Project Flirty and Thirty: The Inception

There are just 56 days until my birthday.

When I was little, I used to scrawl all over the family calendar “56 D.U.M.B., 55 D.U.M.B., 54 D.U.M.B...” as the countdown progressed to the day of my birth. I think it made me feel like the time was passing faster, or something.

And that was a good thing.

But this year is different. THIS year, there are just 56 measly days betwixt me and the big twenty-ten birthday. That’s what my former roommate, Winter, used to call her thirtieth. And I sort of like it, except for the fact that it’s a statement of denial.

I don’t really have a problem with turning thirty; I’ve seen many of my friends do it painlessly before me. I just have a hard time saying goodbye to a decade that gave me so many wonderful memories and experiences. I was sort of a late bloomer when it came to dating, so it wasn’t until this decade that I experienced a lot of my firsts in this department. And so I feel like I have some lost time to make up for before I hit the next milestone.

And that’s where Project Flirty and Thirty comes in to the picture.

The plan is to go on thirty first dates between now and October 2nd, the day that heralds the beginning of the next decade of my life. Thirty different single men-- friends, set-ups, strangers-- who I hope will teach me more about the art of dating and help me figure out what I am looking for ultimately. The plan is to blog about each of these dates, and invite you, Dear Reader, to vote on who you think I should go on a second date with.

I am open to dating all kinds of people, within a few parameters:

-I’d like to keep the dating age range between 25 and 35 years old.

-I’d prefer each of the dates to be with someone who is LDS, and has LDS standards.

(If you don’t know what these are, you can ask me.)

-All dates will take place in a public setting

-Each date should cost less than $30

-Each date should last at least 30 minutes

Since I’m especially interested in meeting new people, I’m hoping that my friends and acquaintances will be a good source of referrals for me. If you know of a guy who might be interested in going on a first date with a 5’ 7” brunette LDS girl from Maryland, and would be a good sport about letting me take pictures and blog about it, I’d love to hear about him. I realize that I’m opening myself up to a lot of possible scariness by putting that invitation out there, but I’m trusting that my friends will exercise good judgement in the men they refer. And after all, that’s part of the fun.

Fifty-six days, thirty dates. Let the project begin...