The Dreaded 'D' Word.

I was told growing up, "You must kiss a lot of toads to find your prince." I'm not sure about you, but this princess is sick of the toads. I understand it's part of the dating game, but does this so-called "prince" even exist? I often made jokes that my "prince" either got hit by a bus or lost my address. Lately, it is believable those options are true.

Some of the best dating advice I've ever received is, "Have standards, not expectations." Since opening my eyes to this realization, I have a completely different dating outlook now. I haven't really been dating or going on dates, lately, but instead, have compiled my standards list. This has rendered helpful in searching for a significant other.

With this concept in mind, I went on my first date, in a little while yesterday. We went to the Dallas Arboretum, which was incredibly beautiful! He told me his parents made a surprise visit to Dallas (they live in Longview) so he pushed the date back to 2.30. No big deal. The red flag to me was that his parents drove all that way, yet somehow left at 2 and when I suggested we rain check, he said no. He brews his own kombucha, which was delicious. We each took a bottle with us to the Arboretum. While walking a few ways (because he didn't feel like spending $10 on parking) he said he gets weird looks when taking the bottles to school. I made the comment, "eh, just tell people it's hair of the dog." He did not know what that meant. We spoke some of hangovers, I told him, "I drink Pedialyte to cure mine" and he also had no clue what Pedialyte was. We arrive at the payment window where he used a Groupon to pay for his way. When the woman said, "That will be $25," he made a huge stink about the cost of my ticket, because the window stated $15. It was simple miscommunication, because she thought we parked at the Arboretum. (It should also be noted he griped and complained about having to pay extra toll tag tolls while we were walking towards the entrance.) We get inside, do some walking around, and I noticed a girl celebrating her Quinceanera. I made that comment, stating she looked beautiful, to which he replied, "That's racist." He supported that ignorant comment with a, "just kidding" remark. He made a few other ridiculous, immature comments along the way. When we walked toward the Arboretum, I was the one walking closest to the road, not him. Same way on the walk back to the car. This made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe. After the date was over, he wanted to go back and check on the new kitten he had gotten, to make sure it was okay, then we'd eat afterwards. I told him, "No thanks. I'm heading home."

Here's the moral of my story: 1. Do not use a Groupon, or any coupon of sorts on a first date. 2. Do not gripe or complain about having to pay money for parking, or just gripe or complain about money in general on a first date. 3. If money is any issue at all, do not take a girl out on a date, even if it is low key. 4. Actually speak to the girl more frequently than once a week prior to a first date. 5. There are two people on a date. Do not make it all about yourself. Actually ask questions about the girl you take out to get to know her better. 6. When walking next to any road of sorts, it is common courtesy, nay, gentlemanly and chivalrous of the guy to be the one walking next to the road, not the girl.

Call me picky or what you will, but it's not rocket Science. I have standards and if a guy can not meet at least 3 of those right off the bat, then he'll never meet those standards. I will not have them stick around and they will not be given a second chance. I am 29-years-old and frankly, I don't have the patience to go on crappy dates or date crappy guys anymore. Life is way too short and there are way too many good guys willing to prove otherwise that not all guys are terrible. It is best to focus on that, instead.

The 20-Something-Year-Old Single

As a single woman, I tend to receive dating advice from time to time. Some of it is warranted, some of it is voluntary, all of it is inevitably absorbed. The advice can be an accepting breath of fresh air, or it can be a real downer, providing a harsh reality check.

Lately it seems as though the advice is arriving more frequently. Most everyone I know at this stage in life is engaged, married, married with 1 child, or married with 2+ children. At this point I ask myself, "Why on earth do weddings and dating advice correspond with each other? Is this some Murphy's Law joke?" Depending on how the 2-sided coin is viewed, it could be those individuals are trying to help you get where they are and find the happiness they found. They could also care about your well being and help you figure out what you truly want.

The advice is a thoughtful gesture, but at times it is overwhelming. It is even more overwhelming when paired with a Facebook news feed saturated with everyones next chapter. A sense of pressure tends to sneak up on me and makes me question where I am in my life journey and if the correct path was chosen. Those individuals mean well and ultimately want me to be happy, no matter what.

My next chapter may or may not be what someone else has, but will fit well, like my pair of Louboutins and will provide me extreme love, joy, and serenity.