A Date for the Books

LOS ANGELES, CA-- Wow. Where to begin?  First off, I turn 30 next month. (February 14th for those of you wishing to send cards/presents/chocolates/well-wishes).  Doesn't that sound so old?!  So, I guess we'll start with that, and an issue I generally steer clear of on my blog: dating. Now we're talking.

I'll admit it, I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd be 30 and still single. I mean, I guess, does anyone ever think that? Along with my years of being single, has come countless dates: Fun dates, not-fun-at-all dates, weird dates, incredible dates I wished would never end, buh-ooooring dates where I would have preferred staring at blank wall instead, blind dates, dates with guys I've known for years... you get the picture.  If going on dates and having a lot of boyfriends somehow equates to getting married, then I would have been married a thousand times over by now. My last "breakup," finally cemented my long-standing theory that it is definitely them and not me. (Feel free to back me up here). I should have dedicated an entire blog to my dating woes, it would have made for some entertaining material.  But, had I of done so, it would have quickly been my dating demise, because I'm pretty sure no Mormon boy wants their good name smeared as comedy relief on anyone's blog.  It is a small world, after all. So, while I'm not one to normally blog about my dating life, I think a recent experience warrants a post. So, here goes...

I'll start this story by confessing that I'm a blog hopper.  I love reading goofy blogs and blogs that are linked to those blogs.  Last fall, I somehow came across "The Mormon Bachlorette" blog.  For those of you unfamiliar with it, a girl in Southern California came up with the idea to go out with 30 guys in 30 days with the hopes of finding "the one."  I remember initially thinking, "Seriously?! Why are Mormons so weird?!"  In the end, I just really ended up admiring her for her gutsiness.  And, it worked.  She is now engaged.  Pretty crazy, eh?  The thing though that really got me hooked on the blog is that they posted "webisodes" of all her dates.  Someone actually followed this girl around on her dates and got them all on camera.  They were so-ooo awkward to watch... some of them painfully awkward... that I couldn't stop watching.  I was hooked on this ridiculous blog.  Well, her "season" ended and the same group decided to do a spinoff and call it "The Mormon Bachelor."  This time one lucky guy would go on thirty dates with thirty girls with the hopes of finding his "true Mormon love," as the blog often refers.  Awkward, right?  You bet!  A month or so ago, the blog announced who the Mormon Bachelor would be, and it was one of my favorite guys who had gone on a date the previous season.  His name is Rick Buck. He's a dentist from Rancho Cucamonga, California. And the video he put together to apply to be the Mormon Bachelor was A-MAZ-ING!  I loved it.  You all know how much of a geek I am about fantastically edited videos.  So, I emailed the link to my twin sister Brittany and told her to check it out, just because I thought she would think it was funny too:

I'm sure you can already guess where this story is headed. And no, I did not sign myself up for a date. (Come on, you really think I would do that?!) Instead, a few weeks ago, I got a text message from an unknown number saying, "Andrea, this is Dan from the Mormon Bachelor. I got your application and it looks great! When can we chat?"  You can imagine my shock and twinge of horror.  He's got to be kidding! I applied for no such thing! I am not that desperate!  I immediately emailed my sisters demanding to know which of them was behind it. Turns out, my dear sister Brittany was the culprit. Both she and our younger sister are married to dentists and apparently she thought two in the family wasn't enough. (Please note the sarcasm, but you saw that one coming, didn't you?  I might add, had the roles been reversed Brittany would have killed me.)  Dan called me, explained everything, and said, "We'd really like you to do this! I think you'd have fun." (By the way, Dan is one of Rick's best friends, and helped "screen" the applicants.)  Dan was pretty convincing.  I quickly got over my irritation and before I had time to think about the potential awkwardness that lay ahead, I agreed to fly the nearly 3,000 miles to Southern California the next weekend to go on a date with Rick.  What was I thinking?  Ultimately, I figured I was overdue for both a trip to SoCal, and for a blind date.  And hey, I had the time.  So, why not?  While I'm not always up for awkwardness, I'm always up for an adventure.  And that's just what I got.

Other then my pride being on the line, the most nerve-wracking part leading up to the whole thing was that I had to actually plan the date, which is not my cup of tea.  I am not a planner.  So, I googled ideas of things to do in the Los Angeles area, and ultimately decided on being on the game show, Let's Make a Deal hosted by Wayne Brady.  I've done just about everything you could possibly do in California, but be on a TV show.  And who doesn't have dreams of winning big on a game show? But the twist with this game show is that you have to wear costumes to be in the audience.  Those of you who know me best know that I can't stand Halloween, or anything involving wearing a costume... so this was a stretch for me.  Nonetheless, I gathered the tackiest DC gear I could find and called it good. I met up with Rick outside the studios, and right away I knew it would be a fun day. He couldn't stop smiling and even apologized for it. He was so excited about being on the show! (And assumedly on a date with me) It was a blast! We didn't get to be contestants, although we were pretty sure our chances were good after we blew producers away with the story of our blind date. But, we had fun anyway even just being part of the audience. Other audience members kept asking if we were really on a blind date, and wished us luck when we told them it was true. The producers even seated us on the front row, so for those of you "Let's Make a Deal" fans, you should be able to spot us on the show when it airs in a few weeks. 

Rick and I standing in the line outside the Sunset Bronson Studios in Hollywood

After the game show we headed to dinner at a little Mexican food place down Sunset Boulevard. It was fun just chatting with Rick, and Dan, who happened to be our film crew for the date. I felt like I was just catching up with old friends. While I can't say if Rick is my "true Mormon love," I can say that I had a lot of fun. Random? Most definitely. Awkward?  I'll let you be the judge:

For more insight, feel free to check out our "after-the-date" interviews:

This definitely goes down in my dating history book as my favorite blind date. Rick was a genuinely nice, fun, sweet guy. You can read his rendition of the date here.

So, will there be a second date?  I guess you'll have to keep tuning into the Mormon Bachelor to find out.  Feel free to comment on my blog, and on The Mormon Bachelor blog to tell us what you think.  I'd love to read your comments!

It looks like 2011 is off to a spontaneous start.  Just how I like it.  I would be remiss if I didn't thank Brittany for amusing me!* As I head into my thirtieth year, I'll at least be a little more open to potential awkwardness in my adventures from here on out. Hopefully it'll make for some more entertaining stories. And watch out boys, maybe I'll start documenting my dates on my blog more often.**  Better yet, how about an East Coast Mormon Bachelor/Bachelorette, any takers?  The sky's the limit.   

*This blog post is not to be viewed as an endorsement for my sisters to play matchmaker in the future.  Just to make that clear. :)  
**I'm kidding. Unless I have their permission, of course.