Left Behind and Creative Kissing

 Worst Date - Entry 12

Soon after coming to BYU, I met this totally awesome girl whom I subsequently began dating. A few days after we began dating exclusively, my girlfriend and her roommate asked me if I wanted to go to the temple for baptisms. After finishing the baptisms, and feeling pretty good all over, we then separated to change our clothes. I entered the men’s dressing room and found myself all alone. I took a moment to express my gratitude for the wonderful peace of the moment. I then shed my drenched and cold jumpsuit down a little laundry shoot into an adjacent room. No sooner did I release the wet clothes when I realized my locker key was still securely fastened to the white fabric. With utter shock and horror I vainly clawed at the steel chute, but it was too late. Dressed in a mere wet loincloth I grabbed a towel and weighed my options. …1.) I could try to go after the clothes down the chute, which was probably big enough for me to slide down, but then how would I climb back out of it? …2.) Wait for another man to come into the dressing room and then send them for help. I opted for #2, but I found that no one was coming. Minutes turned to hours and hours turned into days as I learned to live off ants and beetles that happened by…or at least that was what happened in my daydream.

Finally, I decided to try and quietly yell out the door for help. I draped another towel over my shoulders, feeling very awkward at the temple to be nearly naked and going out into public. I peered around the front door of the locker room into the lobby where a group of youth were assembling. They were a little loud and I could not find anyone to notice me or hear me over their own noise pollution. I retreated back to the lonely cave and contemplated the chute again…I envisioned myself stuck in that tiny chute upside down with my legs flailing…what a sight that would’ve been when help eventually would come. I decided to try calling from the door again. I again poked just my head through the smallest of openings, but no one could hear me over other noise. I waited for a while longer and finally I heard a break in the noise. I mustered all I could to sheepishly beg for assistance from one of the other patrons…ignored by all the men in the company, I then caught the watchful eye of a silver haired sister who must have climatically heard my prayers. She approached and I withdrew slowly back into my cave of decency. Once she was close enough for hushed-voiced-communication I explained my plight and she smiled in a way that told me I was not the first one to have this problem…after all, this design flaw of depositing your clothes with key before you reach your locker must be so common. She reassured me that appropriate masculine help would soon be to my aid. I waited another 5 minutes before what appeared to me like superman (but really was an 80-something year old nearly immobile brother) came to the rescue with a master key and broke the invincible spell on my locker and freed my dignity again. I dressed so fast that I am sure the buttons on my white shirt were off by two buttonholes and my hair was only barely straightened by the quick comb-like pass of my fingers. I didn’t have time to fuss over the details of my appearance, only that I needed to now appear to the girls waiting. By the time I leaped free from my temple prison (if that even exists) I had been MIA for over 25 minutes. My romantic interest and her roommate gave me puzzled looks of disbelief that such a prima Donna could take so long to change and primp only to emerge like a drunken vagabond with an unruly look. We departed that sanctuary and I apologized for my tardiness with a brief explanation of how I took so long because I didn’t want to make them feel bad for taking so much time to get ready, as girls always do.

4 months later I married that awesomely patient girl and sat in the temple lobby, right after our sealing, for nearly a half-hour waiting for her so that we could go get our pictures taken. That’s a whole other story about her very own wardrobe problems. That was an even better date at the temple though!

Best Date – Entry L

A friend of mine and I both like to make fun little lists together, like all of the places we want to be when we get kissed. My friend’s boyfriend had heard about the list, and asked me for a copy of it so he could plan something special for my friend. I soon found out that that is not why he needed the list. In fact, my boyfriend was the one who wanted the list, and for my birthday, he took me to as many places on my list to kiss me. We had a kiss on-stage, on a mountain, in the rain (luckily it was raining), ect. It was super thoughtful, and still remains in my book as the best and most thoughtful date. 

Crouching Closely and Hamster Fireballs

Worst Date – Entry 11 

“Once upon a time, my roommate liked a boy. And sure, he was good looking, but the best word I can use to describe him is ‘thick.’ He just wasn't all there. She was ecstatic when he finally asked her on a date for a cold December evening.

About 30 minutes before he was supposed to pick her up, he calls and tells her he has a friend visiting from Utah State and that his friend needs a date as well. She runs straight into my room, and begs me to come. Now, I don't like this boy she's going out with, so it stands to reason that I won't like his friend. But after much pleading and convincing, I agree to go.

They knock and we open the door. There's my roommate's handsome, if thick-headed date, and standing next to him is... a 14-year-old boy? No, he just looks like a 14-year-old boy. He's 18 (still younger than me) and attending college. But I have a hard time believing it. Alright. Oh well. I'll just grin and bear it right? I'm sure he's nice, right?

As we walk out to the car, I come to realize that it's a tiny little pick-up truck, a bench seat for three in the front, and one of those side facing half seats in the back (taken up mostly by sub woofer). And there's another boy waiting inside. We still have to pick up his date. Somehow, I get stuck in the back, my head smashed into the ceiling and my neck twisted at an awkward angle. Then my date says ‘Can you sit up a little straighter? I'm going to have to sit on your lap.’ WHAT? I want to know who made the decision to take a 3-person truck on a 6-person date.

So we're driving around trying to find this last girls' house, and all we have is her house number and street. We drive around for at least 45 minutes and knock on two incorrect doors before her date decides to actually call her. Turns out she lives in a different city. When we finally pick up the last girl, my roommate also gets booted to the back, upon which my date starts complaining that my coat is too itchy for him to be near and that it's too crowded. So he hops in the bed of the truck. It's 10 PM on a freezing December night. Then he starts yelling that his ankles are cold, so he makes us stop at Wal-Mart so he can buy some long johns.

Our plan for the night was to go to a dance at UVU, and by the time we get there, there's only 20 minutes left in the dance. So we try to enjoy it, but my date keeps complaining that now he's too hot because of his long johns. We decide to go home after the 20 minutes of dancing (thank goodness) and I end scrunched up on the floor by my dates feet in the back seat of the truck.

As our dates drop us off at our apartment, my date says, ‘Well, that was awkward. Let's not do it again.’ Yeah. Let's not.”

Best Date –Entry K 

This, the best date, began with the fun-filled activity of rolling down huge hills in a giant, inflatable human hamster ball. At one point, while I was in the hamster ball, my date had the brilliant idea of turning himself into a ramp... it didn't go so well, but he got points for enthusiasm and creativity, for sure! After this first activity, the guys pulled out a cooler surprising us with a legit picnic! Good planning on their parts. The food was good, and it gave us all a good chance to talk and get to know each other more. Finally, as the grand finale to the date, the guys pulled out socks, a lighter, and rubbing alcohol which came into play. One of the guys had learned how to blow fire and wanted to teach us! He tied drenched alcohol socks to the end of a long stick, and lit it on fire. Then, after he demonstrated, we all took turns holding a little rubbing alcohol in our mouths, and then forcefully blowing it out in the direction of our homemade torch. It. Was. AWESOME! Not only was it a thoughtful date, but it also allowed me to do two things I had never done before! Not to mention the fact that I got some sweet pictures!

Courageous Nervousness and A Wide Range of Radness

Worst Date Story – Entry 10

(Sometimes, the picture just matches perfectly. And sometimes, the picture just makes me laugh hard enough that I have to choose it even if it doesn't.)

So, I have this friend who was dating this girl for some time. They both really liked each other, but he still hadn’t made the move to kiss her. Now, when I say he had dated her for some time, I actually mean a really long time. Like, a year long. I know, I know, you are all thinking “Really?” And the answer is yes. You see my friend was really nervous to kiss this girl and when he gets nervous, he gets sick.

Finally, he decides he has waited long enough. Finally, he is going to make a move. This Friday "Finally" will happen after an amazing date.

The date goes as planned, everything is picture perfect. He drives her home at the end of the night and parks in front of her apartment. He knows he can't back down. They talk for a while, and even though he is terrified, my friend moves in and kisses her. There were sparks, but maybe a few too many because the guy, immediately after the kiss, opens his door and loses it. His date is apparently the sympathetic type because upon seeing him throw up, she opens her door and loses it as well. So, the ending to the perfect date wasn’t quite so perfect, but they still did continue dating.

I know what question is burning in your mind, and no we - I mean they - did not end up kissing again THAT night.

Best Date – Entry J

I had a friend who I had been hanging out with a lot, but totally didn't think of him in a romantic way.  He shocked me one day by asking me out on a date.  He's a way cool guy, so I was down to try it.  When he picked me up, our first stop was GenX where we picked up 100% cotton shirts and perused all the fly fashions GenX has to offer.  We went back to his place and thought of t-shirts we wanted to make.  He and his roommate helped me think of one from one of my favorite songs by the Beastie Boys (my favorite, a fact that he loved).  His said I am the walrus.  We printed out the words then make a stencil out of them with an exacto knife, then sprayed bleach through the stencils to make totally rad shirts.  While we were waiting for them to dry we ate burritos at Diego's, then stopped by our good friend's soccer game.  The next day I went over to his house to pick up my shirt (and the rest of my burrito, I think....), and there was a red rose sitting on his kitchen table.  I loved my shirt so much and while I admired it, he motioned to the rose and said "that's for you, by the way."  It was the sweetest thing ever.  My first ever spontaneous flowers from a man.  

Teeth Diving and Stranded with Attractiveness

Worst Date – Entry 9

(There were other pictures that might have been better suited for this entry, but my stomach couldn't handle them.)

“(didn't happen to me--happened to a friend)

Once upon a time, a friend of mine was really excited to go on a date with this guy. She was even more excited when she found out he was going to take her to the tumbling gym. So, she went and was having a great time. They played for a while and decided to do crazy jumps into the foam pit. My friend ran hard, jumped high, but then landed too close to the edge where she hit her two front teeth which both broke in half horizontally.  With blood everywhere my friend managed to somehow get out of the foam pit, though she was in shock, not to mention a lot of pain.

So, what would a good date do at this point? Oh, I don't know... take her to the hospital? You would think so, but NO! The jerk, tells her (more or less) that she can suck it up and they can go get ice cream, or she can be a wimp and he can take her home. Not knowing what to say, she ends up going to get ice cream with him. She didn’t eat much because, you know, her teeth were snapped in half! After that, he just took her home! What a knight in shining armor.”

Best Date – Entry I

“My freshman year, I was involved in an intense prank war with a girl in Helaman Halls.  One weekend in February, she and two of her accomplices busted into my dorm room, blindfolded me, led me kicking and screaming outside, handcuffed me to a random BYU guy (who was also blindfolded), and drove us up into the canyon.  Then, they got rid of the handcuffs, equipped us with a camera, and left us there to find our way back home.  

It turns out that my fellow kidnap victim in the canyon was extremely attractive.  He was also smart, funny, genuine and down-to-earth, and I got to know him really well after two hours walking through the Provo suburbs.  Who knew that all I had to do to snatch a great date was to get kidnapped and abandoned on the outskirts of town?

I should point out that at the end of this story, I came back into my dorm room to find all of my belongings, walls, floor and ceiling plastered in aluminum foil, but that was more a part of the prank rather than the date.”

Calculating Cones and Brevity is Best

Worst Date – Entry 8

"I went out with a BYU math major and part of the date was, of course, going to the BYU creamery for ice cream cones. After deciding what we wanted, my date began to figure out the price of our “big” purchase by pulling out his calculator. He informed me that he needed to make sure that he was staying within his budget."

Best Date – Entry H

(Note the weirdness of this photo.)

"One of the best (first) dates that I had at BYU: The guy took me out to dinner and we ate and talked for two hours and he took me home.  I have had too many marathon first dates.   Two hours was just perfect.  It wasn't too long.  It wasn't awkward.  It was just right, and it lead to subsequent dates."

Oblivious Blind Date and Extreme Scrabble

I know you have your own horrendous and stupendous date stories. SEND THEM TO ME!!! please.  

Worst Date – Entry 7

"My friend from home called me up and told me her cousin had just gotten home from a mission.  He was described as really cute, funny, and lots of fun.  I hate blind dates, but I adored this friend and thought I’d give it a shot.  We set up the date for a Tuesday night and he said we’d be going on a double with his best friend.  About an hour or so before he was supposed to pick me up, he calls me to say that his friend doesn’t have a date so could I please find him one.  

I call every single friend I have, but it’s a Tuesday night and in the middle of midterms.  I call back after over 30 minutes of trying to say how sorry I am, but that I couldn’t find anyone when he responds, 'Oh, he already found someone anyway.'  Thanks for letting me know, pal! 

When I open my front door, there are two guys standing there.  My date, who looks like he’s straight off a 50s farm (gap between his front teeth and all), pushes passed me without a word when he sees my roommate’s drum set and sits down to start playing.  His friend makes polite conversation while we wait for the horrible drum solo to end.  Finally, they decide we should leave.  My roommates give me the “we’ll pray for you” look as I walk out the door.  They didn’t pray hard enough.

We pick up his date and head to Trafalga where we meet up with a third married couple.  We are playing mini golf, but my date basically refuses to acknowledge I’m alive.  He’s talking to his friend and his friend’s date (who he had known previously) the whole time.  The married couple takes pity on me and talks to me throughout the evening.  My date, however, seems to think the evening is going splendidly and keeps trying to extend it.  We do bumper cars next and then he tries to get everyone to do the batting cages, but everyone else decides on ice cream.  It’s after 10 on a Tuesday, so nothing is open.  I’m praying for the end , but the married couple offers up the ice cream at their place.  They live in some family member’s basement, so we have to be quite.  They dish the ice cream and then lead us into their BEDROOM to eat it!  The room is a complete disaster with dirty clothes strewn everywhere.  The married couple climbs INTO bed to eat while the rest of us try not to sit on their unmentionables.  The other girl and I were incredibly uncomfortable, but our dates were having the times of their lives and got 2 more servings of ice cream each.  When they finally decide that we should head out, my date asks if we can end the evening with a closing prayer.  His friends say no and they take me home.  When my date walks me to my door, he shakes my hand and tells me what a great time he had.  He added that we should 'do it again sometime.'  That caught me so off guard that I said, 'REALLY!?!' in complete shocked horror.  I got inside as quickly as possible only to see my living room packed with people who had all just heard the most awkward door scene ever.  I’m sure he was still within hearing distance when they all burst out laughing and I collapsed into the fetal position on the floor!  WORST DATE EVER!"


Best Date – Entry G

"So, I've been seeing this great guy for about a month now, and one of our mutual joys in this life is a good game of Scrabble. Our first date was an evening of Afghan food and Scrabble (I totally whupped him), so we agreed that a rematch for him to avenge his shattered honor would be in order.

Earlier this week, I was thinking about cool date ideas when it hit me: what's the one thing better than Scrabble? GIANT Scrabble! I immediately went to work cutting out letter tiles from salvaged cardboard and figuring out the dimensions for a masking tape board to make on a flat surface (in case you wanted to know, if you make your tiles 4x4 inches, your board will need to be 7X7 feet with 5x5 inch squares).

When Friday rolled around, I told him to meet me in front of the Marriot Center at five. When he arrived, I was putting the finishing touches on my enormous board. He was absolutely FLOORED. In addition to being an awesomely fun round of Scrabble (the game changing word of the night may or may not have been "surgings" across a Triple Word Score--that's 77 points), we also got the singular pleasure of people goggling at how cool we were as they walked by. While the rest of the evening was also wonderful, the highlight was definitely the biggest game of Scrabble I have ever played with an amazing guy.

Oh, and for the record, 332 to 232. I won again :]"

“I Fail at Failing” and Reminiscent Reading

Worst Date - Entry 6

"During finals week of winter semester, an acquaintance in my apartment complex said, 'Hey!  Let me take you out for dinner tonight so you can take a break from studying.'  I had two finals the next day, but he insisted that I go, so I accepted.  Once we sat down at the restaurant, I let him know that I was grateful for his generosity in getting me out of the apartment, but that I could only be there for a short time because I had more studying to do. 

Completely ignoring my request, my acquaintance spent the next two hours talking about himself.  The following are some of the best snippets from his monologue.  I wish he were being sarcastic with these, but he was totally serious.  I should know, because whenever I laughed at what he said, he looked offended:

On humility: 'I don’t understand stupid people, mainly because I’m a prodigy.  My parents always said I was brilliant.  When I was in elementary school, for example, I read at a high school level, and when I was in the sixth grade, I read at a graduate school level.'

On 'taking it slow' in a relationship: 'I speak fluent Spanish because I served a mission in Peru.  I’ll talk about my mission stories later, though, because I don’t want you to fall in love with me too fast.'

On ESP: 'I really like you because we’re intellectually superior to most college students.  I just love to analyze you [this is when he stares scarily into my eyes].  What are you thinking right now?  I think I know, because we’re on the same intellectual plane…but I’ll save that for our next date' [had he really known what I was really thinking in that moment, the thought of a second date wouldn’t have crossed his mind].

On success: Him – 'So, what did you do today?'

Me – 'Not much -- I just studied, ate lunch and studied some more.  It was actually kind of sad because I totally failed in my attempt to not burn a grilled cheese sandwich…'

Him – 'I’m sorry you fail at making grilled cheese sandwiches.  You know what I fail at?'

Me – '…what?'

Him – 'I fail at failing.'

Me – 'What?'

Him – 'It’s true.'

Me – 'Surely, you must have failed at something at least once in your life.'

Him – 'Well, actually...I have failed at one thing.  I’ve never told you this, but for the last year, I’ve been madly in love with your roommate and I haven’t been able to make her mine yet…actually, do you think you can help me?'

Yes, my friends: that last line was the real bombshell.  It turns out his whole purpose for taking me away from my studies was not to be nice, but to get me to play matchmaker for him and my roommate.  During the third hour of that date, while the employees of the restaurant were cleaning up and waiting for us to leave, I played the role of therapist girl while he weepily described his unrequited love for my roommate.  

Finally, he paid for dinner (thank goodness), we drove back home, and I told my roommate this story.  It turns out that she had been oblivious to the whole thing, and to my complete shock, they started dating a few weeks later."

Best Date - Entry F

"I met a girl in one of my classes and we instantly hit it off. I asked her out soon, and decided to do something different for the date based on our shared interest in literature. Instead of the typical date scene, we went to the Provo Library. There we went to the children’s section and read a book together. Afterward, we picked out a book that we wanted the other person to read. It was fun to talk and reminisce about our childhood experiences and it easily broke down any ordinary first date awkwardness."

Botched Basketball and Simple Service

Worst Date - Entry 5
(I know the picture doesn't entirely relate, but think deeply and... it still doesn't.)

I had not been on a date since I had been dumped by my boyfriend 3 years before. I had 2 tickets to a basketball game that the physical therapist I worked for had given me. I asked my "secret crush" if he would like to go with me and he accepted. However, the night before the date, he flaked out on me. He told me I should ask Ben, another guy from our ward. Already, this was not going well. Ben really disliked being asked out by girls. He had told me so on numerous occasions. I decided going to the b-ball game with Ben was better than going on my own, so I called and asked him if he would like to go with me. I told him, "This isn't a date, so I don't want you to freak out." His response, "I'll only go with you if this IS a date. I'll pick you up at 6:00 and if you pay for parking, I'll take you to dinner."

I had gone running that day, and had had an early lunch, so by the time he picked me up (he was late), I was starving. When I got into his car, he was scarfing down an ice cream sundae from Costco. I looked at the sundae and he told me he'd gotten hungry waiting to pick me up. I was thinking it was weird, but whatever. I got in the car and we drove to the game. When we got to the parking lot, I paid the fee and we started walking toward the stadium. We didn't get there in time to go to a restaurant and I'm thinking "Really, you're buying me arena food for dinner," but I was so hungry I would have taken anything. 

We go to sit down in our seats and we begin talking. He decided to steer the conversation towards what girls in our ward would be acceptable for him to date. Fantastic. He wants me to set him up with one of my friends. I reluctantly tell him which girls are awesome and why. He proceeds to tell me he'd rather date someone hot instead of a "nice girl." Halfway through the game, I start hinting that I am really, really hungry. In fact, I'm starting to feel faint. He decides now would be a good time to eat. So we go scope out the food situation. The first thing he did was look at the prices of the food and then he announces, "I'm not paying for this! It's way too expensive! If you want to eat, you'll have to pay for it yourself."

Having no more money, as I had paid for parking, I went back to my seat extremely grumpy. We sat through part of the third period when he announces "It's time to go!" I was dumbfounded. Why would we go? It was a good game and our team was winning. He says, "We have to beat the traffic." I replied "What traffic? It's a Tuesday night and there aren't even 5,000 people here!" He tells me that he's leaving now and if I want a ride home, I'm going to have to go with him. 

The drive home was miserable. He wanted to talk about a hot-button topic. I disagreed with his standpoint and voiced my own opinion. He berated me about my point of view. When he approached my apartment, he barely slowed down and I had to leap from the car. The kicker was that he told my best friend he had had a really good time. 

Shockiingly, I disagreed.
Best Date - Entry E

The very best date I have been on is when my date and I went and weeded an elderly lady’s yard. We just worked side by side and enjoyed talking together. It was simple, but the company was good and the service was meaningful. 

Doubting the Benefits & Singing Soulfully for Supper

Worst Date - Entry 4 

I met this guy in one of my classes at school. He took me out on a couple of dates, or, at least I thought they were dates at first. The thing is that our dates were so far apart and pretty casual, so I reserved the possibility that maybe he was just interested in friendship. After class one day, we were walking together, and he asked if I would like to go with him to see a game in Salt Lake with some friends. I gladly accepted the invitation. He said he would pick me up in an hour at 4:00. I went home and got ready, and then I waited, and I waited, and I waited. I continued to wait until about 4:45 when I called him to see what was going on. I mean, he could have gotten in a terrible accident, right? Or maybe a tiger ate his phone. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t answer his phone and so the vision of him needing to save a baby gorilla was playing in my head, which is so very plausible at this point. Still I waited until, at seven, I received a text message from him telling me that there wasn’t enough room in the car so he couldn’t come pick me up. At this point the accident, tiger, and gorilla all vanished as possible scenarios and I was a slightly annoyed, just slightly. Okay, I was more bordering on the irate side of the line. He came over late that night and knocked on my door. He told me that he knew he hadn’t handled things very well, and that he hadn’t come because he had just gotten out of a relationship and was scared. I listened patiently, but I still didn’t connect why any of that meant he couldn’t call me to tell me he wouldn’t be coming to get me.

Best Date - Entry D 

The best date I've ever been on didn't start out looking like it would be. It was a Valentine's day double date. The boy picked me up and took me to his house, where the other couple was waiting. The men informed us that they didn't have any money, so we were going to earn some and then go on the date. We, the girls, were instructed to make signs out of poster board that said phrases like, "Hungry Teenagers" and "Will Sing For Food," while the men practiced harmonizing to a few of their favorite songs. Then we went to a swankier part of town and put a hat next to us on the ground. The boys sang, the girls waved the posters, and we danced with our dates for fifteen minutes before security asked us to leave. In that fifteen minutes, people passing by contributed $50 into our hat. We then went out to dinner using that cash and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

Doubling with Daddy & Better Bowling

Worst Date - Entry 3
It all started when I received a text while I was at work from a friend in my BYU ward that we'll call "Joe". In his text, Joe stated that his parents were in town and wanted to meet his friends. He followed this by telling me that everyone was going to dinner that evening at a local restaurant and that his parents would be paying and that he wanted me to come meet his parents. Assuming this was just a group party for Joe's parents to meet all his friends, I consented and asked where I should meet them. He insisted that he would come pick me up at the appointed time. I thought this was a little weird since it was a group activity, but again agreed to the offer. Joe rang my doorbell at the appointed pick-up time, and we began to walk out to the parking lot. When we got closer to the car, I saw two people get out. They were his parents. I was still fine with this, until we were driving to the restaurant and it became apparent that this was NOT a group activity of friends--this was a double date with his parents. Needless to say, it was awkward. I wasn't expecting to be on a date at all, but I played it out calmly (as well as I could) and tried to carry on with friendly conversation. It also became very apparent that Joe's dad was trying to convince me to date his son. Let's just say that Joe didn't exactly leave the best impression with me by the end of the night and I never went on a date with him again! (A few tips for other single guys looking for a girl: 1) NEVER ask a girl out (especially for the first date) through a text. 2) Try to let the girl know when you ask her that IT'S A DATE! 3) Don't go on a double date with your parents for the first date!)
Best Date - Entry C

Here are some group dates that my friends and I have done.

Fun date idea: Go to a bowling alley and have everyone write down crazy and ridiculous things that have to be done while bowling; for example: blindfolded, bowl with an Asian, critique someone in another alley on their bowling, ask an attendant for tips, cheer for a random person, spin around twenty times before, piggy back, steal a bowling ball from a stranger’s alley, or go as far down the alley as possible without getting caught. Each person pulls the slip out of a hat. Don’t forget to give everyone crazy bowling names.

Other idea: Make flour bombs by cutting up nylon/pantyhose and tie one end. Fill it up with flour and tie the other end to close it. Have your dates wear dark clothes and go to the canyon to play flour bomb wars. You can play capture the flag, kick the bucket, free for all, or any other game but do it before dark because it’s hard to find the flour bombs once they’ve been thrown in the dark.

Snowboard Smackdown & San Francisco Summer City Sights

Worst Story - Entry #2 

Before my mission I took a girl (who I was really trying to impress) snowboarding. Not a good idea in the first place (at least if you're me). As the ski lift moved in behind us to pick us up and take us up the mountain, my snowboard got caught in the snow, twisting me out of the chair and sending me sliding down the little ramp we were on while my date proceeded up the mountain. To add insult to injury, the lift operator stopped the entire lift so everyone, including my date, could turn around and laugh at me. OK, I'm sure that's not why he stopped it, but I was humiliated nonetheless as I looked up and saw my date laughing hysterically at me. Then on the way home I found out that she was a MAN!

OK, that last part obviously didn't happen but I really want that Quarry gift certificate.

For "the best" date stories, I'll have to put you in contact with any girl I've ever taken out.

Best Story - Entry B 

At the beginning of the summer I met a cute, funny, nice guy, only problem was… he was leaving a couple days later for an internship in California. He called throughout the summer and we had a fun time getting to know each other over the phone. Then, at the end of the summer, my family and I went on a vacation to San Francisco and that’s where the cute boy and I had our first date. We had dinner and then went for a walk along the bay. We had a fun time talking and laughing, and when we came to a bench he asked if I wanted to sit down. We sat and looked out over the beautiful city lights as they reflected off the bay. So romantic! However, as Mark Twain once said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” To remedy the chilly night, the cute boy was kind enough to put his arm around me to keep me warm. ;) We’re now dating, which I’d have to attribute in part to that wonderful first date!

Blundering Bumps & Lowflying Highlights

Email me your stories soon. 

Thanks to those who have already submitted!

Worst Story - Entry #1 

For my story, it isn’t so much that the date itself was bad, just the way I handled it, especially at the end. I met a guy in one of my classes and we had gone on several dates throughout the semester. On a date, right before we left to go our separate ways for the summer, we were walking down the street, and he put his arm around me. I leaned in encouragingly, but I guess I was a little too encouraging because I ended up leaning him into a couple walking by. Then, when he dropped me off, I started to say “I will see you later” but in the middle of the sentence, I realized I wouldn’t really be seeing him for quite a while, and so instead I said, “I guess I will see you…NEVer.” He didn’t call me after that for some strange reason. 

Best Story - Entry A 

My last boyfriend was going to UVU and had his pilot's license so we went up to the Salt Lake international airport to fly in the small personal planes. Unfortunately, the weather was stormy so we couldn't go up in the air, but we still had a blast because we got in the plane and listened to all the pilot jargon through the headphones and taxed around the parking lot. 

Some Examples

Worst Date Example

By far, the worst date I have been on at BYU was one where I didn’t even know we were going on a date. In my last ward, I served with a guy whom we will call Jeff on an activities committee. We needed to get together to discuss ideas, and he asked right before we were supposed to meet if we could go get something to eat as part of the meeting because he was just getting off work and he was starving. I agreed, he picked me up, and then we went to get some hamburgers. Jeff offered to pay but I insisted on paying for my own. As we began to eat, I pulled out my nifty binder to discuss plans for the ward activities. He just looked at me weird. Then, he put down his hamburger and told me, “The real reason I wanted to come here with you is because I wanted to ask you on a date but didn’t know how.” I was surprised and responded, “I am flattered, but I already have a boyfriend.” He then furthered to amaze me by responding, “I know.” He then tried to convince me to dump my boyfriend so we could date. I was not impressed to say the least.

Best Date Example

The best date I have been on at BYU was last year. The guy who took me figured out what to do before hand, based on previous conversations.  We first went to the BYU men’s volleyball game because he knows I played in high school and that I love to watch it. Afterward, he took me salsa dancing because I had said once that I really enjoy dancing. Then, we went and got my favorite flavor of ice cream (which again, he knew already) and we just talked. It was so much fun, and I couldn’t believe how thoughtful he was. Then to top it all off, the next day he wrote me a short but sweet note and left it on my doorstep attached to my favorite candy.