The Good Ole Dating Game

It's been in the back of our minds for centuries and has yet to disappear. The infamous dating game. My question is why do people continue to participate in these so called games? Its exhausting, confusing, and can be slightly depressing if the game doesn't go your way. Woman are so obsessed with them. A new relationship is supposed to be fun and exciting, not full of obsession and insecurities. So this brings me to the most frustrating question of all...



Why, as women, are we frowned upon if we decide to skip the games all together and actually act how we feel towards a guy? The words psycho, desperate, and crazy are three words that are thrown around way to casually all over the dating world. If the girl texts or calls first, she's considered obsessive. If she suggests they hangout, regardless of what you suggest you do together, she is all of a sudden to available. If we like someone, why is it so HORRIBLE to initiate the first move, game free.

Can we just sit and think of how ridiculous this concept is for a second. If you act uninterested when you really are interested, the only sort of games you are playing are with yourself! I know from personal experience that games can be fun in the beginning. However, if you let your insecurities take over and continue the games long enough, it won't end well. Games are for the chase.. once he's already got you and wants you the games will confuse him and will slowly drive him away, trust me! These aren't even games! What we are really doing is manipulating the other person. Regardless of what people think, if you like a person and want your relationship to work, skip the manipulation all together. Keep it simple, it will work out and if it doesn't it's not meant to be.

On to the next one ladies!

Cooking to Impress

Going out for a romantic dinner at a new place in your area is always a great way to spend an evening with the person you are recently dating. However, another alternative would be to step outside of your comfort zone and make a meal together. Everybody knows the saying, the way to a mans heart is through his stomach. This happens to be a very true statement for most men. If a woman takes the innitative to plan a meal full of his favorite things, it shows him that she really cares and wants to do something special. Cooking a meal for a guy you've recently started dating can be stressful if you have no idea what he may like. Chances are he will enjoy anything you make considering he is a man and they will eat pretty much anything. You could always ask what his favorite meal is, but I reccomend you come up with something on your own. You don't want to screw up his mothers lasagna. So, what do you cook to impress him? Heres my opinion of how to narrow down your options.



Most importantly, make something EASY. You are doing this to have fun together, you don't want to be slaving in the kitchen with 25 pots on the stove and food all over the place. Not cute! Also, this is one of my favorite websites for easy, healthy recipes.

The website is www.dashingdish.com

Dashing dish was started by Katie Farrell. She is in her mid twenties and I am obsessed with her recipes. She takes all of the food we crave, and makes a healthier alternatives. All of the things I have made for guys in the past they have LOVED. Most importantly they have no idea that it is low in calories and fat. SCORE!

I'll promise you this, whatever you choose to make for your guy, whether it be amazing or not so good, it will give you major cute points. It is a fun and exciting way to spend some time together in the comfort of you own homes.

Budget Dating - Can it be done?

Everyone knows that the economy is down and most people are on budgets to make ends meet. Dating can be very expensive, especially if you want to get creative or impress.  Even simple dates like dinner and a movie can be almost $100 after considering transportation, snacks, tips, etc.



So the question is, can good dates be done on a budget without looking cheap?  I came across this article and thought it was pretty good.  I especially like their idea of using coupon sites like Living Social or Groupon.  To me, deal sites like that not only save you money but they make you try new places and activities that are normally outside of your comfort zone.   Doing something totally new and different could make a great date for both parties and most importantly help you both really get to know each other!

Check the article out HERE!

We Welcome A New Team Member - Amanda!

Helping other people find love has made me reflect on my own love life. I have found “the one,” my soul mate, the love of my life, so I know it really does exist. And I believe that there is someone out there for everyone. As I read once, “there's a cover for every pot.” Since this is my first blog as a member of the matchmaking industry, I thought I'd share my own story.

I was in my early, early twenties, a college student doing local musical theatre around Atlanta and dating a bassist in a band. I also sang in my church's choir, and sat by a nice lady named Sharon. Sharon would mention occasionally that she had a son, and I would respond that I had a boyfriend. Eventually the boyfriend and I broke up, and Sharon mentioned her son again. “I think he would like you,” she said, “because you remind me of Mary Lou Retton, and he had a big crush on Mary Lou when she was in the Olympics. (If you don't know who Mary Lou is, don't tell me, because it will just remind me that I am no longer 22. Google her). My motto as a single girl was “hey, free dinner is free dinner” so I agreed to meet him. He would come to our church's Christmas program in a few weeks, she said, and she would make sure that we were introduced.



Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, she had shown him a picture of me from our old church directory, complete with bad 8^thgrade hair, braces, and all the ugliness that goes along with being 13. You can imagine how excited he was to meet me (not at all) and how thrilled he was that he had already promised his mama to come (not at all) and meet this paragon of awkwardness.

We met after the program beside the mule at the Nativity Scene. We started talking, and when we stopped to take a breath everyone else had gone home and we hadn't even noticed.

While every love story is different, I do think that there are some universal takeaways from my own experience. First, don't trust the picture! While a picture is worth a thousand words, if you've ever tried online dating, you know that the camera can be manipulated to make it tell a story that may not be true.

Second, trust your matchmaker! My now-mother-in-law knew what she was talking about, and so do we!

Happy Dating - Amanda Touchton

Single Parent Dating

So, dating is hard, right?  Obviously there are tons of things that make dating difficult but add a kid(s) into the mix and things just got crazy!! Dating when you have kid(s) is a whole different ball game because whatever happens doesn't just effect you but it also effects your family.  

I came across this article and thought it would be helpful to all the single parents who are currently dating, thinking about getting back into the dating game, or just maybe aren't ready but could use this information in the future!

Happy Reading HERE! 

Are you attracting unhealthy relationships??

I have a close friend who is struggling with her 3rd breakup.  All three relationships have ended due to the negativity that takes over.



After reading this article it donned on me that her pessimistic attitude is attracting a negative type of guy and in return their relationship becomes a total bummer.  As things spiral down the Negative Nancy Road it really bounces off of each other which in turn just keeps making them both continue to be more and more negative and nasty toward one another.  You know, as you get more and more bummed, angry, grumpy your partner starts to feel that projected energy and it just blows up into horrible fights with really hurtful things said.

I think that being positive and having more of a "glass full" type of outlook can only help bring you to a happier place.  While you are happy and projecting positive energy, others want to be around you, and then boom, you meet another positive person who wants to be with you and your beautiful "loving life" self.

Nothing is more beautiful on a girl or guy than a smile.  It shows happiness which is very attractive and desired resulting in a loving healthy relationship!

ARTICLE HERE

Dating Resolution for 2013

Happy HAPPY Happy New Year!  We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are feeling rather energized to start the new year with a bang!

We normally don't suggest resolutions but this year we are suggesting that singles should try a dating resolution for a successful dating life in 2013.  Try to be less idealistic and be more realistic. We see tons of people making excuses to not go on that first or second date.

If you think about it, how much can you actually "get to know someone" in one date?  If the first meeting or date with that person was good then go out on a limb and shoot for a second date.  What do you have to lose?  You should always be looking for someone who gives you spark & chemistry but sometimes I feel that people are too quick to judge and write others off.  This year, we think you should open your mind to meeting more people and don't be afraid to go more dates.  Dating is suppose to be fun, so go out on some nice dates and have FUN!!

Wishing you the best of Luck in Love in 2013!