the dating diares.

I have hit the point in my life where I have casually been going on "first dates."  I honestly never thought I would see the day, especially after my four year college experience in a small town in Indiana.  Guys didn't really take the girls out to dinner or drinks... because if they did, the whole school would be talking about it.  This definitely had to do with the fact that there were about 4 restaurants in Greencastle, Indiana so you were bound to be seen anywhere you went. You were deemed super lucky if a guy took you to a town about 30 minutes away... which had more like 10 choices. Gosh, just too many to even choose from!  Oh, or the guy would invite a girl over to his fraternity to "pregame" which seemed to be the comparison to a first date at DePauw University. 


So all you ladies who are being thrown into the game, I am starting weekly posts dedicated to the ups & downs of that four letter word that we are all pretty frightened of...  Not that I am ANY kind of love guru here, but I am trying to navigate my way through the nightmare of a thing we call dating in our twenties. Now that I am living in a big city, almost 2,000 miles away from home, I am learning that you have to put yourself out there.  Since I work in the so-called fashion / blogging industry, I am not meeting men (who are into women) in the workplace so easily...

Now going to the hot spots on the weekends is always a for sure place to meet single guys, but I am quickly realizing those dudes who buy you a drink while lustfully leaning against the bar, aren't necessarily the guys I want to settle down with... or bring home to meet the fam. Part one goes out to the most important first step in the whole process... finding a guy who doesn't have a ring on his finger. We've got a few options here...

1. Have your friends/co-workers set you up.  Chances are, the friends you meet in your new city have guy friends who are single & ready to mingle.  Now you don't want someone who only wants to mingle (unless that is strictly what you are looking for!) but you don't want someone who wants to marry you after the first time he takes you out. So, it is best to be super open about what you want from the get-go.

2. Tinder. Yeah, it's a thing. While it may be kind of embarrassing, and you may feel like you are above this form of meeting people, it is way more common than you think. In LA for example, almost every single person I know is on Tinder. Heck, it is a super easy way to meet people, even if you just need friends of the opposite sex. I actually have a few friends out on the west coast who are dating someone they met through the app... and they are still going strong!

3. Crushin' at church.  I recently joined an amazing church, Mosaic, and the place is filled with cuties. Now that is most definitely not the only reason I go every Sunday night, but it sure doesn't hurt the two hour long service!  It is a great place to mingle with twenty somethings, and it is a plus to know they are practice the same beliefs you do.  You can even join a life group to get to know these pretty faces at a more intimate level.

Where are the places in your post-grad life where you have met a dude who is cooler than ice cream? I'd love to hear y'alls options as well...  just here hopin' that chivalry is still alive!

{Photos via Pinterest}.