People often refer to older single's as 'leftovers.' Well, I am no leftover, nor do I deserve to settle for someone that is.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

I have a date tomorrow…a date I’m really excited about! I’m also pretty darn nervous. So far, he is an extremely funny, nice, good looking, honest man. What if I can’t measure up to that? What if I turn out to be really dorky in front of him?? Well, date preparation is a must for me. I have been thinking a lot about this lately and wanted to post for quite some time about the things necessary to prepare for a date (at least for me!). First of all, conversation is a must, so this area needs quite a bit of attention as far as preparation goes. Also, what to do?? In this case, this wonderful, wonderful man actually had a plan and has followed through with it, choosing what to do, what time to do it, and what to eat. He definitely was respectful in making sure everything was okay with me but it is SO nice to have a man actually plan a date. What a relief. I’ve come to realize however, that he is unusual. I’ve done a bit of research lately so I will soon be posting some ideas for dates, or places to meet men, or things to do with your friends around town. Look for this in a few days because I’ve been working on it.


Before going out with Gentleman #1 I came up with a list of questions for him. I have known him for quite some time so my list was a little more refined than it would be with someone I don’t know. I have since looked at my list and revised some things to make it a more general date list question. Since then, I also came across a list of suggested questions in Dr. Phil’s book….”Love Smart.” Using all of them together should leave our mouths pretty occupied the whole night-with conversation of course! Here’s what I have so far:

*Where are you from/where did you grow up?

*What is your favorite place that you have been to?

*What do you like to do?

*Where do you work? Do you like it? What caused you to be interested in this? Etc…

*Did you play any sports growing up?

*What sports do you follow now?

*What do you like to watch on t.v.?

*Did you go to college? Where?

*What is your greatest accomplishment?

*Tell me about your family…

*What’s the most adventurous thing that you have ever done?

*Do you like animals? Which ones and to what extent? (Side note: I’m so not an animal person so this is a secret way for me to find out if they are or not. Okay, it’s not all that secret since I am just coming right out and asking them!)

*What kind of books do you like to read if any?

And, a few from Dr. Phil:

*What was the best concert you’ve ever been to?

*What is your favorite movie?

*What are your top five favorite songs of all time?

*If you could travel anywhere and you had to leave today, where would you go?

ETC….

He had more but I like these the best and several of the questions I came up with on my own were also suggested by the doctor. This is a great starting point though. I don’t usually end up asking all of these questions but I think it’s good to have them on hand (in your memory anyway) just in case you need some conversation fillers. Each of these questions could be followed with several follow up questions as well. I also have to remember to be prepared to answer them myself as well. Actually, some of them I purposely picked, hoping that he would ask me the same. For example, “what is the most adventurous thing you have ever done?” I like this question because I have been parasailing in Hawaii, rappelling, hiking, up in a hot air balloon (that was tied to the ground), etc. I think it’s fun to be able to share some of the things I have done like that. Anyway, the goal is to have good, flowing conversation, and not to have it sound like an interview. Sometimes when I get nervous I ramble though, so I really hope I don't start doing that. If I go over these in my mind, I usually feel better about having something decent to say!

Now, I think the rest of tonight will be spent pampering myself a little so that I can at least feel beautiful when I see him. I’ve got the outfit picked out…it’s gonna be hot! Tonight calls for a good facial and pedicure I think. I’ve been feeling a little off my game this week so I have to somehow find the will inside of me to bring out my pretty and try a little harder to look good. This should help! I wish I had worked out more this week but I’ve been super tired and my back, which has a bulged disc, has decided to completely fail me so I haven’t felt much up to exercise. Oh well, it’s not the end of the world. There is always tomorrow, and the day after that, etc. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go work on me….wish me luck tomorrow!!

P.S...in case you didn't read the comments on the last post...I finished "The Hunger Games." I LOVED it!! I really couldn't put it down. It was a good read so if you haven't read it and you like to read...get it! Okay, back to me.

3 comments:

Christine said...

Good luck tomorrow! I hope it goes well for you. I expect a full report on how it went :) good tips on the questions to ask, I'll have to keep them in mind. Thanks!
ps I'm so happy you loved The Hunger Games! It's a terrific book!

Merilee said...

Although I think it is great you have another date, I must admit I am sad, for that means you will not be in St. George with your music geek friends.:(

It's been fun reading your blog! Good luck on the date.

I loved Hunger Games and made Travis buy me Catching Fire so I didn't have to wait for it at the library. Merrill who NEVER reads also loved it.

Livin it up said...

Oh, I wish I were in St. George! I love UMEA conference...I wish they would pay for it here. Maybe next year??

Thanks for the luck both of you! I'm making myself hold off on "Catching Fire," until the weekend. I already know that I will not be able to get anything else done while I'm reading it!