Date 2: Grab those dancin' shoes!

A dancer, he says. I was a little dubious. I've cut a rug with many guys and few are really stellar on the dance floor. Most really just bounce around awkwardly. Not to say I'm a phenomenal dancer, by any means! I'm actually pretty bad at following a rhythm. If I have a good leader, however, I can fake it somewhat; wimpy leaders are a pet peeve of mine.

And so, he picked me up for a night of live music at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in historic Pioneer Square. With glasses of wine in hand, we headed closer to the music. No one was dancing. Eventually, however, we made sure that changed. He pulled me up from my chair and held me tight, sensually swaying to the music. Once we got comfortable with each other's dancing style, he started breaking out the big guns: dizzying spins, dips, and other fancy footwork. Wow. He was good...REALLY good!

We'd work up a sweat, sit down to sip on our wine, chat with our crazy neighbors at the next table--an overly loquacious southern woman and her pirate-patched partner--and hop back up for more. With each song, we found ourselves closer and closer. With each dip, our noses inched nearer, warm breaths on each other's necks, until it seemed impossible not to kiss.... but, a kiss didn't happen!

At least not on the dance floor.

He drove me home and stopped in front of my house. We reached to hug goodbye and, like magnets, were drawn into each other's embrace, sealing it with a kiss. Nothing awkward, like first kisses tend to be--completely natural and genuine. The perfect end to an amazing night!

Chivalry is alive and well

Before I say anything about last night’s date, it’s important to remember that Special Guest #1 read the whole blog, and, if you haven’t been reading, he posted comments after The Cat’s out of the Bag. This is a blogging first for One Hundred Dates for sure!

He picked me up at 7:15, – every man should know that every woman needs that extra fifteen minutes to get ready, especially when transforming oneself from labor & delivery scrubs and pony tail to date attire – he opened my door for me, we hopped in the car and I still had only one clue about the evening’s activities: it’s a mix of paleontology and vinification. As we drove down the hill toward the Space Needle we chatted about our day’s activities and I got to find out more about what he does for work – and I think he found out more than he needed to know about what I do.

Then we rounded the corner to the Pacific Science Center and a tall, beaming billboard called out the future of our evening: Science with a Twist: Dinos and Wine-OH! And I must say not only did he pick out a perfectly nerd-a-licious event, he already had tickets reserved (like a responsible date) and when he didn’t know where he was going he said so (he had never been to the Pacific Science Center before), 10 points for Special Guest #1.

So we spent the night tasting wine, learning about dinosaurs, touching gooey critters in the touch tank, eating weird chocolates and strategizing about who had the strongest wine pour. He also impressed me with his vast knowledge about the cosmos in the planetarium (did he research this before the date?!), lightened the mood by asking silly questions during a hoity toity wine presentation, and we made each other a wine charm keepsake to tie the night together.

During the festivities, he said, “So I’m assuming you have a family, you went to school, you know, the typical first date questions...do we really need to have that conversation?” (That’s not a direct quote; I had already had three glasses of dino wine at this point). But he brought up an interesting point: how much of the connection you feel with a person comes from just simply hanging out, and how much of it comes from the connection you feel when you have something in common? Well, no matter how hard we tried, these first date facts trickled into conversation anyway. However, besides his work and a few details about life in Kansas City, he’s a pretty reserved guy, so it may take a few more first date conversations to really get to the good stuff (we decided ex’s and politics was out...we did touch on religion, but mostly because we coincidentally both attended single-sex Catholic schools).

I’m afraid to even say it (especially because he’s reading and I’m supposed to remain pleasantly aloof at this point), but it was a beautifully executed date. Well thought out, fun and a good balance of pre-planned activity and time to get to know each other. Well, there it is Special Guest #1, my whole psyche on a plate for you! We're all eagerly awaiting your comments about the date, which really isn’t fair because you can see exactly what I think already! We’re going to have to think of some better rules moving forward.