Must Love Dogs

Have you ever tried one of those online dating services? There are so many of them these days, it's hard to know which one would work best for you. I had tried them before, when I was younger, just for fun. And I enjoyed seeing the movie Must Love Dogs where Diane Lane's character tries them out for herself.

As a Christian, I decided, first, to try eHarmony. That website is so thorough! Before you even make a profile, you take a long, thorough personality test which is quite helpful in letting you get to know yourself a lot more. So I took the test, learned about myself, and made my own personal profile, which includes photos of myself. Then it was time. Time to do the search. I clicked the button and waited a few moments and... 0 results. What? That can't be right! So, I set my area limit to include any matches from the entire world! Maybe I'd find my true love in Australia! (They have such sexy accents!) Click search. And the lucky winner is....! Not me. Still, zero matches! What's that all about?!

So onto the next site. Yahoo! Personals. I didn't try so hard on this profile. I just had a bit of fun with it. My headline reads, "I Caught You a Delicious Bass," and in the About Me section, I ramble on about The Office and how Jim would be a perfect match for me. I upload a few pics and click save. The first day I just browsed through possible matches and sent an "icebreaker" to a few of them. Within a few days, I've got messages of my own! How exciting! Too bad none of them really seem to fit my style. And, I actually got matched with my cousin... That can never be good. I am soon getting so many of the same generic messages, I get bored and a little overwhelmed. Let's try another site, shall we?

A friend suggests Match.com. Alright, it has a picture of Dr. Phil on the main page. That has to be a good sign! Who doesn't love Dr. Phil? So, once again, I go through the motions of filling out a profile. Although, this time I cheat because I just copy and paste information from my other profiles I've already done. Haha, I'm a smart one, hm? I hit save and browse my possible matches. I go to send someone a wink, and I'm told my profile has not yet been approved and it could take up to 72 hours. Ok. So the next day, I check again. First, I notice that one of my photos was not approved. They tell me that it is either because it is a photo of a group of people, or the photo is not actually me. Well, neither of those fit. It is a picture of me. And only me. By myself. And my profile is still not approved. A few days later, I give up. They will never approve my profile or tell me what is wrong with it.

Next, I try ManassasSingles.org. So sad. But I saw a sign on the side of the road and thought I'd give it a shot. So I fill out my information. The form is a bit different from the others. When I submit it, it tells me that they will be in touch. I don't get to browse or anything. All I get to do is wait. And patience is not my strong point.

I check back on Yahoo! every few days. One guy messages me twice. Says some nice things about me. He's pretty cute. I like what he says in his profile. Why not give him a shot? So I instant message him one day and we just hit it off! We chat for quite a while and would have chatted longer except it was late, and he has to work in the morning. Ah, such is life. He is interested in meeting up for dinner. I am overly cautious and a bit scared of meeting someone from online. Heck, I don't even feel comfortable talking on the phone with people. Why am I doing this whole online dating thing, anyway? I explain this to him, and he understands. So for now, we just chat. Maybe someday I will get over my phobia and actually let a guy meet me. Maybe. But for now, it's just nice to have someone to talk to and to let me feel like I'm at least semi-interesting. And did I mention that he likes dogs?

In Her Shoes

I am a female. So that means I should love shoes, right? Well, maybe I do in a sense, but seriously, I hate shoe shopping. It drives me crazy. And while I may think certain shoes are absolutely adorable and want to buy a billion different pairs, I hate wearing them. I would be so happy to run around barefoot all day or to wear my ratty pair of slippers everywhere I go. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be too acceptable in this society. So here I am, a twenty-one year old woman who does not love shoes like I should. What's a girl to do?
I have had this particular pair of Kenneth Cole Tuff Daddy shoes since high school that I just LOVE. They are so incredibly comfortable, and they manage to be super trendy and super sporty at the same time. I went to school in these shoes. I've gone to church in these shoes. I've worked long, hard days in retail in these shoes. I have gone on dates in these shoes. I got my first kiss while I was wearing these shoes. These shoes hold memories. They are a huge part of my life. Also, they were made of the softest black and white leather. In Italy. Sweet.
Anyway, after wearing a single pair of shoes pretty much every day for a few years, they tend to wear out a bit. Okay, more than a bit. They start to look a little sad. The fabric starts to tear. The colors begin to fade. They get holes in the toes. The soles wear out until it feels like you're walking barefoot. Then people start telling you that you need new shoes. And they keep telling you. And keep telling you. They say, "Let's go shoe shopping!" They laughingly say, "Haha, nice shoes, Brooke..." They even offer to buy you a new pair of shoes themselves. (Yes, it's true. I've had more than one offer.) But I can't help it. I love those shoes. And you can't find them anywhere anymore.
Don't get me wrong. I've looked for new shoes. I've tried quite a few pair on. I even bought a cute comfy pair of Saucony's that look really cute with jeans and are really good to wear for working out! But they just can't take the place of my Kenny Coles. So I still wear my sad little shoes every day.
But today was my lucky day! Today, the sun was shining on me! Today, the shoe angels were smiling down! For today, my wonderful, incredibly awesome sister found me a new pair of shoes. The EXACT same pair that I have had this sad little love affair with for the past 4+ years! My sister loves eBay. And now I do, too. She was looking at shoes today on that blessed website and found my shoes. She placed a bid (surprisingly, the only bid) on those size 8 medium very nice condition Kenneth Cole Tuff Daddys and won. And for a moment, my heart swelled with joy, and I was so happy I could cry. Well, okay, maybe not. But at least I can say that now, my shoe wardrobe is once again complete. And I am very much okay with not having to go shoe shopping anymore for the next few years...