug good night. I stood there staring at him for a moment, thinking to myself "how could I be SO wrong about him?" Andrew could possibly be the most down-to-earth guy I have gone out with yet. And that's saying something! You've seen how great the guys have been.

If Andrew and I get the chance to go out again, this is what I propose - if I beat Andrew at our WWF game, he has to plan a super great second date. If Andrew beats me, I'll do it. Deal?

Tyler Edwards

6:23 pm - Getting ready for my date with Tyler, I have 7 minutes until he'll be there to pick me up, what do I do? Call my sister, Amy, of course. We get into sister mode and start talking about all sorts of stuff when suddenly I realized that oh no, it's 6:30! I had been in the back bathroom so I didn't know if anyone had knocked. I ran to the door, still talking to Amy, and I peeked out the peep hole. Sure enough, Tyler was standing there. I quietly whisper-yelled at Amy "He's here! I gotta go!" Poor Tyler had been standing out there for at least a couple of minutes before I answered the door. Great way to start out a date, Beks! Sheesh!

Tyler and I met in high school. I actually had a great big crush on him and had asked him to the Halloween Dance our senior year. Tyler actually still has the pictures and emailed them to me when he signed up for this gig. :) Here we are 12 years (ouch!) later and finally going on a second date. And what a date it was!

After I finally answered the door and apologized profusely for ignoring him, Tyler told me what our date would entail. Shootin' some guns! I'm not sure if many of you know this, but I absolutely love to shoot guns. It's so fun and exhilarating . . . and I'm not half bad either. Go ahead and ask my boss, Lynn, he'll tell you.

Tyler and I drove out to Doug's Shoot 'N Sports where he taught me all sorts of stuff about guns. I heard some of it - but don't ask me to repeat everything I learned because it was super loud in there and I'm not much of a lip reader. We had so much fun shooting all of the paper targets. Tyler kept handing me loaded gun after loaded gun. I probably shot twice as many bullets as Tyler. It was awesome and Tyler was so incredibly nice to let me keep going. We probably would have stayed there longer but our firing lane thing broke and the place was packed. So we took a quick picture and drove back up to B-town to grab some dinner.

Tyler is so easy to talk to. We must have been sitting at our table at Texas Roadhouse for a good 25 minutes before we even ordered. It was slightly embarrassing, actually. The waitress came back 3 times to take our order before we were ready. Tyler and I were just having too good of time talking. That's how it was during the rest of the night too. We just talked and talked and talked. We talked about the fun stuff we like to do. We talked about our families. We talked about past relationships and what we've learned about ourselves because of them. We talked about what we want in future relationships, which I have to tell you, Tyler and I are on a very similar (if not exactly the same) page when it comes to this subject.

The whole night was just wonderful! I found myself wishing Tyler would come in after our date, but I think he wanted to respect my bedtime. :)

When my sister, Mary, came home a few minutes after I did, I gushed about the awesome date I just had. She said that this was the giddiest she has seen me in awhile. I think she's right. :)

I'm pretty sure Tyler and I could do anything and have the best time with each other. But since the second date would be my turn to plan, I'm going to bring out the big guns! :)

Roman Buys

I was out to lunch with my boss and a few co-workers when I got a phone call from Roman. My boss encouraged me to take the call right then and there, since he is completely supportive of my little project. Roman asked me if I had ever been scuba diving. When I said yes, I have been scuba diving a few times, Roman let out a little sigh. That was obviously not the answer he was looking for. Roman had found an Intro to Scuba class that he wanted to take and he thought it would be a great date for us. I told him that I would love to do that and to try to get into the class. After I hung up the phone everyone at the table was joking around about how smart Roman is because he was trying to get me into a swim suit on our first date. Ha ha! Unfortunately for my co-workers, Roman was not able to get into the class.

Roman picked me up at my place and told me that instead of Scuba we would be doing the next best thing, dinner. He had the biggest smile on his face when he told me about the restaurant he chose. Roman absolutely loves good BBQ so we went to Sugarhouse BBQ for Romans favorite ribs in Salt Lake. The ribs at Sugarhouse BBQ are so ultra good! At one point I noticed that my fingers were a heck of a lot messier than Romans. I asked him how in the WORLDDDD Roman could keep his fingers so clean. He confessed that every time I looked away, he would lick his fingers. That’s my kind of BBQ! :)

During dinner Roman told me about what his Perfect Day would entail. He would sleep in, just a little bit then he would get all of his buddies together to play basketball. After that, Roman and 20 of his mountain biking friends would go on an epic ride. The day would end with eating the most perfect ribs and possibly an old movie. Wow – that does sound like an amazing day!

After dinner, Roman and I drove back to my place for a quick wardrobe change and then we set off on our adventure. Geocaching!

Geocaching is where somebody hides a Tupperware container or a waterproof box of some sort filled with a tiny log book and some trinkets. Then that person provides the coordinates to this container and then one of the many other Geocachers in the world try to find it, write in the log book and trade a trinket of their own for one that is in the box.

We failed at our first attempt to find a cache, but I think that’s only because someone probably found it and didn't know what it was so they threw it away. Our second attempt, however, proved to be very successful! I couldn't believe how fun this is. Geocaching is such a fun adventure!

For our second date, perhaps I could hide some ribs in a Geocache box and give Roman the coordinates. I think he would like that. :)

The Dates: Week 4

Tyler Edwards, 29
Business Manager
March 22, 2011


























Andrew Winegar, 28
Banker
March 23, 2011

























Ken Taylor, 29
IHC Employee/Nursing Student
March 24, 2011

Justin Dickey, 27
Construction Management
March 25, 2011

Jonathan Hussey

Some people think that Sunday dates are harder to pull off than other nights. If this is true, Jonathan didn't show it. I could tell that Jonathan had put a whole heck of a lot of thought into this date, but it was seamless and so much fun!

Jonathan picked me up at my place and on the drive back to his house we talked about how my sister's boyfriend just needs to pop the question already. Are you ready for this? Jonathan is my sister's boyfriend's sister's brother-in-law. Ha ha! But we didn't stay on that subject for long. We had plenty of other things to discuss.

Jonathan had made a beautiful and delicious dinner for us. For only having brothers and no sisters, Jonathan's mother sure did raise him right. He is a marvelous cook! I was so impressed with his cooking skills. We were having a great conversation during dinner when Jonathan got a picture message from his good friend. He showed me the picture of his front door and told me that we should see what's out there.

When we opened the door we saw a small gold coin with a piece of paper taped to it. On the paper there was a question which I read out loud. Then I looked at Jonathan with a puzzled face and he said "We're going on a Treasure Hunt!" ha ha ha

This is one of the MOST clever date ideas ever!!! All of you cute BYU-ers who are reading this right now (yes, you Julie Swenson and crew) pay attention to this super fun date idea.

Jonathan got a whole bunch of those chocolate gold coins and he taped all sorts of questions to them. Then he had his friends Scott and Jen hide them in spots all around the capitol building. Then Scott would send a picture message to Jonathan of the next spot to look for. On the way to each spot we took the time to answer the getting-to-know-you questions and we just had the best time doing it. The coins brought us full circle back to Jonathan's house where there were a whole bunch of coins scattered on the coffee table along with a vase of the most beautiful flowers!

Such an uber cute idea! I loved the whole thing! :)

After finding the Treasure, we had Jonathan's friends, Scott and Jen, come out of hiding and we played a round of The Office Clue. I am always down for a good, entertaining game of Clue! I love it!

Now for the most wonderful part of the night - Jonathan's Cupcakes! That's right . . . Jonathan specializes in homemade cupcakes. His dream job is to one day own a Cupcake Bakery - and he could do it! Those cupcakes were absolutely positively divine! Jonathan gave me a plate of them to take home with me. For a moment I thought about bringing them into work this morning, but I just didn't want to. These cupcakes are so amazing - I just wanted to eat them all!

I feel like it would be a ton of pressure for me to come up with a second date that could rival Jonathan's brilliant idea. Maybe I could just trick him into making more cupcakes for me. :) Maybe those french toast cupcakes with maple frosting and bacon bits that Jonathan was telling me about.

What do you think Jonny?!!! :)

Chad Spere

A lot of you have been asking for the dirt on these dates. Never believing me that I could have had such a great time with all of these guys. Well hopefully you'll be satisfied by this post. I can tell you right now that I will not be going out with Chad Spere again.


All of my other dates have been so gracious and kind. They have all given me notice of when to be ready and, if it's not a surprise, what we'll be doing for the night. Not Chad. He waited until Saturday afternoon to send me a text message telling me that he would be to my place at 7:00 and to wear something that shows off my legs. I thought that was a little weird, but I am 100% committed to this project, so I'm going to do whatever it takes.


When he showed up at 7:23, I had my jacket on and purse in hand, ready to start our date. Instead he just walked into my condo, threw his back pack on the floor and told me to take off my jacket because we'd be staying here. Chad said that he read what my friends said about me in my blog so he thought he would plan a date full of things we both like to do.

Chad loves video games, so he brought his Xbox and since he read that I really like to cook, he told me to make him something good to eat while he played his game. Um . . . okay. Who is this guy?!! I did it though, because I am 100% into this thing.


While dinner was in the oven, Chad asked me if I would give him a back rub. He said that he read on my blog that my friend, Craig, absolutely loves it when I tickle his back during sacrament meeting. So Chad thought that would be fun for both of us. Really?!! Thanks a lot Craig!


After dinner, Chad wanted to watch a movie. So I sat down on the couch about a foot away from him. He asked if I could sit closer to him. I inched over but I just didn't want to sit next to this creepy guy. Once the movie started, Chad reached over and started rubbing my leg and he said, in the most disgusting serial killer voice, that my friends were right about my great legs. Ugh!!!!! I'm never doing another athletic thing ever again!


Even though I am committed to this project, it doesn't mean I have to be committed to this one guy, right? I feel like I'm still putting myself out there. I'm out of my comfort zone and I'm really going for this thing. Just not with Chad.



ps - ha ha! Fooled you! Chad is actually one of my very best friends and he thought it would be hilarious if he planned out the creepiest date possible and documented the whole thing.



Chad made such huge effort to plan out a super fun and hilarious date. We actually only did that creep-fest photo shoot for the first 20 minutes of our date. After that we went to dinner at Royal India, one of my new favorite places. Then we went to Chad's parents house where we met up with my brother, Zo, and sis-in-law, Jen. We played a couple of games together and just had a super great time. We even had another little photo shoot of me beating the pants off Chad in Ping Pong and Foosball, which was fun to pretend, because I would never beat Chad in real life.


Chad and I are actually not going to date - we are such good friends and we have decided that's the way we like it. Chad is not only one of my very best friends but he is one of the most amazing guys I know. He deserves somebody really special. Maybe I can even help him find her. :)

David Braudt

At first, when I told my boss, Lynn, about this dating project, he thought I was crazy. But he wanted to help me out so he told a few of the boys in his BYU student ward about it. One of those boys signed up the very next day and a few weeks later I finally met David Braudt.

I was so excited to go out with David because in his initial email to me he mentioned that he loves to go rock climbing and that could be a possibility for our date. Totally stoked for rock climbing! After work on Friday, I drove down to Ikea in Draper to meet up with David. Ikea is a good half-way point for both of us. So we left my car in the parking lot and made the trek down to happy valley.

While we were in the car we talked about our families and different things we each like to do. One thing that is so incredibly interesting about David is his work situation. Right now, he's finishing up school at BYU and for work he does research trips for his professor. David arranged a deal with his professor that he would work for free as long as the professor would pay for his travel costs for the research trips. Brilliant! I wish I would have thought of that when I was in school. Well, actually, I wish I would have done a lot of things while I was in school, but that's besides the point. The point is David is a genius. Last summer he got to go to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. David described Thailand to me in great detail and it is now towards the top of my list of places I must go before I die.

We had plenty of time to talk because of the length of the drive. David apologized a couple of times because it was taking so long, but I didn't mind, I really enjoy talking to David.

We arrived at the Quarry in Provo before the usual weekend rush, which was nice because even though I really enjoy rock climbing, I'm still a beginner. I was able to learn quite a few things that helped my climbing skills reach a whole new level. (Ha!) David started rock climbing two months ago and except for Sundays has been climbing every single day. When David puts his mind to something he goes all the way.

One of Davids concerns about me being a beginner was that his life was going to be in my hands. When you put it like that, it does seem a little intense with pressure. But I think I did just fine. Actually, I did freaking fantastic! There were two times that David fell off the wall because I made him try a really hard climb. But I caught him both times - no problem. After trusting me with his life, I think he trusted me enough to open up and have some really honest conversations. It was like our very own version of a girls camp trust fall.

When we were finally and completely pooped after climbing, we got back in the car and drove over to Zupas for dinner. David actually gave me the option of choosing Cold Stone instead because it was pretty late for dinner, but I chose Zupas. I was hungry!

At dinner we talked a lot more about traveling and all of the fun things we've done and seen. A lot of the time I feel myself looking for the next super fun adventure and it was really nice to reflect on all of the awesome things I have done in my life. I don't mean for that to sound boastful or like I'm bragging. I just know that I have been blessed with many opportunities for me to have the most amazing experiences.

After dinner David drove me back to Ikea and on the way he told me about a fascinating concept . . . his views on dating. I warned him that I was going to put this on my blog and I would try really hard to portray him in the best light. So please don't think badly of him after reading this, he explains it better than I can and in a much less offensive way. David believes that dating is relative to prostitution. He said that in the Mormon culture, women expect men to pay for the date and in return, men expect women to be pleasant and pleasurable on the date. After hearing this I had so many questions. He explained that he's only looking at this in an economic light and that obviously he doesn't believe that dating IS prostitution, but it's fascinating to compare the similarities.

Even though David convinced me that he doesn't think of me as a major prostitute for doing this dating project, I think I had better pay for our second date if I get the chance.

Rick Price

Rick and I met last summer in the good ol' University 41st Ward. Rick is one of the most impressive guys I know. He really is the whole package - kind, attractive, intelligent, spiritual, athletic, charming, witty . . . etc. He's got it all.

Rick texted me the night before to see if we could go all out for St. Patty's Day. Of course I said Yes! We started the night by trying to get into Squatters Pub. Because that's what you do on St. Patty's Day, you go to pubs. However, the wait was going to be 45 minutes and the two chairs in the waiting area were already taken. So Rick and I walked over to PF Changs where were seated immediately.

We ordered a couple of dishes to share and we just talked and laughed throughout all of dinner. We compared our chopstick skills and I may or may not have geeked out a little bit when I was telling him about this documentary on sucker fish that I had watched a few weeks ago. The great thing about Rick is that he doesn't care if I geek out a little bit. In fact, I think he might just try find that documentary on Netflix. After all, it was fascinating.

Rick told me that we had two choices for our after dinner plans. Plan A was to go to a different pub where they had live Irish music, and Plan B was to catch a movie. We decided to shoot for Plan A first because, in case you forgot, that's what you do on St. Patty's Day, you go to pubs. :)

The line at Piper Down was a full block down the door. Rick and I walked to the back of it and he promised me that if we didn't move in five minutes, we could do Plan B. It was quite chilly outside and the line was moving at a glacial pace, so Rick started looking at movie times. There were a bunch of movies I had not seen yet, but I just didn't want to do that. I wanted to go to the pub. So Rick put his phone away and we soldiered through the long line by snuggling to keep warm.

I'm so glad we didn't give up on Plan A. We had so much fun! The band was awesome and both Rick and I were completely entertained by all of the people that got completely smashed. There was a little person dressed up as a Leprechaun giving out green beaded necklaces, a really tall man/woman who was just impossible to ignore and a bunch of men wearing kilts. The whole experience was just as fun as can be.

We ended the date by driving back to Ricks place and listening to a few songs by Dropkick Murphys. Best St. Patrick's Day Ever! I wonder if our second date would be as fun on a normal day. With how fun Rick is, how could it not be?!

Geoff Gough - take two

Ha ha ha . . . just kidding!

The Geoff Gough Date Planning Committee did an extraordinary job of planning last night's date. We went to Geoff Gough's favorite restaurant and did one of Geoff Gough's favorite things to do in the city. Right now, I'd like take the time to thank Geoff Gough and the Geoff Gough Date Planning Committee for an amazing night. I will always remember this date.

I was running late because of traffic, so instead of having Geoff drive all the way out to Bountiful, I offered to meet him somewhere downtown. We met at the City and County Building so I could leave my car in a safe place and then drive to dinner together. Geoff rushed over to my car with an umbrella in hand so I wouldn't get wet from the rain, but I didn't care about the rain. The only thing I thought about when I first saw him was how attractive he is. I hope this doesn't hurt Geoff's feelings but his pictures really don't do him justice. Maybe it's his insanely cute smile or his encompassing energetic personality, I don't know, but this guy is CA-YUTE!

We drove over to Settebello's for dinner where we gorged ourselves on the most spectacular pizza. Settebello's is not only one of Geoff Gough's favorite restaurants, it's also one of mine. I just love that place! During dinner Geoff told me about his trip to Europe for a Study Abroad. This story was so hilarious, I found myself living the movie version in my mind as he told it. Short version - he was traveling all over Italy and Spain without his luggage. After a week of wearing the same clothes, he finally bought something new to wear. When he arrived back home he found his luggage at the Salt Lake Airport where it showed tags of everyplace he had been in Europe, his luggage just beat him to each city and left before he got there. Crazy!

After dinner we drove over to Geoff Gough's special parking area near the Gateway. We got out of the car and walked around to the back where Geoff surprised me with Jazz tickets and Jazz apparel to wear at the game. Fun! I absolutely love going to Jazz games.

We had so much fun talking and laughing and even though this is slightly embarrassing to admit, I'm going to say it anyway. While we were talking at the Jazz game, I found myself leaning closer and closer to Geoff. He just smelled so good! You know that really, really good smell that makes you want to grab a guys face and just rape kiss the crap out of him? Yeah, that was it. But I didn't do that, there was no rape kissing on this date. I had to settle for touching his leg a bunch of times. :)

During the game, I could tell that Geoff was a little distracted by the couple next to him. You know me, I'm not usually a hater, but this couple was crazy funny. At one point this girl actually asked her date if, in basketball, you get 4 points if you shoot from half court. Really? Girlfriend, where did you grow up? Don't worry - it gets better! This couple stood up and started walking away when the girl turned back around to ask us if we would watch her purse for her. I think my jaw hit the floor. Who is this girl?! The couple walked down the stairs and as soon as they were completely out of sight, Geoff grabbed her purse and started riffling through it. I was shocked! I really, truly thought Geoff was insane for doing this. He found some gum in her purse and offered me a piece. I just about flipped out! I said of course not! Put it back! So he just took one for himself and put the purse back on the floor. But then I thought about it and decided, wait if he's going to have good breath, I'm going to need some too. So I changed my mind and asked him to get me a piece too. Oh yeah, and by the way, the little girl sitting in front of us was watching us the entire time we looked through this complete stranger's purse. I thought she would tattle on us for sure!

A few minutes later the crazy couple came back and they were so nice. To thank us for watching her purse, they bought us ice cream. Oh man! I was feeling 100% guilty now! We started talking to the couple, with little miss tattle pants in front of us just waiting to pounce and tell our secret. But she didn't have to. After talking to this couple for a few seconds, I was about to spill the beans about the purse, but instead, I finally figured it out. Geoff knew them. Ha ha ha! Apparently they had been following us around all night! They were even in the restaurant at the table behind me. The Geoff Gough Date Planning Committee planned out this whole trick. And it worked! They totally tricked me.

After Geoff's brother and his girlfriend revealed themselves we laughed and laughed! They showed us a picture they took of us at the restaurant and told us how fun it was for her to pretend like she didn't know anything about basketball. The whole thing was just super fantastic!

I sincerely hope the Geoff Gough Date Planning Committee will consider a second date for us.

ps - for those of you who are curious about what a rape kiss is, please reference any kiss between Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.

Geoff Gough

Eh . . . it was okay.

Jon Hill

First of all, I'd like to give a shout out to Jon's Mom and sisters. Hi Ladies! Thanks for reading the blog, you've done a great job with Jon! :)

A few minutes before our date, Jon called me to make sure I was wearing comfortable walking shoes. Uh, no. I was still in the dress and heels I wore to work that day. I thought it would be a good first date dress. So when Jon arrived, I was still trying to pick out a comfortable walking outfit, which turned out just fine because it gave Jon a chance to get to know my sister a little while I was changing. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it sounded like Jon was very outgoing and willing to answer any of her questions.

Jon actually is an outgoing person, he just doesn't know it yet. The first thing we talked about when we got in his car was that he felt like he is an introvert and that by doing this project he is stepping completely out of his comfort zone. As I describe the details of our date, anyone will be able to see why I'm confused by this statement.

The first thing Jon wanted to do was check out the new Whole Foods Market at Trolley Square. I had no idea that Whole Foods had so many dinner choices right there in the salad bar. One of the many things Jon and I have in common is our love of trying new foods. Whole Foods is the perfect place to do just that. Both of us filled our plates with a variety of delicious foods.

While we ate, we talked about traveling and all of the places we've been. We talked about the places we'd like to go and what kind of food we want to try once we get there. If you can't tell by now, food is a very important thing in my life. Food is just something I find joy in. I think Jon finds joy in food too. We both got really excited when we told each other about a restaurant the other should try. Jon promised me he would let me know the name of the Ethiopian restaurant in town. I can't wait to try it!

After dinner we drove over to Liberty Park to just walk around and get to know each other better. It wasn't until we had driven all the way around the park that we both realized that we were doing just fine getting to know each other in the car. I can't remember how many more times we drove around that park, simply because I was so engaged in our conversation. We talked about some deeply spiritual things and Jon was so open to discuss all of it.

Dessert came next, so we drove over to a little gelato place on 9th and 9th. Jon ordered this coconut mango yumminess. It was like heaven in a teeny tiny bowl. I know this because Jon let me eat right out of his bowl. Gosh he's nice! :)

While we were at the gelato place, Jon told me all about living in Boston and growing up in St. Louis. I know that I have been to some pretty cool places in my life, but hearing him describe these two places makes me want to put them on the top of my bucket list.

So where did this reserved, kind of shy guy go? Well Jon, I hate to break it to you, but he just doesn't exist. Not with me, anyway. We had no problem talking all night. I hope that if Jon and I go out again we can drive around the Liberty Park a few more times. That was by far my favorite part of this date. I had such a great time with Jon, and I have a good feeling that he did too.

The Dates: Week 3

Jon Hill, 29

Manufacturing Engineer

March 15, 2011

Geoff Gough, 27

IT Project Manager

March 16, 2011

Rick Price, 29

Real Estate Agent

March 17, 2011

David Braudt, 25

Student

March 18, 2011

Chad Spere, 28

Pharmaceutical Biller

March 19, 2011

Jonathan Hussey, 27

Graphic Designer

March 20, 2011

Roman Buys, 27

Mechanical Engineer

March 21, 2011

Victor Venegas

I walked into the Red Ginger Bistro and was immediately greeted by Victor's amazing smile. He guided me over to a corner of the waiting room where we could sit and talk before our table was ready.

Oh my goodness! Victor is so easy to talk to. I know I say this about a lot of the guys, but I feel like I need to emphasize this with Victor. He is just 100% out there, no walls. I would love to be that way. I feel like I'm trying to show everyone the real me but sometimes that's hard. With Victor it seems to be very simple and easy for him. Maybe it's so easy for him because there is nothing bad to hide. Victor is so fun and energetic about life. He is a very outgoing person that likes to constantly be doing something social. I feel like I could talk with him about anything, and we pretty much did.

We covered a whole range of topics. We talked about the Church and how we both feel about it. Victor is a very spiritual guy and he is not afraid to show it or talk about it. His spirituality and testimony is completely intertwined with his every day life. I love the courage that Victor has, and the fact that he probably doesn't even know that it takes a lot of courage to live your life like this. Holding nothing back and just living the gospel in every way.

Victor and I also discussed past relationships, what went wrong, what we learned from each one and how they have made both of us into the kind of people we are today. Something that we both agree on is that you should give any relationship a fighting chance by choosing to remove risky components that could and almost certainly would destroy it. I really like being able to talk to someone who has experienced something similar to what I went through with past relationships and not only survived but came out a better person because of what he learned about himself.

I feel like Victor and I connected on a much deeper level than people usually do during a two hour lunch break. I'm anxious to see what this connection could turn into if we get the chance to go out again.

Nathan Bingham

Nate had texted me earlier in the week to see if he could cook dinner for me at my place and I thought that was a great plan. Who doesn't love a good home cooked Sunday dinner?

I thought I would have a few minutes to change my clothes after working at the Home Show all day, but Nate made the trek from Provo to Bountiful in record time and beat me home by just a few seconds. He was nice enough to wait for me to put my comfy jeans on and then he was even nicer to walk back down to my car with me to carry in a heavy box. I try to avoid heavy lifting if there are stronger people near by.

Nate prepared a delicious meal of french bread pizza and salad, and he even let me help a little, which was fun. To drink, he brought a big jar of apple cider that he made himself. Nate's family lives in Idaho and has a small apple orchard. He told me that there are some years they can make around 100-200 gallons of apple cider in a day. And this is just a hobby of sorts for them, not a full time job. Amazing!

After dinner we made an apple crisp for dessert and we played a few board games while it was baking. I can tell that Nate is serious about board games. He makes calculated decisions and concentrates intensely on the task at hand. He beat me in both games, but I did have fair warning, so I couldn't be too upset. Before the games started, Nate asked me if I would like him to take it easy on me or if I wanted him to be ruthless. I told him to just play the game. So he won fair and square both times. Good job Nate!

Nate is such a sweet-hearted guy. It was so nice of him to go so far out of his way just for me. If we go on another date, I think it's only fair that I return the favor.

Johnny Duncan

Last night I went on one of the funnest dates I have ever been on in my entire life!

I had been looking forward to this date since February 5, 2011, when Johnny's roommate asked me how strict I was going to be with the age range. Because Johnny, who is quite a bit younger than I am, wanted to sign up. Of course I could be flexible on the age range! The truth is, I was going to ask Johnny if he would be one of my dates. He just beat me to it. :)

Johnny met me at the Home Show where we were supposed to learn how to make something chocolatey. However, there were still a bunch of dishes that I had to wash from the last presentation, so Johnny volunteered to help me with that instead. We were completely caught off guard when my friend, Chef Bryan Woolley, came back stage to give Johnny the third degree. Did Johnny melt under this heat? Nope, not even a little. He answered every question Bryan threw at him. I was very impressed!

We took Bryan's suggestion and went to Chubby's for dinner. I absolutely love Mexican food and this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant is now one of my favorites. I'm pretty sure I could eat their guacamole with just about anything and be happy for the rest of my life.

While at dinner, Johnny told me all about his plans for spring break. Johnny and a buddy are going on a two-day adventure where they will kayak the length of the Great Salt Lake. This was his inspiration for our date last night.

We drove back to my place for a quick wardrobe change before we headed to the West Bountiful pond. I have lived in Bountiful my entire life and I didn't even know this pond existed. Needless to say, I felt a little foolish. But Johnny didn't care, in fact, I think it made it more fun for him to introduce me to this pond that he loves so much.

It was completely dark outside when Johnny and I kayaked out into the middle of this pond. Johnny wanted to bring headlamps so we could see better, but I'm glad he forgot. When we turned back towards the mountains in Bountiful, there was more than enough light to see. It was so beautiful! I could have stayed out there all night, just watching the lights and listening to the ducks. I feel like it would be impossible to describe how cool this actually is. Being out on that pond in the middle of the night with just the city lights shinning down on you - it's simply breathtaking.

I think we would have stayed out there longer if it hadn't started raining. Johnny was getting completely soaked. Not me though. I was warm and dry thanks to my awesome snow suit. Who's overdressed now, Johnny? Hmmm?

We ended the date by going back to my place for a fun and only slightly heated game of Settlers of Catan with my sister, Mary, and her boyfriend, Chet. After Johnny left, Mary told me how much she liked Johnny and how impressed she was with his board game skills. In the past, I have had my dates over to play board games with my family, and the date is a little timid and doesn't always play to his full capability. But not Johnny, he passed every test Mary gave him and he completely dominated that game.

Conclusion - I had so much fun with Johnny and would love to go out with him again. Now if I could just talk to his roommate to see if Johnny would want to do that too.

Chas White

Another night at the Salt Lake Home and Garden Show means another late date for Beks.

I called Chas at 10:00pm as I was running out of the Expo Center. I thought he would be a little annoyed with me being so late, but he wasn't. Chas didn't seem to mind one bit and he invited me over to his house in Riverton for some ice cream. When I arrived, he was outside waiting for me, ready to greet me with a hug. He gave me a quick tour of his beautiful home and then we jumped in the Mini to go to the store for the ice cream.

The plan was to buy a bunch of stuff for ice cream sundaes but instead, my car seemed to just drive itself right over to In & Out. Chas was so great, he could tell that I was hungry for some real food so we ordered two #2's and turned this date into a late dinner. So grateful for flexible people!

While at In & Out, Chas and I talked about all sorts of stuff, including past relationships and his two kids. I can tell that Chas is a really good dad. His life revolves around his kids, just as it should. We also talked a lot about movies and how we both love them. I might love them a little more than Chas, considering that my friends have given me the nickname of Movie Slut. Chas will actually go to movies by himself, that is something I've never felt brave enough to do.

After dinner, we headed over to the Smiths to buy some ice cream and we ended our date at Chas' house just chatting in his kitchen. If Chas and I go out again, maybe we can catch a movie together so he doesn't have to sit by himself. :)

David Neville

Twice a year I have the opportunity to work at the Salt Lake Home Show at the South Towne Expo Center. I get to work on the kitchen stage with a bunch of different Chefs, and I absolutely love it! This year, Top Chef winner Yigit Pura is one of the featured Chefs. So if you're a fan, come on over to the Home Show to see him tonight. Yigit's presentation starts at 7:00, so come a little early to get a good seat. I'll be the one in the back ground smiling from ear to ear just because I'm so happy to be there.



Why does this pertain to my date with David? Since I was working at the Home Show last night, I told David we would have to do a dessert date. He was so great about it! I called David as I was leaving the Home Show and he asked if we could meet at Nielsen's for some frozen custard. Um . . . heck yes! Nielsen's is one of my all time favorites.



David walked through the door holding a gift bag. He gave me a hug and then said "happy birthday" as he handed me the bag. David bought me a birthday present! That is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me on a first date. I can't believe how thoughtful and kind David is. And I don't just base this on the present. During the hour we spent together I could tell that this is just the kind of guy David is - thoughtful and caring.



David also has a pretty sensitive funny bone and last night, somebody whacked it hard! He couldn't stop laughing about the episode of Wipe Out he had just seen. His major case of the giggles had us laughing about all sorts of stuff. Something in particular was how our mutual friend, Dre, described me to David. She said that I was way into Sci-Fi and that I loved video games and I can't remember the third thing but it was something along the lines of "she's a big nerd." HA! This completely cracks me up! Dre and I have been friends for a while and now I'm wondering if she knows me at all. 1- I do like Sci-Fi, but I'm not obsessed. I like the appropriate amount of Sci-Fi that a normal person should like. 2- I actually detest video games! Probably because I'm just not good at them, but I like to tell people that I think they are soul suckers and should die a horrible death. 3- . . . I actually agree with. But only being correct about 1 of 3 facts about me to tell a guy I'm about to go out with - come on Dre! Ha ha ha.



Lucky for me, David still showed up when most would have run the other direction. Such a sweet guy! Hopefully, David knows that he can come straight to the source if he wants to learn more about me before our second date. :)

jk Dre! I still love you - thanks for setting me up with such a nice guy!

Tyler Hopkins

Before I tell you all about my date with Tyler, I need to just say that I have the most hilarious family ever! This is only a small sampling of the text messages I received from my siblings regarding this date:

"Hey, I've got a question I was hoping you could help me out with. What is the legal stance in Utah on dating cousins? Are 1st cousins the only ones off limits? Are 2nd cousins taboo? What do you think?"

"What do you get when you have a drunk sailor, a man in a cow costume and two cousins on a date? . . . . . . . . A drunk sailor, a man in a cow costume and Bek's plans for the evening."

"Hey, you go girl. Don't worry at all. Just remember, Adam and Eve's kids married siblings . . . so at least you're not dating Mark."

"New dress for blind date . . . $120. Trip to get hair done for blind date . . . $75. Checking ancestry.com and finding out you're going on a blind date with your cousin . . . PRICELESS!"

and my all time favorite

"Mark wants to know if your date tonight is only a date or if you can also count it as family home evening."

My Grandmother's maiden name was Hopkin (no s) and she grew up right here in Utah, so I really don't think I have any relation to Tyler Hopkins whose family is from Idaho.

I think we're safe, and it's a good thing, because I had so much fun with Tyler tonight. He drove all the way out to Bountiful to pick me up and drive me all the way back to his place where we made fajitas for dinner. Tyler is an excellent cook. The fajitas were absolutely delicious! You know how I like a guy who can cook. :)

After dinner we went outside and Tyler made a campfire in his backyard. We made 'smores and played one of the funnest first date games I have ever played in my life. Date ball. Tyler had spent the afternoon writing about 100 different questions on a beach ball. We tossed the ball back and forth and every time Tyler would catch the ball I would call out a finger and he would have to answer the question under that particular finger. He did the same for me and we went back and forth like this until we ran out of firewood. So fun and creative!

I found out all sorts of stuff about Tyler but the thing I liked the most was that he loves to tell stories. For every answer he had a story to go with it. At one point, I felt like I was being boring date because Tyler's answers/stories were much better than mine. But maybe that's just because I had super good luck in getting Tyler to answer the really good questions. If my toes weren't frostbitten I would have loved to stay out there by the fire all night and listen to Tyler answer every question on that ball.

If Tyler and I get to go out on a second date, maybe I'll let him write the next blog post since he really is a superb storyteller.

Ryan Bingham

A few things you should know about Ryan: he's really, really good looking; he's very accomplished and motivated; he can play just about any sport; and he's got a witty sense of humor that makes him extremely fun to be around. Plus, he likes musicals!

Does this guy have any flaws? Just from this information, the quick answer would be a resounding no. However, apparently he's cursed.

We met at my place and walked over to El Matador for dinner before the show. The walk, although short, gave us a chance to chat just a bit longer than we would have if we had driven the one block to the restaurant. Ryan chose to eat at a Mexican restaurant because he wanted to eat as much cheese as possible before giving it up for lent. He's not catholic, but he's been doing the lent thing for about five years now. I told him I could possibly give up root beer if I had to. Lucky for me, this is not the year for me to start doing the lent thing, so bring on the root beer! :)

Ryan is so fun to talk to. He told me all about how he chose his profession and how it fits him perfectly because he's very much a people person. He loves interacting with people and even acting for them. He performed on stage during high school and college. Which makes me think I chose the perfect guy to go on this particular date with me. I had tickets to see the musical, Hairspray, at the new Centerpoint Theater in Centerville. The show was absolutely fantastic! Ryan and I had such a great time and afterwards all I wanted to do was listen to the soundtrack again.

We ended the date by driving back to my place to take the daily date picture. I probably should have posted all of the pictures from our little photo shoot, but just know that we had an extremely fun time with this. Now do two dragons . . .

I know what you're thinking, what about the curse? Ryan seems to think that if he dates a girl for a little while and then they break up, she'll marry the very next guy that comes around. I think Ryan just needs to find right girl. Who knows, maybe I could break that curse. :)

The Dates: Week 2

Here's the line-up for week 2:

















Ryan Bingham, 20-something
March 8, 2011















Tyler Hopkins, 27
UPS Supervisor
March 9, 2011
















David Neville, 30ish
Marketing Manager
March 10, 2011








Chas White, 35
Staffing Consultant/Recruiter
March 11, 2011












Johnny Duncan, 24
Student
March 12, 2011





No picture available
Nathan Bingham, 28
Civil Engineer
March 13, 2011

Victor Venegas, 29

ER Nurse

March 14, 2011