To all the single ladies….and those who scored a ring on it! My name is Teresa. I am a 31 year old single, never been married, female, living it up in Utah. Most women here don’t imagine this as their life’s destination at this point, or beyond. In fact, I remember a certain girl back when I was around 22 and in college. She was my age now and I just knew I would never end up like her because, thank goodness, I would be married by then! Well, as it turns out, I have reached the age at which she was married and it looks like I’m going to be circuiting the single life for the long haul…or at least the foreseeable future.
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As a result of my single status, I decided this year to try an experiment and blog about it. You can check it out here. My experiment was to date 40 guys, work on me, and learn about relationships. In the process, I have not come close to my goal of 40 yet (I’m only on 13) but I have learned a great deal about who I am and who I am supposed to be…which brings me back to this post. Creative Date Ideas!
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Have you ever met those people that just make you want to fall asleep within the first 3 seconds of talking to them? You have the same conversations with them that you have with every new person you meet but find nothing captivating about them to keep your interest. Nobody likes a Miss Boring Pants! I have pondered on this regularly over the last year as I meet the same guy over and over and over again. So, whether you are married, single, or somewhere in between…it is imperative that you develop a personality for the following reasons:
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#1 So you don’t put yourself to sleep
#2 So you don’t put others to sleep
#3 So you don’t put your date to sleep! (Whether he is your husband or not!)
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As I have explored my dating options, I have ventured all over the greater Salt Lake City area, both with friends and with dates, discovering what’s out there and how to have a good time, at the same time building experiences that further develop who I am and give me character and interest. Some of them are silly things I have done with my friends and some are fun date ideas. Others are just things I like to do on my own or that really develop me. So, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite dating/hanging out ideas and hopefully you have some too…
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So, the first idea which you can do with a date/husband/S-O, or friends, comes from my most recent date. It’s actually not a new idea but as I tell you about it, think about whether or not you have actually done this, and if not, try it out.
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My date took me downtown to the LDS church history museum. Afterward we grabbed some hot chocolate to- go, and strolled on over to temple square to watch the snow fall over the temple. As we stood there watching passersby, we decided to play that game where you make up stories about them. While I was a little shy at first, I quickly caught on and my creative side (which is kind of lacking) started to come alive! My sense of humor was also awakened and we both began to laugh more and more as we continued the evening. This fun atmosphere broke the ice, made a blind date less awkward, made me less bored, and set the tone for the rest of the date. We continued our fun and sarcastic conversations all the way home. So…who doesn’t like to people watch? And don’t you wonder about those people anyway? Next time you are on a street corner, wonder aloud to the person next to you, you might have a good laugh and enjoy a few good moments with them!
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When dating or hanging out with friends, creativity really is the key. You can make any situation more interesting and exciting if you just think outside the box a little. Last January a friend and I were in St. George, starving one evening, waiting for another friend to come back from a date. We happened to see a Spoon Me (a delightful little frozen yogurt shop) and decided to go in and give it a try. It was love at first taste! When we came back to Salt Lake City, we were pleased to find two locations here and partake of their most delicious fro yo once again.
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At the same time, we noticed that there were several frozen yogurt establishments throughout town and to be fair, we decided that we should try as many as we could, rate them with guest judges and all, and then decide which one was the best in town. We had so much fun going out for frozen yogurt, as well as getting serious about the little point system charts we had made! We turned a simple experience into a much larger scale experiment that we will always remember… You can try this with hamburger joints, or certain types of food, etc. It’s just something that adds a little spice to your life. And for that, I would also suggest Indian food!
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That brings me to another idea. Eating is always an integral part of the dating scene right? Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to eat and all, but it gets a little boring to go out to the same places, have dinner, the same get to know you conversation, and then go home. Why not switch it up a little? If you are brave, you could see how many countries you could travel to through food. There are actually some really good ethnic restaurants in town, and I personally would appreciate it if you would help keep them in business! Some of my favs are, New Thai Cafe on 2700 W and 7800 S in Salt Lake City and Indian Fusion in Jordan Landing. While you are at it maybe you could theme your whole date around the type of food you are eating. If it’s Indian night, go see a belly dance performance, or something like that.
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Because I am over 30 and still single…sometimes I don’t always have a date and have to make my life meaningful for myself. Learning new things (I’m currently working on Spanish), stepping out of your comfort zone, and not being afraid to make your own adventures makes life fun for you and for those whom you meet or are associated with. I like to hike (I know…I shouldn’t go alone, so I joined a hiking group I found online), I play in a community symphony, I recently learned how to country swing dance, I work out and try to take advantage of any sports happenings around…even though I am terrible at them (I also went shooting with some guys I know when I was invited and it was a lot of fun…and other guys that I meet now are always impressed to know that I am not afraid to shoot a gun!), and I recently experienced, “shooting the tube,” (has nothing to do with guns) for the first time! Life is good!
(This is where the tube spews you out)
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A few other cool things of note around town (Utah) are:
Momentum Climbing Gym (See picture of me at the top…taking the easy coarse, of course!)
Keys on Main (A dueling piano bar that on some nights also offers karaoke)
Desert Star (A dinner/playhouse. They serve dinner and do cool plays that I hear are pretty funny)
Fast Kart Indoor Speedway (A little pricey but guys love this kind of stuff and I think it’s pretty fun too)
Comedy Sportz (Good, clean comedy. Always a good time!)
Hale Center Theater (Also pricey but sometimes a play would be cool to see. The few I have seen were definitely legit.)
Heber Creeper (They always have fun events going on and who doesn’t like trains??)
Lastly, I found a few really helpful websites for what is going on in town:
So, whether you are creative enough to make up your own adventures, or you need the internet as your guide, I hope these ideas have given you a little spark to create some good times with your peeps. I would love to know what you are doing to enjoy every moment and make the most out of your life…with friends, dates, or just yourself.
~ Teresa
Mariel says
Great post, Teresa! So, I must know…who has the best frozen yogurt??
Nichole says
Awesome post Teresa! As a single gal of similar age, I love your ideas and love keeping up with your blog. Thanks for sharing!
Livin it up says
Well…I’m still a Spoon Me fan! Thanks girls!