In an effort to be "caught up" when I leave for Hawaii (tomorrow!), here are quick glimpses of the most recent dates!
ARIZONA
I don't know why anyone would choose to live in a place where it's 102 degrees in the shade in October. Seriously? I started sweating just pumping gas. I was a little worried about how drenched in sweat I'd be, hiking with Mr. Arizona, but I luckily got out of it because he had to work later than expected. We drove to the top of the mountain to see the sunset instead of hiking up there. Hooray! (Yes, I've definitely gotten lazier and lazier as this trip has gone on.) We grabbed some dinner afterward and had a great conversation. I found it interesting that when I asked what he was looking for in a woman, he said he wanted someone who had her own dreams and life and goals, not someone who was ready to drop everything and cling to him. Take note, ladies!
NEVADA
I know I've said this before about other dates, but this was possibly the most fun I've had on a date on this trip! I met Mr. Nevada at Mystery Adventures in Las Vegas, and together with eight other junior detectives, we went out and tore apart offices and labs, hunting for clues. I ended up finding a dead body in a refrigerator and seeing a ghost (both fake, but both freaky enough to make me scream . . . making this the first date where I screamed bloody murder). I was really impressed with how elaborate the whole thing was -- clues hidden in emails on computers, hidden doors to secret passageways -- and the bang for the buck factor. I mean, I lost the same amount of money in slot machines in five minutes that I paid for four hours of mystery solving! Awesome date!
UTAH
When Mr. Utah sent me an email telling me about himself, he included a picture of himself dirt biking. Hmmm, I thought. I haven't ever been dirt biking before . . . and the Utah date activity was decided. It took me a while to get the hang of the clutch thing (yeah, I'm 35 and I've never driven anything with a clutch before), but if I could get it into first gear, I could drive it just fine. We started off on a nice, flat, wide road, but I got a little worried when we got to a water crossing. He went through first and when I saw it wasn't too deep, I went for it. No problem. I did three more water crossings and was feeling pretty badass. But what's that proverb? Pride goes before a fall? Yeah. Literally. Going uphill on a rocky patch, I tipped over. And I fell on a rock, too. Then the only badass thing was my giant bruise. Nothing was broken except my pride. Fun activity, good guy . . . and only a day or two of pain.
WYOMING
I was a little panicked about Wyoming. I think we all remember that little episode in Illinois where I had to try to pick up a man, and I really wasn't looking forward to repeating that. Luckily my friend Krystal called her brother and he found me a date. We made plans for Friday night on Friday morning. Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute. Mr. Wyoming did an impressive job on short notice. We went up on a nearby mountain and checked out the city, then enjoyed some wine and cheese. Oh, and he brought his dog. She was cute, and the first dog that came along on one of the fifty dates! We went out for dinner afterwards, and on the way home, I asked if he'd ever get married. He said he'd marry someone if she could support the lifestyle to which he had become accustomed. I couldn't tell if he was joking or serious, but with the savings account running lower and lower, I am definitely not a sugar mama candidate!