dating in your 30's.

last night as I was getting ready for (yet another) first date and I stopped and asked myself "how many dates have you been on this year?"  I seriously had to recount a few times just to be sure I had it right.

I joined tinder last september/october and so far i've been on dates with 5 different guys.  and in that time i've been on 7 first dates (2 of the 7 dates were set up by mutual friends...the rest was set up by tinder).  i've had a lot of "success" on tinder...except I don't know if you call it "success" if no relationship has come out of it.

7 first dates

2 second dates

1 third date

1 fourth date

1 fifth date

1 sixth date

here's a little synopsis of some of those first dates...

there was the one guy where I had to meet him for lunch during the week, which meant I couldn't calm my nerves with a little pinot grigio before hand.  the date was also the brother-in-law of a co-worker/good friend.  it was a great first date, but no second date followed.

there was one guy that I couldn't get him to talk, so I had to keep talking forever about game of thrones and breaking bad.  the date was really short and I was so excited when the server brought back the check b/c I was thinking in my head "YES! I get to go home and put on my sweatpants!" until he then asked if I wanted to go get ice cream and I knew I couldn't back out.  needless to say...I didn't let that "friend" set me up on any dates again.  although, she did try.

there was one guy that I drank WAY too much wine to settle my nerves before the date and then drank WAY too many margs once I was on the date that I don't remember much...hence there was no second date.

there was a guy who asked me to dinner at panera bread, which immediately turned me off. then later asked a single girlfriend her advice on if i was being a bitch by not wanting to go to panera bread for DINNER and after a few texts we figured out she had been on a date with this guy and she warned me not to go b/c I would not like him at all.  so I cancelled the date due to a "stomach bug" and never spoke to him again...although he made many attempts to speak to me.

there was one guy that I really hit it off with this summer.  our first date was probably the best first date i've ever been on and he even said that to me within the first 10 minutes of being there.  the conversation never lacked and I never wanted the date to end. they almost had to throw us out of the restaurant b/c i'm sure they were about to close. we've been on several dates and hung out several times since our first date in late june. but he'll fade away for a couple of weeks and then we'll go on a date and the same pattern.  

then there was the guy that I went on a date with last night.  it was nice.  he was nice.  not my top pick of a first date place, but it was fine.  he's the same guy that is texting me as I type this blog post to ask me out on a 2nd date.  but I kept comparing the date it in my head to the guy that I still can't stop thinking about, but the same guy that never asks me out on dates...atleast not that often. 

dating sucks. dating can be fun. dating is exhausting. dating is me drinking a lot.