Suggestions from readers in this post were, 1, to Be Set Up and 2, Ask the Missionaries–They Can Help (Former missionary buds that is). To be honest I had to begin this one with prayer. It’s not like you can just be set up on dates without the agency of other people working in your favor. Just like “nothing happens in missionary work until you find someone to teach,” nothing happens in your love life until you find someone to date. However, it caught me off guard when not one, but three people came to me with referrals.
Later in Preach My Gospel we learn that “Every referral you receive from a member should be treated as something precious. When a member gives you the name of a friend to call or visit, respond quickly and report the results back.” It is the purpose of this post to report back on those referrals and let people know how things are going.
First, it seems important to briefly introduce our referrals and tell you a little bit about them. For purposes of anonymity they have each been given a nick name:
Referral One: A Friend’s Brother–AKA Mr. ACDC ( Yes, He likes the band)
Referral Two: A mission buddy’s Grandpa’s Nephew –AKA Grandpa’s Choice
Referral Three: A Roommate’s Coworker–AKA Teacher’s Choice
Now, for the details of these dates….
Mr. ACDC : He is a student at UVU studying Recreational Management, and working part time. He is probably one of the most jovial young men you will ever meet and is always happy about life.
On our first date we went to dinner and chatted. It was quite refreshing not to have to worry about him trying anything stupid like the two previous experiences. The conversation went so well that it wasn’t until the workers started dumping buckets of water on the floor to begin cleaning up for the night that we realized we were the last people inside the restaurant. (Not to worry; we left them and their buckets as soon as we noticed.) It went well, but after I didn’t hear from Mr. ACDC for two weeks I didn’t really expect to see him again.
However, what to my wondering eye should appear then, date number two. The evening was filled with mini golf and good food. The conversation flowed easily and we just laughed at each other and our 6 stroke holes. He even taught me that there is a method to the madness and I started hitting the ball in the hole more quickly. There was even one time that I got a hole in one! Next we had a nice conversation over a steak dinner. We went a bit deeper and surpassed the superficial level. Again it went well.
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This time he didn’t wait as long and date three happened only a few days later. We were going to catch a quick dollar theatre movie. The weirdest thing happened; we showed up and it was closed because there was no water! (You, like us, might be wondering why water was needed to watch a movie…)It was a bit funny as I watched him realize that he was going to need a plan b, but didn’t have one. For a few minutes we just sat and people watched as others walked to the doors and tried to get in. (They really should have made the closed sign bigger.) We drove to a nice location and had a very honest and direct conversation about where we stand and what we were thinking. It was probably the most honest and upfront a conversation I’ve ever had on a date.
Stay tuned to hear more about what happened with Mr. ACDC, as well as Grandpa’s Choice, and Teacher’s Choice. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think of these dates, including any pointers you have to make them most effective.
Ashley Dewey is extremely talented at being single. Hobbies include awkward conversations with members of the opposite sex, repelling third dates, talking to boys about their girl problems and to girls about their boy problems. In her spare time she also has a very fulfilling school life, work life, and social life.
Besides being a professional single, Ashley is also a BYU graduate with a degree in linguistics (Aka word nerd). She enjoys studying other languages, particularly American Sign Language, and finds most all of them fascinating. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in Teaching English as a Second Language.
Ashley works most of the time and has often been accused of being a workaholic. Currently she works full time as a merchandiser and supervisor in a retail store, and part time doing social media work. On her day off she works (really it doesn't feel like work) in the Provo LDS temple. The only kind of work she finds difficulty focusing on is house work.
Her favorite activities in her free time are reading, writing, creating social experiments, and spending time with great friends and family. Specific activities with those family and friends include: going to concerts, plays, dance recitals, BYU basketball and football games, and watching sports on television.
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