Go SPEEDRACER...GO!

I feel that I have told most people but here is a confession. I signed up for a speed dating night. OHHH. I can already hear the "yahoos" and the "are you crazy?" comments. For the record, the movies make speed dating look so fun and interesting so I thought I would try it out. (I know, the movies make lots of things look fun and I should not use that as any sort of gauge.) However, to be honest, the moment that I signed up I regretted it. The only redeem grace was that I thought, "Well, at least I can blog about it." Hours of potential torture and I am excited because I can write about it...sick, sick, sick.

I told a few co-workers that I signed up for the speed dating event and here is one exchange I had:
Me: "So, did I tell you I signed up for a Speed Dating event?"
Mormon co-worker: "Seriously?"
Me: "Yeah, it is organized by a professional group in D.C. and they put together Jewish, Catholic, etc. speed dating events and I signed up for the Mormon Speed Dating event."
Mormon co-worker: (Coughing while saying), "Boring. You know they actually call that a scripture chase, Moses 1:34"
Me: (Laughing) "Well, it gets better, it is on July 24th (Pioneer Day for all you non-Utahans) and they are holding it at a wine bar."
Mormon co-worker: (Laughing) "Yeah, that is funny."

Our conversation concluded by his telling me how he is so glad that he didn't have to be in the dating scene and how he felt bad that I had to be. Not that I wasn't nervous before but that night I went online and found an article entitled, The Pros and Cons of Speed Dating by Amy Schoen. It was actually very helpful at putting the situation into perspective.

Here is part of the article , (it is long but if you interested in Speed Dating, it is a good read)

Let me give you a bit of a set up: Most speed dating organizations organize the event by age groups, interests, even religions. You arrive at a bar, restaurant or community center with about 2 dozen other singles - half women and half men. You sign in and are given a number and a card for taking notes about the people you meet.Pairs are assigned and you find the person for which you will begin with. Different organizations have different time limits. The time to spend together can range from 2 minutes to 10 minutes. After the first round, you move onto subsequent rounds with a new partner. If you are interested in someone, you put their number on the card.By the end, if both people like each other and put each other's numbers down on the card submitted to the organizers, then they receive each other's contact information so they can meet outside the event. However, if one person puts down an individual and that person doesn't reciprocate, then no contact information is given out. Below are some Pros and Cons to consider so you will be aware of what you may be facing in this kind of dating prospect venue.

Cons of Speed Dating:

1. How you decide to meet someone is based on superficial stuff - it's only natural to judge someone on looks and first impressions. You may be turned off right away and then not make any effort reach deeper to get to know someone's inner soul.
2. If you know that you have no interest in someone, you still have to spend the rest of the time talking to him or her. This can be torturous - especially if your partner has no conversational skills. Minutes can seem like hours!
3. You have to subject yourself to rejection. What if you like someone and they don't like you back? Speed dating is not for the thin-skinned person. Your inner critic will have a field day if no one picks you.
4. There may be a cute guy across the room (okay, we can't help being superficial!) and you are never paired up with him because of time constraints. You may never get a chance to meet him. It seems like the stars are conspiring against you and there was a major opportunity lost.
5. No connections were made; you feel like the evening was a waste of time and wish that you stayed home that night watching Gray's Anatomy!

Yes, speed dating can be a disappointment ... but the good news is that there have been successful meetings at these events. I know a married couple who met this way. I also have had clients meet nice people to date. Here is the positive side of speed dating.

Pros of Speed Dating:

1. You get to meet at least a half dozen people who are inclined to give you their undivided attention for the time allotted.
2. If you sit back and relax, you can get a sense of someone, their demeanor and their essence - whether it's positive or negative. This is when it's helpful to know how to read body language.
3. You know the majority of people are serious about meeting someone to date. Why else would someone subject themselves to this?
4. You can see if you can carry a conversation with someone. You'll find out if there are interests in common. You may not meet the love of your life, but you could find a person who could be a life long friend.
5. You may actually meet someone you like that you would consider dating. Now you're ahead of where you were when you walked in the door!

I wish I had read this article BEFORE I signed up because apparently, I am actually paying for the experience of possible rejection. Lucky for me I am also dragging my friend Emma along for the ride. Wish us both luck because we are in for an adventure.

Concert in the Park

One of the many benefits of living in a big city is that there is always an enormous list of concerts, exhibits, lectures, movies, etc. that you can attend on any given night. Last night the singles group went to a free National Symphony Orchestra concert at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre in Rock Creek Park. They let you bring in food and the amphitheatre has really chairs so it makes for a very comfortable evening. I loved seeing all the families with the children enjoying the concert. Before the concert the orchestra holds a "petty zoo" where children and adults can come and play with different instruments.

Here is the program from last night:

Marcelo Lehninger, conductor
"Music from the Americas"
Gershwin: Cuban Overture
Williams: Olympic Fanfare and Theme
Copland: El Salón México
Chadwick: Symphonic Sketches – i. Jubilee
Gould: Latin-American Symphonette – ii. Tango
Grofé: Mississippi Suite – iv. Mardi Gras
Dvorák: Symphony No.9 "From the New World" – iv. finale

For the singles part of the evening, it was fine. I met some new people and I reconnected with some people that I have seen at other events. To be honest, I almost did not go because I just get nervous about the whole singles scene and I don't like showing up to the events by myself. But, I did go and I am so glad I did because it was a very fun night.

Book Group: Twilight!

I played hostess (with the mostess) to this month's Book Group. We read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight in anticipation of the August 2, 2008 release of the 4th book in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn.

The book group was fun because we invited young women over the age of 14 years old to join us. We had three girls with their mothers attend and it was interesting to get their insight on the books. Someone told me that a man in our ward wanted to come to book group because he had read the whole series and I was sad that he didn't come. He might have felt a bit out of place but I think we would have enjoyed his perspective.

On one of my last Goodwill trips, I had found this punch bowl and cups for $14.00. It came in quite handy for the book group. Cute, huh?!


Here is a small mosaic of our night. I love having events in my home because it just makes my house feel lived in and it also gets really clean!

Batter up!

I should have titled this post, Mid-Single Activity #1. Let’s just say that being single is um, interesting. I really love to go to baseball games so it was not hard for me to convince myself to say yes to this activity. I mean seriously how weird or awkward could a Saturday night at the ballpark be? (Don’t answer that!)

I probably spoke to soon regarding the strangeness of single activities but I have decided that each activity or mix n’ mingle is just some sort of learning experience. I might as well go, grab a metaphoric hot dog, and enjoy the game. One thing that I did learn is something that I think is applicable no matter your age or situation which is, meeting new people is hard and it takes a while to feel comfortable in a new group. For any of you that know me, I am not shy. In fact, I would say that most the time I am outgoing but I have to say that lately when put into these “single” situations I become a bit reserved and quiet. If you don’t believe me I will tell you that on my first date (pd) I could hardly form words and I knew my date (It was a bit pathetic). I would try and think of something to say but nothing came out. Needless to say, that when meeting new people now, I resort to “interviewing” techniques that I use a work. I can keep the person talking and at least moving the conversation forward. Hopefully with time I will get more comfortable but I digress.

Saturday night I went to the Nationals vs. Texas Rangers game in the National's new ballpark. The stadium is big, open, and awesome. They designed the seats in such a way that you really feel that you can see the field and be apart of the action. There was lots of action on the field but unfortunately, it was all the Rangers. The final score of the game was Nationals 3- Rangers 13. (ouch!) For the most part it was a fun night with only one very strange and very awkward conversation. To tell you how bizarre, the guy I started talking to remembered playing volleyball in a swimming pool with me 11 years ago. Then he joked that his invitation to my wedding must have gotten lost. I am serious! Oh, and he couldn’t understand why I didn’t remember this interaction of ours. So funny and soooo odd.

Here are some pictures from the night.

See me in the corner?

Ben’s Chili Bowl (a D.C. institution)


See the white obelisk in the background? That is the Washington Monument.

"You got peanut butter on my chocolate!"

“You got chocolate in my peanut butter! ... Two great tastes that taste great together, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups." or

Peanut Butter Balls

My sister-in-law Shonna told me about this great blog called Cast Sugar. Nemmie (the owner of the blog) makes all sorts of recipes and then photographs her work. The blog is incredible. I needed something to take with me to the mix n’ mingle and Shonna suggested Nemmie’s Peanut Butter Balls. They taste like Reese Peanut Butter Cups, only so much better. I put the peanut butter mixture into a 9 x13, chill it, and then covered it with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. The bars are very hard to cut and make pretty so if you are concerned about pretty, roll balls. Oh, and I mixed everything in my food processor which made the process quite simple. After it mixed in the food processor it only took a few minutes to form it into dough.

The Peanut Butter Bars were a HUGE success- as Nemmie says, “Try keeping this recipe to yourself.”

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:
2 c. crushed graham crackers*
2 c. powdered sugar
2 c. peanut butter (creamy or chunky, your choice)**
1/4 c. butter (barely melted in the microwave)
Dipping chocolate

Mix together the first 4 ingredients as you would a pie crust. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Melt the dipping chocolate. Roll peanut butter mixture into small balls, and dip into the chocolate. Allow to set on wax paper. Chill until served.

My helpful hints.
*I also put the graham crackers in the food processor and made them very fine. You don’t want chunky bits of cracker.
**I used all natural peanut butter-who needs the extra junk they put in peanut butter?

Back in the saddle again. . .

. . .or at least getting closer to the horse.

In the last 6 months or so, many well meaning friends and family members have tried to urge, push, and persuade my rebirth into the single scene. Even though I drag my feet, I really do appreciate everyone’s encouragement.

I think my Bishop even picked up on the vibe because he asked me if I would be the liaison between my ward and the mid 30’s single’s group. (We only have 3 mid 30's singles in my ward counting me!) There have been a couple of meetings and activities that I could not attend but I finally ran out of excuses. So today I went to church in the designated ward for mid 30’s singles. To explain they took a family ward (Chevy Chase Ward) and they designated it the mid 30’s single’s ward too. Everyone meets together for Sacrament Meeting and then they split off- one Sunday school for the singles and one for the marrieds and then everyone meets back together for Elder’s Quorum or Relief Society.

It is a bit nerve racking to meet new people (seriously!). It is also very early. My family ward is about 1 mile away and starts at 1 p.m. The Chevy Chase Ward is 16 miles away and starts at 9 a.m. This really should be a no brainer.

Accomplishments:
1. I saw Senator Harry Reid (it is his ward) and his buzz-cut secret service agents. I also sat next to his wife in Relief Society.
2. I reconnected with some old friends.
3. I sat in a Sunday School class just for single people. (I haven’t done that since I was in college)
4. Signed up to go to a Nationals Baseball game with the singles this coming Saturday.
5. I met a lot of nice people.
6. Stayed for the Linger Longer/Mix n’ Mingle (my peanut butter bars were a huge success!)
7. Got home in enough time to take a Sunday nap

Yes, you should all be proud.