A Tinder Tale

Today I am super excited because it's girl talk time. And every girl talk time isn't complete without boy talk.

"Who is he? What does he look like? How did you meet? TELL ME EVERTHING!" -every girl, ever. Or maybe that is just me. Either way.

I'm inviting you into the story of us (Clay and I that is)!

I am always hesitant to say how we met, primarily because of the negative connotation it sometimes gets, and partially because I sometimes forget it even happened myself. But it did. And I'm here (along with Clay!) to tell you all about it.

In January of 2013, an acquaintance told me about this app called "Tinder" that he was using to go on dates.

At the time, I was single and had recently started dating in the last year. But, as most of you ladies (and guys!) know, dating is HARD! What do you wear? What if the guy/gal is a major d-bag and you are forced to hang out with him/her for the next several hours? What if he/she is a murderer? All things to consider. Plus, it takes a lot of effort to put yourself out there, and most of the time, you really never know what you are getting. And, if you are anything like me, after a few (hundred)  let downs, curling up on the weekend with Netflix and a glass of wine starts to sound slightly more appealing than another first date.

Also, to be honest, I sort of thought online dating, especially this app, was embarrassing. As in...pathetic. I mean, if I couldn't just meet someone the old fashioned way, then it just wasn't met to be. Right? Right. At least that's what I thought at the time. However, after a little encouragement from a friend, I downloaded the app... "just to see what it looked like." That's what I told myself anyways.

I cannot lie... I was instantly hooked. For those of you who do not know anything about the app, it allows you to see profiles of people within a certain mile (set by you)  radius. You can also select an age group and interest group (male or female). From there, it is essentially a completely shallow judgment that you are passing on one person after another. Do you find that person attractive? Yes? Swipe right. No? Swipe left. If that  person also "swipes right," an instant messenger box opens up and you are free to start a conversation. At this point in time, most people understand Tinder, but this part of the backstory is for the "others" who may be reading. Hey Mom!

 So here I am. A traditional "dater" from Nebraska. I am prepared to scroll through and see a lot of creeps desperately hoping to find a date. (Sorry Clay!) Instead, I couldn't believe how many guys were on there. Normal guys! Guys who looked like people I would date... or be friends with. And the difference to me, as opposed  to other online dating sites I had looked at, was that these are people who were potentially a few miles away. It was almost slightly eerie at the time.

So, fast forward past a year of some (awkward, fun, interesting, creepy, confusing) dates and exchanges, to March of 2014. I had accepted a new job and was making the move to Omaha from Lincoln. In that past year and some, I had deleted Tinder. Readded it out of boredom. Deleted it again (because it was a huge waste of time.) Re-added it because what if, right? So in May of 2014 I came across "Clay's" profile on Tinder. Knowing nothing about him (other than his cute face) I swiped right. Tinder allows you to post 6 pictures ( if I recall) and these were some of the photos I distinctly remember Clay  had on his profile. So... it was an obvious right swipe.

                 

"Hey!"

A real positive guy. 

He looks super fun, right? He is. 

Still no idea why this happening but now knowing all three of these guys,
I can certainly only imagine. 

Blurry..  but cute. 




















I wish I could remember the exact details, but to my delight, we were a match!

 But then.......silence.

For those of you who are Tinder experts, you know what I am talking about. If I match with someone, I would prefer to be reached out to in some shape or form. I mean... I may be on Tinder, but I'm still a traditional type and...c'mon...I already swiped right. So say something to me! (And please don't let it be frightening. Warning to those of you now considering Tinder. There really are some creeps on there).

Maybe that was not the right way to go about it, but it was my Tinder style.

But, so it was. Again, I can't remember how long it went on exactly, but I kept checking my profile, day after day,  and wondering why this elusive "Clay" character wasn't saying a word. Not even a simple "hello." Granted, this had happened a lot before. So  many times. In fact, I was considering deleting the app again because..... new city! There would be plenty of time for dating and a new scene. But... for some reason I kept going back to his profile. Something about his eyes and smile seemed so genuine, I really wanted him to talk to me. So much so, that I eventually caved and took matters into my own hands. I sat with my phone in hand, thinking of all the clever ways I could strike up a conversation with this (apparently very busy) guy. I mean, he had swiped right, too, so I really had nothing to lose by seeing what the status was here. After hours of consideration and some elaborate pep talks (with myself), I had arrived at the perfect pick up line.

"Hi!"

*hands over eyes monkey emoji*

Just seeing it there in the instant messaging text box, all by itself, made me cringe. That little "hi!"...looking so lonely and ...well...pretty nerdy I might add. I can't quite recall, but I am pretty sure I threw my phone across the room in embarrassment and busied myself so that I didn't have to see that "Clay" probably wasn't going to say anything back. If he was interested before, my spazzy "hi!" had likely turned his interest level to a zero.

So....imagine my surprise when I had a brand new message from "Clay."

Woohoo! Okay, so I was  in the clear. Sort of. At least he didn't ignore me.

At this point in the story, I think it would be appropriate to let Clay tell you the rest! And he will... tomorrow!

XOXO,