Speed Dating Adventures: Round 1

Speed dating originated in 1998, and was set up by an American rabbi, as a way for young, single Jewish people to meet one another. Back in the nineties, speed dating events attracted large diverse crowds. But as the years have gone on, the popularity of speed dating has dwindled potentially as a result of people primarily finding their partners through apps.

Although it’s not as common anymore (at least for my age group) – the thought of having up to 15 mini-dates seemed very exciting. I mean, who wouldn’t want to experience being ‘The Bachelor’ or ‘The Bachelorette’ at least once?

My silent prayer was answered when my sweet Jewish mother purchased me 2 speed dating Groupons through 25dates.com as part of my birthday gift. I mean… do you think she was sending me a subtle hint?

So I went online to sign my friend and I up. Neither of us had any expectations – other than to at the very least to have a good laugh. We did agree to go in with an open mind, and try to take the whole experience seriously.

—

The event took place at a vodka bar & lounge. The ambiance was very nice and relaxing. We signed in, were each given a name tag with a specific number and a score card sheet. The first half an hour or so was just waiting around for the other 10-15 guys and girls to get there… we were one of the first few. It was painfully awkward waiting around to start, so I went up to the bar to get a drink, and as I returned back to the couch — I noticed a cute guy sitting there. We smiled at each other.

Him: “Hi – you look very familiar.”

Me: “Actually.. you as well.”

Him: “Have we been talking on JSwipe?”

I was so shocked… I knew I recognized him from somewhere. We had matched several times on more than one app and for some reason or another our conversation never led to meeting up. Anyway it was almost meant to be I thought, that both of us had signed up for this event!

Another guy had started talking to my friend – so I wasted no time getting to know JSwipe guy even more – and we pretty much had a 15 minute head start on our 5 minute speed date. He seemed quite normal and mature, and we had a bit in common. He said to me I looked a lot better in person than on the app… which I thought to take as a compliment, but also just goes to show that sometimes the pictures you post don’t always do you complete justice.

We pretty much told each other we were marking a ‘yes’ next to both of our names. It was a great start to the evening! Unfortunately, it only went downhill after that…

Kevin the line cook was one of my favourites – for all the wrong reasons. Mainly for entertainment. He jumped right into telling me that he was ‘a masochist who enjoyed getting hurt’… pointing out all the burn marks and scars down his arm. It only got better from there. When I asked him to tell me something random about himself, he said that he considered cherries to be very unsexy.

When I asked why – he told me because he didn’t like the shape (red flag #1… thought to myself: So do you prefer the shape of a banana?) and he said also because they lower your sex drive. Who knew about that one? Anyway, with no hesitancy, I marked down ‘no’.

On the topic of food – Kevin the software manager asked me what I thought about Pineapples. Because of course, that’s something I think about on a regular, day-to-day basis.

Me: “They’re pretty sweet. What do you think?”

Kevin: “Delicious. They’re actually known to make everything taste so much better.” Throws in a wink at the end.

Grabbed my score card and marked ‘no’.

Aside from those, most of the conversations I had were pretty dry and I didn’t feel any chemistry, so by the end of the night – there was only one box marked ‘yes’ for the JSwipe guy. I hate to say, but most were quite socially awkward (which is not a bad thing) but they had absolutely no clue how to talk to woman.

—

Fast forward to 11PM. I’m about to go to sleep and I get a new Bumble alert on my phone. Oh my god… I still had JSwipe guy listed as a match. So for the next hour we continued writing back and forth. So much for waiting two days (at which time I would get an alert from 25dates) to find out if he was interested. Conversation was mostly great, but he was being overly flirty. To the point of saying things like I’m a naughty girl for following him to a speed dating event, and that he noticed I have a really nice bum. I was surprised he was talking this way after our great conversation that night.

I responded asking if he was examining me when I was at the bar. He replied…

“Admittedly I was. A good doctor always has to examine his patients.” (No, he’s not a doctor).

I responded jokingly asking if he had a PhD. He replied…

“Yeah, I guess I’ll have to be more thorough next time”.

Anyway — he wants to see me tomorrow evening (3 days after the event). He suggested a movie and wine night at his place, which I think everyone knows what that implies. I wrote saying I would be open to going to see a movie in a theatre and maybe grabbing a drink after. He liked that idea, but after having spoken with my friends about it… I’m feeling like he may just be a playboy looking for a good time. Thinking I may need to be honest about what I’m looking for before meeting up. Thoughts?

More adventures coming your way soon.

—

P.S. According to Toronto.com’s ‘100 Places to Pickup in Toronto‘ article – speed dating is pretty high up on the list of new ways to meet and mingle with other young professionals. I plan on checking out several of the other venues on this list over the next year, and will try to shift more away from all the online apps. Take a look, you may be inspired.

Signals

Jeremy and I got matched on Coffee Meets Bagel two weeks ago. The app had been on my phone for a little while and I really wasn’t having any luck… up until his handsome profile popped up.

Over the next week we were writing back and forth quite a bit. I discovered we shared a lot in common and he sounded quite mature and grounded for a guy in his mid 20s. He also conveniently lived a walk away from where I work! So it was only natural that the next step was to meet up for drinks after work one evening.

I met up with Jeremy last Thursday after work at a cute little Italian restaurant with a beautiful outdoor patio. He was waiting outside the restaurant when I arrived – and he looked even more handsome than in his photos. We hugged hello and made our way inside (he held the door open for me, which made my heart melt just a little). Unfortunately for us, it was 40 degrees out so we opted to eat inside.

We had the whole upper level dining area to ourselves – truly couldn’t have asked for a more romantic setting! Once we got past the initial nervous banter, conversation seemed to flow pretty well. We picked up where we left off on the app and started diving into more about our families and travel adventures. I was inadvertently twirling my hair the entire night and he seemed to be sending me signals he was interested as well. First off – there was no checking his phone the entire time we were together (except for when he showed me pictures of his dogs – which were incredibly cute). Second, he combed his hand through his luscious surfer hair multiple times — guys, am I reading too much into that one or is that a definite sign of showing off / interest? Third – there were a few times that he stretched his arms up to show off his biceps — I was definitely liking what I saw.

Once we finished dinner – he offered to pay. Huge signal he likes me, right? Otherwise, he could have just split the bill since we shared a salad and pizza. He then walked back to the subway station with me even though it was past his street to go home. At that point we hugged goodbye and I felt the date ended on a great note.

So here I am — trying to get through my work day last Friday… although every 5 seconds I’m glancing over at my phone hoping to see his name pop up. 5PM rolls around and nothing. Saturday, nothing. At this point I was starting to get worried but figured maybe by the third day he’d message (playing it cool). Sunday, nothing.

Monday evening I decided to send him a text playing it cool and just said, “Hey! How was your weekend?” He responded almost an hour later, “Hey, weekend was good. Went up to a friends cottage.”

That’s it. He didn’t ask me how my weekend was, or any question in return. Obviously, I was feeling confused and hurt. I thought I picked up all these signals that he was interested, but I guess I was wrong. There’s been no correspondence since Monday – I never responded, because I didn’t feel there was anything to respond to. Wishing I had some closure – even though I know we only went on one date.

Thoughts?

The Spicy Israeli Soldier

A few weeks ago I departed on a 10 day organized trip to Israel with 39 other Jewish young adults. The thought of traveling without my family or friends for the first time was daunting, while at the same time extremely liberating. It was an opportunity for me to develop a deeper connection with my Jewish roots, and challenge me to go on an adventure so far outside my comfort zone. I was also somewhat optimistic to connect with a nice Jewish boy to bring home to mom and dad. ;)

The first day or two of the trip was extremely exhausting; especially finding it difficult with the time zone change and lack of sleep. We were all running on adrenaline to get through the action packed days.

By day 3 or 4 – I unfortunately had to write the majority of guys off my list, as they were either in a serious relationship or had already hooked up with two or three girls. From the short remaining list – there was one in particular that I was really into. We sparked up conversation here and there, and it sounded like we had things in common. However, he seemed a bit more reserved and shy so I mainly stuck to hanging out with the girls I connected with.

On day 5 – we had a group of Israeli soldiers in the IDF join us for the remainder of our trip. Most of them were close to the end of their mandatory service period and were given the opportunity to travel their country with our group. As we shook hands with all of them, I was surprised to see that one of the soldiers looked a lot like my ex-boyfriend, so of course… he immediately caught my attention.

The following day we all had a long bus ride to the Judean desert. We arrived and got settled into the Bedouin tents. I still had to pinch myself, thinking how unbelievable it was that I was actually in the middle of a desert! When the sun went down we all went star gazing, which was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had in my life. While walking back, the IDF soldier I had been eyeing approached me, and we struck up a conversation. When we arrived at the tents, there was a bonfire going and he asked if I wanted to join him. I had butterflies gathering in my stomach, and happily accepted his invitation.

Over the next few hours – we continued chatting by the fire and it truly felt like there was no one else around us. I was so interested to learn about his life, and in return he seemed to want to absorb every little detail about mine. He was so open to telling me about his position in the Israeli Navy – specifically the submarine unit. Considering his first language was Hebrew, I was pleasantly surprised that there was hardly a language barrier. Hearing all the IDF soldiers share their stories around the camp fire made me gain such a deep appreciation for what they do to defend their country.

Over the days that followed we continued to get to know one another. We had a magical evening in Jerusalem where a replica of the Eiffel Tower was the backdrop to our first kiss.

We walked around the markets where he bought me an army beret to remember him. Afterwards, we met up with the rest of the group and went to a nearby club. It was overwhelmingly jam packed – but once we ordered drinks and found a spot to dance – all of us had the most incredible time. My soldier and I were grinding against one another in the middle of the dance floor, and somehow or another we ended up dancing on top of the tables with the rest of our group. Meanwhile I saw the other guy I liked in the corner of my eye – and he seemed to be getting closer with another girl on my trip. One might I add that was the polar opposite of me personality wise, and was surprised he would be interested in her. It was a little frustrating knowing that he might of been a better long-term match – but my mind was focused on living in the moment with my soldier.

We all got back to our hotel at around 1:30AM. I didn’t want the night to end with him so he kicked his two roommates out for a while. He shut the door and played some Israeli music. We shared a beautiful night together – one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

The time arrived when we had to say goodbye to all the soldiers – which was hard for me. Luckily, being the sweet and incredible guy my soldier was – he promised to come by the airport to see me one last time.

True to his word – there he was, waiting while my group checked in our luggage at 3AM. Once he finished hugging the rest of my group goodbye, he came to me and in the little time we had left together, we shared one last passionate kiss.

Upon my return home – we were still writing to each other quite frequently. Maybe once every day for the first few days. After a week, conversation started slowing down. Although he has plans to come visit here in a few months once finished with the army, I know that I just can’t do long distance.

Overall – the trip was eye opening, inspiring and an absolutely incredible adventure. Hoping there will be more exciting adventures to share soon.

Real Estate Guy: Part 2

I recently got back from The Bahamas – which was the perfect remedy for escaping the cold Canadian Winter. I’d give anything to be back on the beach with a rum punch in my hand, while getting cat called by the Bahamian men…

In the midst of all the last minute packing and finalizing work projects, I forgot to provide everyone with an update on Real Estate Guy (who I talked about in my last post here).

I ended up driving over to his brother’s birthday party around 11PM and REG greeted me at the doorway. I could see the party was already in full gear; there were at least 20-30 people on the main floor. Some were playing beer pong, and others were busy putting together the final touches on his brothers birthday cake. He took me around and introduced me to all his friends – including his roommates and his brothers girlfriends. Everyone was very friendly! I was overall feeling very comfortable with the setting and surprisingly didn’t feel too overwhelmed by the number of people.

After about an hour – we went downstairs to the basement, and there I discovered another large group of people – who I found out were his brothers friends. When he introduced me to his brother – we gave each other a friendly hello, and that was it. I was so relieved his brother didn’t mention anything about us going on a date years ago…

Later on REG gave me a tour of his place – we laughed over all his embarrassing childhood photos on the walls. The tour ended in his old bedroom. It was definitely your typical boys room – with playboy model posters on the wall and all his sports trophies lined up on his chest of drawers. We lay down on his bed and stared into each others eyes. He just couldn’t stop smiling as he stared at me and I couldn’t help but giggle. He kept asking, “what’s so funny?” and I kept saying… “nothing, you’re just a really sweet guy”.

We started kissing and… I could feel something wasn’t right. I wasn’t feeling any sort of spark or excitement when he kissed me. I thought to myself — it’s probably just the setting. It wasn’t very romantic – and I felt a bit uncomfortable being there for too long while his friends were still downstairs. So I cut the kissing and cuddling session short, and we went downstairs to join his friends for a bit longer. At 3AM he walked me to the door, we kissed goodnight and with that I left.

We saw each other again last Sunday. The evening started with dinner at an upscale Italian restaurant. It was our third date and I thought conversation would maybe get a bit deeper. I was still unsure about where him and his ex stood (as 2/3 of his Facebook photos were of him and her). However, it just stayed surface level. Afterwards we went to see a movie at a theater nearby. About half way in he reached to hold my hand. I did feel something when he held my hand – which I thought was a good sign.

When the movie ended, he drove me home. I thanked him for a really nice evening. He told me I should come back to his place the following weekend for a hot tub and wine date and I nodded saying we’d speak more about it later. He then leaned in again and kissed me. I tried to completely relax and clear my head, and be in the moment. I closed me eyes and as we were kissing, but I still felt nothing. I felt… awful.

Perhaps part of me wished he had a bit of a play hard to get / bad side. I know I need someone who is sweet and sincere, but I crave that element of mystery and danger. Passion and chemistry are things you need to build in a relationship, and if I wasn’t feeling anything by date 3, I didn’t feel it would be fair to lead him on any further. It’s been almost a week since our date, and neither of us haven’t written to the other.

Another blogger I follow suggested you should wait at least a week in between dates when you first start seeing someone. I feel like there is something to that. Maybe it was too much too soon, and that was part of what turned me off. What are your thoughts on this?

So here I am again, back to square 1. Months away from reaching a quarter of a century, and trying to stay as optimistic as possible that my prince charming is out there somewhere. I still have a lot of adventures planned for the rest of this year, so I have faith that he is out there!

It’s a Small World…

About a week ago I got a new match on Bumble; let’s call him Real Estate Guy. We wrote back and forth during the week, and I learned we had quite a bit in common. He lived downtown, but grew up in the same suburban city as me (his family literally lives a few streets away). We went to the same high school — but I never crossed paths with him as he was a year below me. We joked about how the app had a brilliant algorithm in place to match people up.

His first name wasn’t very common and sounded quite familiar — so I thought why not do a quick Facebook search. Sure enough, his profile was the first to pop up – and as soon as I saw his last name, I freaked out. Years ago I worked as a front desk receptionist at my dads office – and this guy would come in frequently as he had a sports injury that needed treatment. I was smitten by him and got my dad to investigate – but unfortunately he was in a relationship at the time.

Fast forward 6 or 7 years later – and here we are. We had our first date last night! I chose not to tell him about my crush on him years before or even to remind him that he had been into my dads office.

He picked me up in his stick shift Audi and away we went to a local restaurant for dessert and and drinks.

Over the next two hours conversation flowed so well. I was happy to learn he was very close with him family and also a travel enthusiast. Most importantly, I found another cat lover!

After about 2 hours – we decided it was too early to call it a night on a Friday evening. Next stop: glow in the dark mini-putting. Trust me, you can never be too old to go! We had a great time.

He drove me home around 11:30.

“So what are you up to for the rest of the weekend?” I said.

“My parents are out of town and we are going to have a party for my brothers birthday tomorrow night. Actually, you should come!”

I told him that sounded fun and I’d let him know. With that he walked me to my door (what a gentleman!) As we said goodnight, he leaned in and kissed me. It was so sweet. He was so sweet…

I woke up this morning with another realization. Oh. My. God. I ran to Facebook and searched his last name again. I found his brother’s page – the one whose birthday it was. I couldn’t believe it. I went on a date with him years ago – I have no idea whether he remembers me or not. If he does, it could be very awkward if I go to the party tonight.

I think the best thing to do is just play it cool if I go. I doubt he’d say anything, but still. What!! What would you guys do?

—-

I wanted to give you an update on Finance Guy from Valentine’s Day. After giving it quite a bit of thought – I decided not to pursue anything further with him. I felt as though his lifestyle and mine just didn’t match. It was a fun adventure, but onto the next!

YOLO: A Valentines Day Adventure

I’ve been talking to Finance Guy for about a week on a new app called ‘Happn‘. For those of you who don’t know about it, it’s become an increasingly popular dating app where you get matched with people you cross paths with.

Finance Guy and I matched around mid town (probably while I was passing him to get downtown). I learned he worked around there, but also was from the same suburban city as myself and did the commute everyday.

On Friday, he asked if I wanted to grab drinks Sunday evening. I was pretty excited about it, and thought it was cool he chose Valentine’s Day to have our first date. He called and made a reservation at a romantic restaurant in our area for 8PM.

I arrived a few minutes before him and sat down at our reserved booth – feeling quite nervous (it amazes me how after so many first dates, I still can’t shake the nerves!) I was analyzing the drinks menu, and before I knew it he appeared in front of me. I got up and we hugged hello. First impressions: he was very cute – gorgeous blue eyes, sweet smile and my height (ideally hoped he was a bit taller but not a deal breaker).

I ordered a Bellini and he got a Mojito. We also ordered an appetizer to share. Conversation was pretty free-flowing: we shared quite a bit in common – from mutual friends, to both being animal lovers (specifically cats) to our shared love for pizza and electronic music. We shared travel stories and even found out we will be traveling to the same country this summer (we joked about meeting up when we were there). Now that would be pretty romantic…

After about an hour and a half – he got a text from his friend who invited him to go out with a group of other friends to a club downtown. He told me his friends really wanted him to join and asked if I wanted to come with. I was completely caught off guard – thinking, what on earth should I do? I just met this guy… although he doesn’t seem like a serial killer. He’s actually pretty awesome. What else would I be doing on a Sunday eve? Tomorrow is a holiday… 

YOLO – he said. You only live once. With that, I thought to myself, I need to do this. I need to continue stepping outside my comfort zone and trust my instincts. I told him I wasn’t wearing appropriate clubbing attire – so he drove me back to my place and I quickly changed – making sure not to wear heels as I would definitely tower over him. *sigh*

We drove over to his friends place – who lived not far from me. We were greeted warmly by all of them, who were slightly intoxicated by the time we arrived (which made for very entertaining conversation). He ordered two Ubers and away we all went on our downtown adventure. I still couldn’t believe I was doing this.

We arrived at the club, went in, and his friends scoped out the place. It was a pretty lame scene – so we all decided to go to a nearby pub instead. FG ordered us drinks and we took them to a table. I was already feeling a bit tipsy from the two drinks and was in the mood to dance, even though there was no one else on the dance floor. It’s like he read my mind, and asked if I wanted to dance – so I took his hand after finishing off my drink – and away we went. We had our own private dance party and he had some pretty smooth moves on the floor. I was a bit self conscious of all the people staring at us – but thankfully some other people took that as a cue to also start dancing. As the electronic beats picked up, our bodies were dancing closer together and our noses were right up against each other. Not long after, he went in for the kiss. Oh god – my second make out session in a bar / club – in a public setting… in the last two months! He was a pretty good kisser, and I was enjoying just being in the moment with him and dancing with his friends.

After about an hour and a half, his one friend said he had to head out and we decided we may as well join him. The others stayed behind, so we said goodbye and headed back out into the cold.

We arrived back at his friend, and he then drove me back to my place. It was around 2AM at this point.

“So this was fun. I’ve never had such a spontaneous first date before. Thanks for inviting me to come with tonight!” I said.

“Yeah it was a lot of fun, definitely a first for me too. Text me and we will do it again sometime.”

With that we leaned in and had our second make out session for the night. Not sure if it was the alcohol but he was a damn good kisser and I didn’t want it to end!

2:30AM I got inside and plopped right onto on my bed. I felt pretty proud of myself for going on this Valentine’s Day Adventure with someone I just met. I’ll text him soon and I’m sure there will be a follow up post to this one.

Hope everyone had an equally fun and entertaining Valentine’s Day!

Netflix & Chill: Round Two

I’ve been on cloud nine since Cody left my house on New Years Eve. All throughout last week we were texting back and forth – and I was waiting ever so patiently for him to ask me out again.

Friday evening arrived and I asked what he was doing over the weekend. Cody told me he was free Saturday evening and suggested I “come over and hang out”. I was a little disappointed as I was hoping he’d ask me out on a date… but decided to accept his invitation anyway.

I walked inside his home to the smell of wonderful spices and aromas. We headed towards the kitchen, and to my surprise, I was warmly greeted by his mother! While Cody was finishing off preparing a late lunch for himself, we chatted over our love for The Bachelor and how she somehow or another, years ago, spoke to my mom professionally! Talk about six degrees of separation…

Afterwards, Cody gave me a tour of the rest of his place. The tour ended in the basement – where there were two big couches and a TV. He put on Netflix and as soon as the movie started, we picked up where we left off from New Years Eve. ;) He was very sweet – feeding me pieces of chocolate and apple chips. As tempting as it was to run with my feelings and live completely in the moment, I still decided to hold back on being extremely intimate with him. Mainly because his parents were just one floor above us, but also because I’m still unsure as to how he perceives our relationship.

I could tell he was disappointed, but still respected to go as far as I wanted to.

By 7:30 – both our stomachs were growling. It turned out that his mom was making a delicious Spaghetti Bolognese and offered to dish some up for us. We happily accepted the offer, and went upstairs to help her prepare the meal. She lit some candles on the table and gave us some privacy while we finished preparing dinner — which was very adorable.

We said goodbye to one another at 2AM after having been together for a solid 9 hours!

When I got home, my parents said, “sooooo?” and all I could respond with was… “I’m not sure”.

Overall, we had a really enjoyable evening together. However, when I reflect on where we are both at in our lives, I feel as though we are on two different levels right now. He’s slowly building up his personal training business and very focused on it, with no secure career plan. In contrast, I have a well established full-time career, and am at a point where I’m ready to find someone to develop a relationship with.. and to potentially have a future with.

I tend to over analyze too much. Perhaps it would be best to just go with the flow and enjoy spending time with him – with the understanding that he may not want to be in an exclusive relationship right now. Let me know if you agree!

Dessert, Netflix and Chill 2016

As mentioned in my last post, Cody and I have been talking non-stop since our coffee date this past Sunday. It was safe to say we were quite smitten with one another!

A few days ago, Cody wrote to me saying we should hang out again this week. I asked him what he was up to on New Years Eve. He had nothing planned yet, so I suggested.. “We could always do a dessert, Netflix and chill at my place.” He really liked the idea, so plans were set and I anxiously awaited Thursday Eve’s arrival.

He walked in at 8PM sharp with literally a duffle bag of New Years supplies. We took it into the kitchen and started unpacking everything. Pop Chips, Belgium Chocolates, Perrier, Tequila… I knew this was going to be one crazy night.

My parents had already gone out but my sister was still upstairs and anxiously wanted to meet him. After giving him a tour of the basement and main floor, we made our way upstairs and I introduced them. They seemed to get along pretty well. In fact, they bonded so much that he even gave her a shot of his tequila!

At 8:30 she got picked up and it was finally just the two of us. It was time to get this New Years Party for two started!

He poured himself some more tequila and I took out a bottle of ice wine. It had a cork, and so I asked him to help out opening it with the bottle opener.

“Keep twisting it! Okay now lift the arms up. Drill it in a bit harder. It may not be going deep enough into the cork.”

At that point I burst into laughter because everything coming out of my mouth just sounded dirty and sexual. He started laughing too and I could tell he was feeling a bit embarrassed that he couldn’t figure out how to open in.

Thank God for Google Search – which explained all we had to do was peel off the plastic rim at the top and sure enough the cork slid out easily. A good 15 minutes later – and that ice wine was ready to be poured. We brought some popcorn, chocolate and our drinks into the living room. He went to the washroom, and while waiting I thought to put on some of my music. An Israeli track came on, which gave me an idea.

As he walked back towards the living room I motioned for him to come towards me and said we should dance.

“Ugh, no – I can’t dance!”

“Come on, if a sexy girl came up to you in a club and put her arms around you and asked to dance, you would turn it down?”

He couldn’t argue that one – so we started dancing close up against one another, moving to the Israeli beats. I could feel my heart beating so quickly. We looked into each others eyes and went in for the first kiss! Unlike my kiss in the real club, this one was definitely more passionate and romantic. I didn’t want it to end…

It felt so good to have that first kiss out of the way. After it happened, we just felt completely comfortable around one another – as if I’d known him for a lot longer than a few weeks.

We picked out a movie on Netflix and got nice and comfy on a couch – spooning towards the TV.

It wasn’t long before we ripped each others shirts off. Oh sweet Jesus – that 6 pack! ;)

Cody was such a passionate kisser and I was really enjoying getting to know him more – both on a physical and emotional level. The fact that he was respectful the entire night and only did what I felt comfortable with, made me like him that much more.

1 minute to midnight. We poured some more drinks and stood up to start the countdown.

10.. 9.. 8.. 7.. 6.. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1..

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We clinked glasses and kissed. I couldn’t have asked to start 2016 off on a better note.

By 1:30PM – I got a text from my parents saying they just picked my sister up and were on their way home. Shit! I told Cody and he responded with.. “I love meeting parents. Let’s do this.”

I couldn’t believe how comfortable he was to meet my entire family on our second date. When they walked in – he shook hands with both my parents and started schmoozing with my dad right away about their passion for cooking. We all sat down for a bit and chatted. The whole situation felt surprisingly comfortable, which made me feel very relieved.

At 2:30 we were all exhausted – so my parents went up and it was time to say goodnight to Cody. I walked him to the door and we kissed one more time before he left.

—

SO – 2016 is definitely off to a good start. I am so happy to have a job that I’m passionate about, great family and friends, the most amazing blog followers, and I can’t wait to see where my love adventure will take me this year. Hope all of you will stay along for the ride!!

I Picked Up a Bumble Bee

…and I didn’t get stung.

I’ve been talking to Cody for about a month. We met off of a new dating app called Bumble, which asks the woman to send the first message within 24 hours of being matched. Not long after messaging over Bumble, we exchanged numbers and started texting back and forth.

It seemed like we shared quite a lot in common – and I wanted to meet the guy already! It had already been a few weeks and I was growing antsy…

I asked Cody if he was around for the holidays. Thankfully he picked up on my subtle hint to get together, and asked if I wanted to grab a coffee over the weekend. We made plans to meet this afternoon.

I walked into the coffee shop right on time and sure enough spotted him at one of the booths, writing away in a journal. I walked towards the booth.

“Cody?”

“Hey, nice to meet you!” He put his hand out to shake mine.

I saw he already had a coffee – so I put my coat down and went to grab myself a tea.

When I sat down, we jumped into conversation about how we were enjoying the holidays. Conversation flowed smoothly from one subject to the next, and the more I learned about him, the more attractive he seemed. Physically – he was a 10/10 in my books. 6’2, personal trainer / fitness coach, dark and handsome. Maturity wise, he seemed on the same level as me which is quite rare to find in a lot of people in their mid 20s.

3 hours later, he walked me to my car.

Cody: “So this was fun. We should do this again sometime soon”.

I happily agreed, and with that we hugged each other good bye and drove off.

UPDATE: We’ve been texting non-stop since we got home. In fact, I may even be seeing him on New Years!!

To be continued…

A Christmas Eve to Remember

Merry Christmas to all my fellow bloggers and readers! Hope you all made it on Santa’s nice list this year…

As I don’t celebrate Christmas, I usually just order in Chinese food and go out to see a movie with friends. However, this year I found out about a Christmas Eve party for Jewish singles at a nightclub downtown, so my friends and I decided to go check it out. I threw on a sexy pair of black leather leggings and halter crop top – and was ready to go meet and mingle!

The party started at 9 – so I figured we’d go an hour later (who goes to a nightclub right when the party starts??) We arrived there for 10:15, walked inside and lo and behold it was virtually empty. There were about 10 people hanging out by the bar, and a group of 5-6 girls on the dance floor swaying their hips to Israeli beats. We wanted to check our coats in, but the security guard told us that the coat check wouldn’t be open for another half hour. So we went over to the bar to get a drink… I had to pay $8 for a vodka cranberry which was ridiculous. At this point – we were feeling like this party may be a complete bust but decided to stick it out for a little while longer to see if more people would trickle in.

Sure enough by 11:30 – crowds of cute singles started making their way into the nightclub. We kicked ourselves for getting there so early – I guess you live and learn.

Everyone headed upstairs to the second level – and it was a completely differently experience than the first floor. It was dark and the DJ was blaring top 100 mixes. Private bottle service sections were set up and there was a huge dance floor with a disco ball hanging in the center with lights flashing from every direction. This was more my scene!

My friends and I grabbed another drink and made our way to the dance floor. We started swaying our hips to J Biebz and Calvin Harris. Swarms of people were dancing around us and eyeing us head to toe. Men started attacking us like vultures from left, right and center.

A pretty tall, attractive looking guy approached me and asked if I wanted to dance. I thought why not, so I wrapped my hands around his neck and his hands automatically went straight to my butt. Oh god… I went with it for a little bit.

“I have to tell you, you have a really sexy body”. I was flattered – but could already tell this guy was just looking to have a good time. “Are you from Toronto, Max?” “No – Montreal. I’m just visiting until the new year”. Red flag #2. He flipped me around and started to full out grind against me and at that point I was ready to get away from this guy.

I gave one of my girlfriends the bulged eye look and she took that as a cue to rescue me. We moved locations and continued dancing.

It was certainly an ego-boost to have so many men approach us and want to dance. I had to pull the boyfriend excuse for a few that were either 4 inches too short or were too drunk to have any sort of conversation.

My eyes were closed and I was letting my body move to the DJ’s beats. I opened my eyes for a second and sure enough saw another guy approaching me. He was tall and had a cute smile. I was a little tipsy at this point and happily accepted a dance with him. He put his hands on my shoulders which was a little awkward (but kind of adorable) and I had to push them down to my waist (clearly, he doesn’t go to the clubs much). We were singing out the lyrics to the songs and swaying our bodies together. From the little ear to ear conversation we had – I learned we were from the same suburban city, he had a full-time job and was a year older than me. Check, check and check!

He offered to buy me a drink which I happily accepted. I can officially cross that off my bucket list. We went back to the dance floor and continued dancing with both of our friends.

I don’t know if it was the alcohol or the fact that we just found each other really cute but he looked directly at me and went in for a kiss! PDA on the dance floor… another first. It wasn’t very long, but I was a little in seventh heaven.

The clock struck 1AM and I, Cinderella, had to run to make it on the last subway train. Which sucked, because the party was in full gear at that point! I could tell this guy was clearly interested in me, but had yet to ask for my # so I simply wrote his name in my phone and gave it to him. He happily added his number in and I told him I’d text him. He kissed me once more goodnight which was unexpected and then my friends and I quickly grabbed our coats and headed out.

I woke up this morning – and still can’t stop smiling while writing this. Hopefully you all had an equally fun and entertaining Christmas Eve as me.

To be continued with Christmas Eve guy… plus there are a few other contenders on my list right now so I’ll definitely be back with more stories soon.