E: Mr. April and Dates #2 & #3

I've been remiss in not communicating with you the details of my Mr. April date, and the 2 other dates since (not counting my ultimate). Yes, it's been a busy month.

The gentleman who got the title of Mr. April was actually one of the first guys on Match who ever winked at me. I've been on Match for a little over 2 months now, so needless to say, this guy moves slow. Or he must have had a lot of other dates going on. Anyway, he winked and we started emailing almost immediately, but not very often. A week or two would go by in between, but it was no big deal. I was getting so much Match action at the beginning that I had to start a little pink book to keep track of the boys! He finally asked me out, and I accepted. However, I didn't hold out much hope for this date, as he only called me once before, and for only 10 minutes. Why is it that some guys prefer to communicate almost exclusively by text? I find that annoying. If a guy doesn't take a little time to get to know you over the phone before you meet, in my experience the dates haven't amounted to much.

Nevertheless, who am I to turn down a Mr. April fulfillment date? He lives an hour away and wanted to pick a halfway point. So we chose a town, and low and behold ended up at the very same restaurant where me and faded navy shirt guy had our third and final date. Funny. Now that I'm dating so much, I do find myself at some of the same restaurants over and over again, and most of the time I'm wearing my "first date attire," with a new guy every time, so if there are any observant wait staff I'm sure they are snickering behind my back. Oh, there she is again, poor soul. Will she have sangria tonight, or change it up a bit and go for the margarita? (on the rocks, no salt, of course)

Mr. April was an interesting guy, works for the military. (Ah, another man in uniform!) He had some good stories, and we had fun and casual conversation for a long time. All in all, I didn't really feel any sparks, but I would have gone out with him again if he asked. He did text me the day after to tell me how much fun he had, and how he is looking forward to doing it again soon. But much like his vanishing acts early on, he seemed to do that again. Which was ok with me. Who knows, maybe he only reaches out every couple of weeks - maybe that's just the way he rolls.

The second in the April line up was a super cute, witty and sarcastic boy from a neighboring town. He was so much fun to banter with over text. I could already tell he was not my type of relationship material, nevertheless, when he suggested we go grab a drink sometime, I jumped at the chance. He was just so funny and I like that in a guy. He drove an hour to see me. We met at a restaurant and enjoyed some drinks and appetizers, and some more drinks. And then another one. By the end of the night, he was worried about driving back home, and wondered if he could crash on my couch. Wow - this goes against ANY online dating rule there ever was! I mean, aren't there girls out there who do this sort of thing, wake up and they've been robbed or worse, and when the public hears their story they are mortified that they were stupid enough to bring a blind date back to their house. Well, I know I will get flack for this, but I let him stay. I really didn't want him driving home. Plus he was adorable and a heck of a lot of fun to kiss. I tell you this only because I came into another "aha" moment regarding this. He stayed over and I let him sleep in my bed, but did not sleep with him. Did not sleep at all!! My gosh, the guy had some sort of breathing problem or something. He would snore, then kind of snort around, and toss and turn and I was just laying there wondering why all of these years I have missed having a guy in my bed! He also took my dog's side of the bed, so my dog had to sleep at my feet, which left me very uncomfortable. I lay there thinking this was going to be a long night, when he made a comment about how he can't sleep in any bed other than his own. So I suggested he may want to go home then so he wouldn't be tired tomorrow? Ahhh, he agreed and I was finally able to get some zzzz's. Lesson Learned: Don't lament over not having a guy in your bed. Sometimes that is just fine.

The third and final date I had in April was the next night. Thank goodness I was able to get some sleep, or I would have been a zombie for this boy. And let me tell you that I'm glad I wasn't. This was the guy I was most looking forward to meeting, after seeing his profile and the numerous emails and phone conversations we had prior to the date. I could tell he was deep down a really good guy, looking for a really great girl, and we had a lot in common. And wow, we had a fabulous date! I find that it's always a good sign on a date when you sit down at a restaurant and the dude is reluctant to look at the menu right away, and suggests we start with an appetizer. That means he already knows he likes you, you've passed his first impression test. Needless to say, we were at the restaurant over 2 hours (poor waiter who wanted to turn the table). And that was just our first stop. From there we went to a local pub (one of my favorites) and another establishment after that. And then it took us over an hour to say goodbye in the parking lot (another really, really good sign that the date went well.) He asked me on a second date right away, which we are going on this Saturday night. We have talked on the phone every night since our first date, and I even met him out for a quick bite to eat last night. I really like this guy, and I can tell you that I haven't felt like this in a VERY long time. Something's clicking with us, and it has caught me a little off guard. In a very pleasant way. Stay tuned...I have a feeling this story isn't over!