Valentine's Day Recap 2 Weeks Later

I'm sure you've all been chomping at the bit to hear about my valentine's day adventure. Sorry for the delay...I have so much to say but haven't quite found the time to sit down and blog about it. To put things simply, I went on the kind of blind date that gives blind dates a bad name. You all know I've been on my fair share of awkward, down right terrible dates, but this one takes the cake. However, the way it came about was fun and adventurous, so I want to tell you the whole story...

Every Valentine's Day, one of the popular Orlando radio morning shows does this thing called "The Mile of Men." They basically have men call in describing themselves by their celebrity look-a-like and get put on the station's website. On Valentine's Day, women call in and claim their date and all the daters meet at The Hard Rock Cafe that night for dinner. Well, this year, they added women to the "Mile." 

Always the active participant in my dating life, my mom calls me one morning on my way to work telling me I should call the radio station and try to get on the Mile of Men. I laughed it off, but quickly changed my mind. I obviously didn't have plans for Valentine's Day and let's be honest, my dating life has been non-existent. I'm also always up for a random adventure and knew even if it didn't go well, I would get a great story out of it. 

So the day before Valentine's Day, I get in the car to drive to work and learn that they are interviewing two more girls. I call five or six times until I finally get through and next thing you know, I am live on the radio! I got on the Mile of Men and some basic information about me goes up on their website. The plan is that on Valentine's Day between 7-9 a.m, people can call in and "claim" their date on a first come, first serve basis. I'm the first girl picked that morning and get introduced to my date on live radio. One word: awkward. 

My profile on their website

Was I nervous to go on a date with a complete stranger that I knew absolutely nothing about? No. I definitely wasn't expecting a love connection, but I figured it would be a fun experience either way. I'd probably have a night of good conversation, free food and have an excuse to dress up and go out. I brought my "A" game, i.e. curled my hair, wore a cute black dress and my favorite black heels. He, on the other hand, brought an array of undesirable qualities, i.e. a combover, a beer belly, white New Balance Sneakers and an overall awkward demeanor. To further explain, as he walked up to me at the restaurant, all I could think was "Oh shit, it's going to be a long night." Thanks Mom!

My face says it all.
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Things really only got worse from the initial introduction. There are too many horrific factors here, so I'm gonna break them down for you bullet-point style:

• He is one of those people who looks old and young at the same time. He could've been 26 or 46 for all I could tell at first.
• When talking about celebrity look-a-likes, he said his look-a-like would have to be Harry Potter. First of all, Harry Potter would have been an improvement. Second of all, no, you do not look anything like Harry Potter.
• When I asked what he does for a living, he told me he is a character at Universal Studios. So grown up. What character, you ask? Scooby Doo. Even better, his future goals are to be a stunt man and make it into the next Universal Studios parade. Dream big, my friend, dream big. 
• One of his first questions for me: "Do you like Star Wars?" If you know me, you know I hate all things Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc. I tell him this and hope he sees what I do...that we have absolutely nothing in common. He doesn't come to that realization and the hits keep coming. 
• We talk about pets. I tell him I hate cats, but that I have a puppy and show him a quick picture before moving on. He responds telling me he has a cat, and proceeds to tell me a 20 minute story about the cat and how fluffy it is...or something. I don't know exactly because I stopped listening after he said he had a cat. 
• I was really hoping that we were on the same page, that he could see there was no connection, that we had nothing in common. That way, we could walk away without ending the night on an awkward note. When he awkwardly leans in and tells me I am really pretty, I realize we are so NOT on the same page...not even on the same book. 
• We talk a bit more...about how he loves theme parks and is reading what I can only assume is a children's book about these kids that get trapped at Disney World for the night and all the rides come to life. We talk about what we like to do for fun. I say I like to keep busy and go out a few nights a week. He tells me he likes to go straight home after work and watch television mostly. 

Needless to say, I didn't exactly want to extend the date past dinner. There were a few daters who actually left their dates in the middle of dinner and I would have never done something like that. It was an unfortunate situation, but I enjoyed the whole process and wouldn't have left. That is just rude. So when the hosts stood up and told everyone they were leaving, that we could stay or go somewhere else, I  knew it was time to head out as well. He asked what I was doing after and I quickly responded with "I need to pick up my puppy. A friend is watching him and it is getting late." 

We ended the night with an awkward hug and him asking me if I was on Facebook. Knowing that he wouldn't have a shot at finding me without knowing my last name I said yes and said goodbye and that it was nice meeting him. I proceeded to call my mom and fill her in on the whole situation as she laughed hysterically on the other end.

Did I expect to meet the love of my life? Of course not. But, I at least thought I might end up having a night of great conversation with someone I just wasn't that attracted to. Or maybe I would end up with someone I was attracted to, but we just didn't have much in common. Instead, I ended up with someone I had zero attraction to and nothing in common with, but it's all good, really. Makes for a funny story and was another fun dating adventure nonetheless.

Have you ever been on a blind date? Was it a complete nightmare?

In Other News...

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is filled with lots of happiness. Rather than spending the day obsessing over being single or the fact that your boyfriend didn't get you the diamond necklace you wanted, put the emphasis on simply being grateful for and showing love toward the ones you care about.

This might come as a bit of shock considering what has been going on lately, but I actually DO have plans for Valentine's Day. I wish, wish, wish I could tell you because it is totally random and fun, but I want to wait and fill you in after the fact. So expect what is sure to be an entertaining post about that later in the week :)

In other news...

I baked my heart out yesterday and it was delightful. As you know from previous posts, I love all the cute Valentine's goodies there are to make and it's a yearly tradition that I make red velvet cupcakes. I used the same cupcake recipe I use every year, but this year, I got a little more creative with the decorating. I even finally got to use my Pampered Chef frosting tubes for the first time! Here's how they turned out...what do you think?

I also made the most adorable cookies...obviously found this idea on Pinterest :)

Peanut butter cookies with Dove chocolates

I also realized I totally forgot to brag about the country concerts I've been to recently. At the end of January, I headed to Tampa with a group of friends to see Zac Brown Band. I've seen them before...last year when they toured with Kenny Chesney, but this time they were headlining and it was absolutely amazing. They have an awesome set and they're just really fun to see live.

Sarah and I <3 

all the ladies!

Last weekend, I went with my good friend Laura to see Miranda Lambert, Chris Young and Jerrod Neimann. I love each of them, but over the last year or so, I've become completely obsessed with Miranda. The show was amazing and we didn't even have very good seats. Most amazing part? Miranda Lambert was really emotional because of some recent deaths in the family and her family dog of 20 years dying just a few days before the concert. She came to Orlando straight from her hometown and when she started singing "The House That Built Me," not more than a few lines into it, she started crying when she got to the part that says, "My favorite dog is buried in the yard." What happened next will go down as one of my all-time favorite experiences. The entire audience sang the rest of the song for her. She started crying, the audience started singing and she couldn't pull herself back together to start over. The audience sang the whole song while Miranda stood on stage in awe. I am getting goosebumps just remembering. It was an amazing thing to be a part of. Moments like that are why I love country music.

I can always count on Laura for concert fun :)

Chris Young, Miranda and Jerrod Neimann

Needless to say, I've been wearing my cowboy boots on the regular, which makes me ridiculously happy. I'm also going to Cowboys this Friday night to do some line dancing...always a fun time!

xoxo

The More Boys I Meet, The More I Love My Dog

I'm in love with this little guy.

Training a puppy is pretty challenging...don't let anyone try to tell you any different. So far, Blake has learned how to sit, we are making some major progress on potty training and he knows he has to sit if he wants to get a treat. He still however, thinks feet are chew toys and hasn't quite caught on to what "No" means. You can't have it all, I guess. Not right away, anyway. I'm learning to practice a little patience, that is for darn sure! 

Our first potty adventures outside. He stared at me and played with leaves mostly.

Despite the challenges, I am loving my new friend and enjoying the experience. As hyper and energetic as he is, he is such a sweet dog. One night not long after I brought him home, after running around like a maniac for hours, I was blogging in bed, filling you all in on my breakup with Gary. As I wrote, I started to cry and just couldn't stop. When Blake stopped attacking his chew toy and nuzzled up to me looking very concerned, I knew in my heart that bringing him home was the right thing to do. I'm really glad I finally took the leap and got a puppy of my own. He is super fun and just so adorable!

Blake's first bone. He loves it!

And I've been listening to this song a lot lately..."The More Boys I Meet" by Carrie Underwood :)

This Too Shall Pass

The last few weeks have been full of country concerts, cowboy boots, fun and the joys of having a puppy. I'm also going to Buffalo to visit my sister and her kids in a few weeks and I can't wait. I want to update you all on that, but first, I need to get some stuff off my chest:

I'm in a little bit of a weird place right now. I am still smiling and staying optimistic, but I don't feel like myself. I can't seem to clear my mind and just relax. If I'm being honest, I'm not over everything that happened with Gary. Don't get me wrong, I know I am better off without him in the long run and think he is a sad excuse for a man, but I am still trying to get over the whole thing. I'm still hurt. I have so much anger I can't let go of and I am still just sad. I feel out of sync with my girlfriends and stressed about work, money, etc.

I've been over thinking everything and I am just wearing myself out mentally and emotionally. I feel like I am not focused at work and sometimes I get really overwhelmed and sad when I am home at night. I can't seem to snap out of this funk I am in. Today I realized I have been so wrapped up with taking care of Blake whenever I am home, I haven't been doing a lot of the little things I know help me in times like this. Remember when I blogged about my stress relief strategies? I've hardly been doing any of these lately!

I know this is just a phase. I know that I'll be back to normal in no time and I know nothing is nearly as bad as it might feel right now. I still do have my always optimistic attitude and I'm keeping things in perspective. My life is amazing, despite the challenges I feel like I'm facing at the moment. Everything will be okay, but in the meantime, I am going to get back to my reliable stress relief tactics. Valentine's Day is coming up and no matter what my love life is like, I ALWAYS bake for Valentine's Day. So that's what I'll be doing Sunday. I'm starting to feel better just thinking about it.

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I hope everyone is having a great week. Thanks for listening :)