Mykii!! So Mykii is just great. 🙂 We go way back and we had both had long days so he waited downstairs while I got a few things together and when I came down I found him chilling out, lying on the living room floor, so I came down and joined him. We both just laid there for a while and talked, relaxed and decompressed. It was so nice. Mykii then took some selfies.
Nailed it.
We went to an artisan pizza place that Mykii has been wanting to try called Due Forni. Everything is made from scratch and I can’t tell you what half the stuff on the menu was, there were a lot of Italian ingredients, so I picked one with the key words “smoked…”, “roasted…” and “basalmic” because I love all of those things. I’m sure it’s just like Italy. 🙂 The pizzas were really good and the atmosphere was great, we sat outside in the partially enclosed patio which was perfect.
Mykii trying to be Asian like me.
After dinner, Mykii and I went for a drive and he taught me to drive his stick shift jeep. I have previously had lessons but it’s been a looong time, so this was a great refresher/relearning course.
Now I am no longer limited by my lack of manual skills! I could drive someone to the hospital if my only option was stick, or pick-up an emergency get away car, or go cruising in a Corvette… the possibilities are endless!
Some great things to know about Mykii. He’s super creative and likes to share his creative skills. He’s laid back and fun to be with. He has diverse interests/skills like off-roading, art and style that make him well rounded and awesome! He’s spontaneous and rolls with whatever comes. Thanks for the lovely date, Mykii!
I just have to say that I was impressed with Josh from the start. Right away he was enthusiastic about doing a date and he was great at communicating and making plans. He told me he would let me know beforehand what we would be doing and the morning of he sent me over his plan. I was initially hesitant about his activity idea, the last time I had done this I had ripped my Toms. After my initial hesitancy, I agreed to his plans, and I’m so glad I did! Honestly, I shouldn’t make any big life decisions before I’ve had breakfast.
I have a list of 100 things to do in Vegas, and one of the things on the list that I haven’t done yet but I’ve really wanted to, was go to Firefly tapas. This was really the perfect place for him to pick for dinner. The food was great! I had been recommended the bacon wrapped dates and they were delicious. The time flew as we tried all sorts of tapas and got to know each other.
After dinner we headed out to Sunset park to play some frisbee golf! I used to pay this as a kid at my local park, and my skills haven’t improved much since then. There were a lot of kids out in the park that would chase down and bring our frisbees back to us, they were so helpful! 😉
There are official brooms for the official launch pads. That’s how you know we’re serious about this. 🙂
This is him throwing at least three times farther then me.
So lest you think it was frisbee golf that had me concerned for the welfare of my shoes, Josh had another activity planned afterwards. We went to a near by parking lot and he taught me how to longboard. My first and previous experience ended with a wipeout but I’ve still wanted to learn to do it! After a few rounds in the parking lot, I was getting pretty good, at least I was balancing and moving forward and turning left and right. Mastering the breaks will be a lesson for the future but for this activity Josh was always within arms reach for the downhills, which I really appreciated. 🙂 I was starting to feel pretty confident so he showed me his power sliding skills. This is 5 second clip of Josh power sliding. Yes I laughed a little on the inside when he told me this is what he was going to teach me. 🙂
I tried a very basic version of what he did. It was sliding without the power part.
I decided I liked the standing up method of longboarding best for right now. We kept rolling around the parking lot, I was full of my newfound confidence when a little rock caught the wheel and I was suddenly on my back! It happened so fast I didn’t even realize I was on the ground for a second, but let me tell you I am no stranger to falling and I’ve gotten pretty pro at it, in fact I think this was my best fall yet! No rips in my clothing, no blood whatsoever, just a bruised behind and a tap on my head and elbow. I counted Josh’s fingers and he still has six, no fear. Haha, no but it really was a low impact fall and my all of me was feeling pretty good after a few minutes. Josh was in more of a panic then I was; I’m still fine, Josh! 🙂 The best first dates have to have some sort of epic story, right? He told me earlier that I could borrow one of his longboards to practice with, and I’m pretty sure he thought I wouldn’t want to at this point, but I totally took him up on it. I honestly lost track of the time and had no idea we were out so late, thus the reason I am posting this the next day. 🙂 And since Josh has a business trip in July, he will not be available for Rome, sadly.
Some great things to know about Josh. He likes to do adventurous things! He’s a patient teacher. He’s really sweet and fun to be with. He’s good at communicating and great to talk to. He comes up with memorable date ideas. 😉 Thanks for the epic date, Josh!
Shane is a modern cowboy Casanova. Throughout the night, he kept saying three of the most lovely words in the English language, “Whatever you want.” Now these words can be used as a cop-out when the date doesn’t want to make any decisions, but in Shane’s case they meant whatever you want, I’ll make it happen. What do you want for dinner? Whatever you want. Desert? Whatever you want. Dancing? Whatever you want.
We went to Macaroni Grill for dinner. Gotta get ready for that Italian food, after all. Dinner was great, nice and relaxing after a long day at work. 🙂
During diner, Shane described a day when he and his brother took three flights in one day to New York for breakfast, Florida for lunch and back to New York for dinner. This sounds like a pretty awesome day in my estimation. I’ve wandered far too little for far too long and my wanderlust is returning with a vengeance.
After dinner we headed down the road to Rita’s Italian Ice. I am just now seeing the Italian pattern which was not planned. I’ve got to be honest, I only go there for the custard.
After desert we went driving he put on some Billy Ray Cyrus and Loretta Lynn. I was raised on country, but these artists were before my time; major props to a guy who appreciates the classics. 🙂 He told me to think of the coolest place I had ever been to and imagine some place 1000x cooler. He took me to a surprise location with great views of the city and which required some legitimate climbing. Though I am not at liberty to divulge this location, which may have included bypassing a fence or two, I will say I was covered in dust/dirt by the time I got up to the look-out point and I totally owned the climb in flip-flops. The view and the climb were totally worth it! Shane was pretty sure I would decide not to make the climb, especially with my flip flops. Challenge accepted. 😉
Since he’s a cowboy Casanova and up for “whatever”, the evening did end with some driveway dancing. Man I miss country dancing sometimes. 🙂
Some great things to know about Shane. He is very passionate and goes all in; he’s a go big or go home kind of guy. He’s spontaneous and likes to do crazy fun things. He’s confident in himself and his abilities and he likes to push his limits. He’s bold and all heart. Thanks for the adventurous date, Shane!
Somehow Eddie discovered that I love mint chocolate, so he brought some dark and mint Ghirardelli chocolate squares with him. Mmm, so nice! He had asked me earlier what types of food I like to eat, I told him I often like to try new and foreign food so we went to Viva Las Arepas, a Venezuelan restaurant. I had not yet tried Venezuelan food and their specialty, as the name implies, are arepas which are stuffed flatbread wraps made out of a maize (corn) dough. They were good! I love trying new foods! 🙂
After dinner we went to watch a magician downtown, Tommy Wind. He incorporated music with his magic and his parents and fiancee were all involved with the show, playing music or assisting on stage. There were a lot of families with their kids there, it was fun to see their eyes light up in amazement. 🙂 Afterwards we got a picture with the magician himself and his fiancee/assistant.
For desert we headed over to one of my favorite downtown spots, Luv it Frozen Custard! This place is great, I definitely recommend it 🙂
Some great things to know about Eddie. He is a true gentleman, always there to open my door. He comes up with fun date ideas. He laughs easily. He has great taste in food. He’s cool with me playing my music, even if it is a little quirky. 😉 Thanks for the fun date, Eddie!
Brian had the clever idea of doing something a little unique. He asked me to think of a couple of people that I’d like to do something nice for and he came over and we made cookies to deliver to them! I love this idea! It was a lot of fun making the cookies, eating the cookie dough, and getting to know each other! 🙂
We discovered that I like asymmetry while he likes symmetry, so I rolled by cookies a little awry while his were perfectly circular. I think we can still be friends 😉 While the cookies were baking we found out that we went the same university and were there at overlapping times. We talked about all the things that I’ve been learning from this experience, which is a lot. Stay tuned for some sort of a culminating post expounding on the dating lessons learned. After the cookies were baked and ready to go, I started writing notes and Brian did the dishes. Cue heart melt. What a stud!
We then went out and made the deliveries. We weren’t really sneaky about it, but if you received a package like the one pictured, it was likely from a different Jecia.
Due to Brian’s work schedule he would not be able to go to Rome, what a travesty! Maybe his boss will read this and give it some thought…
Some great things to know about Brian. He’s pleasant to talk to and to spend time with. He is conscientious about details. He is service minded and thinks of others. He is unpretentious and good-natured. Thanks for being a marvelous date, Brian!
This was such a fun date! This morning Mark and I hiked the Gold Strike hot springs out in Boulder City, and I quickly discovered that Mark is one of the best people to have with you on a hike.
I noted how the pods on a tree had a really cool pink color so Mark described why they turn pink, and he pointed out where you could find quartz deposits in the rock and how you might find gold based on rock coloration, and how aquifers seep through the rocks to create springs, (aquifer was the word of the day), and so on including things that had nothing to do with the hike like how REM sleep cycles work, and how our modern civilization is following the patterns of historical civilizations. He calls it trivial knowledge, I call it totally fascinating conversation.
Not only is he great hiking company with his wealth of knowledge, but he is also super helpful at getting up, over, through, and down all the rocky obstacles in the canyon. He’s like a survivor man.
Late spring is a beautiful time to be in the canyon because there is so much water, but it also makes for a much more difficult hike since the streams and pools divert the hikers to the more treacherous paths. There were many times that I would be on a precarious step or be holding onto a thin ledge and would think to myself “I have made a huge mistake”, but Mark had my back, assisting me and sometimes practically lifting me over these obstacles. What a champ!
The canyon was full of streams, pools and greenery!
The streams from the hot springs empty out into the Colorado river. At the end of the hike you have a fantastic view of the Hoover Dam bypass bridge, the Colorado River and the canyon. It is totally worth the work to get down there, plus all the waterfalls and streams in between.
After the hike we went to Sonic and got some refreshing drinks. Perfect way to finish a fabulous hike!
Some great things to know about Mark. He’s great with the outdoors and is really familiar with the trails of Southern Nevada. He is super smart! He speaks very highly of his family. He is an exceedingly trustworthy hiking companion and a great conversationalist. Thanks for being an awesome date, Mark!
Fabio is just great! He came down from Salt Lake City for the weekend to do this date, so some serious brownie points for so much effort ! Though he’s up in Salt Lake, he’s from Brazil and has a sweet Portuguese accent. 🙂
He had some fun ideas planned for tonight. We started by going to the McCarran Airport viewing area. Did you know this existed? There’s a sweet parking area off of Sunset right by the runway where you can park and watch the planes take-off and land. So cool! Fabio is a licensed pilot and is doing flight training so he told me about the planes coming and and leaving. We saw many planes including a little Brazilian, Boeing 747s, and an airbus, I’m going to have to fly in one of those some day. 😉 I love flying and traveling so this was so much fun!
After watching the planes for a while we went to dinner at a Yolie’s Brazilian Stake House in Vegas. As we walked to the restaurant he offered his arm, a very gentlemanly and kind gesture. 🙂 We came at a good time and had the restaurant practically to ourselves. This was my first experience with a Brazilian Stake House, and it was so good! They brought out so many different kinds of meat! My favorite was the tri-tip and the sirloin. PS the staff was super attentive and friendly, they kept our plates filled all night. 🙂 Over dinner we had a great conversation about dating. He said that he had been told recently to go into a relationship with no expectations. Start with your core values then let go of your expectations. I think this is the cusp of some great dating secret.
After dinner we went to the Bellagio to enjoy a lovely stroll around the gardens, to the Jean Philippe chocolate fountains, and to the water fountains. I love going to the Bellagio, it’s probably my favorite hotel on the strip.
This was a very pleasant evening and it was so fun to go on this date with Fabio!
Some great things to know about Fabio. He’s a big fan of planes and flying. He is good to talk to. He is gentlemanly and thoughtful. He’s consciously living his life and moving in a forward direction. Thanks for the fabulous date, Fabio!
Ryan had the fabulous idea of taking a walk out at the Hoover Dam bypass bridge overlook. It was a beautiful evening to be outside and we caught some burning red sunset light on the mountains and lake. It was Ryan’s first time to the overlook; it’s a pretty sweet vantage point, 900 feet above the Colorado. That would take 7.5 seconds for your spit to hit the river fyi. I just don’t know when to say when…
After our lovely walk, we went to get something to eat. The first restaurant we went to was already closed. Classic Boulder City. So we went to Pit Stop, why this wasn’t the first place that came to my mind is beyond me. This is a burger joint and a Boulder City staple. The shakes were the important part. They had the typical chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavors which beg to be combined into one awesome neapolitan power shake. Ryan is supper tech savvy so he described to me all sorts of interesting tidbits about smart phones and apps and the future of technology. Almost thou persuadest me to switch to Android. 😉
Some great things to know about Ryan. He’s very thoughtful and comes up with great ideas. He likes to explore and discover new things. He’s a fan of dogs! He’s tech smart and stays up to date with current and future technologies. Thanks for the lovely date, Ryan!
Ian texted me earlier today and said “I hope you’re ready for a relaxing evening!” How sweet and yes, I was so ready for a relaxing evening. 🙂 He then asked me if I had a preference on what to eat. Though I’m a big fan of surprises, it’s nice to be asked if I have a preference every now and again. Tonight I thought something light like sandwiches sounded good, so he went and picked up some Firehouse Subs. They were perfect! 🙂 He also gave me a heads up to wear comfy shoes that I could walk around in. That, of course for me, means flip flops. I know what I’m about, son.
We went to a park on his side of town, ate our subs and played Bocce ball. I love bocce ball, it’s super easy to play and you can play just about anywhere. It became even more fun when he suggested we play to see who gets dessert. I am highly motivated by confections, so it was on.
The obvious answer to your unspoken question is yes I won; however Ian had desert planned out all along regardless of who lost (awe). We left the park and went to a backyard fire with s’mores items all set-out and ready to go. How thoughtful is he? He knew I loved s’mores and he noticed that no one had yet done s’mores for a date, so he made it happen. He even had Reese’s for the s’mores and Starbursts just to roast (try it, it’s awesome). There’s something about sitting around a fire after a long day, or at anytime really, that is soo relaxing. I just love campfires. 🙂 What a great way to end a fun date!
Some great things to know about Ian. He pays attention to details and is conscientious of his date’s interests. He’s an old school kind of a gentleman. He likes to read and we have shared favorites. He’s good at coming up with fun ideas. He has an unstamped passport; great and a tragedy! Thanks for the fun and relaxing date, Ian!
To start out, Ephraim noted that I had received a lot of flowers lately so he brought me something unique, a bamboo plant! They bring good luck. 🙂 I love thoughtful gestures like that! We went over to his place and made some delicious Mexican food together. He had lived in Mexico for two years so it was pretty legit. We made tostadas, and quesadillas, and salsa, and had Jumex nectar drinks. For desert we had fresh sliced pineapple with Tajín seasoning on it which is chile peppers, lime and salt. It was good!
He had all the parts of the recipe memorized, he makes this meal a lot!
Ephraim comes from a big family and has a lot of younger siblings who come over to eat his great cooking; note the chalk door in the background where all sorts of drawings have been created by siblings and others. Such a cool big brother!
We talked about how nice it is to do simple dates where you talk to and get to know each other, devoid of pressure and undue stress. Maybe this idea of low stress dating will catch on? I hope so. 🙂
Some great things to know about Ephraim. He likes to run and be in the outdoors. He likes to cook and is especially good at Mexican cuisine. He enjoys working and doing things. He likes coming up with unique ideas. He’s easy and good to talk to. Thanks for the fun date, Ephraim!
29 Dates in 29 Days 