Compete for Cocoa Bean!!

I have in my possession a $15 dollar gift card to The Cocoa Bean in Provo, so I've decided to do a little dating competition/contest for one of you to win it. Not that any of you need incentive to go on dates or anything...

Here's how it works: For the entire month of May, every time you go on a date with someone you can text or email me and I will put your name into the drawing. Every date you go on gets you another ticket, so the more dates you go on the better your chances of winning :).

Here are the rules:

1. Married couples do not qualify, you must be single. (Sorry married folks, but the goal is to get people to go on dates)
2. Both guys and girls are eligible. but you have to be the one to ask someone on the date for your name to be submitted.
3. To qualify as a date it must follow Elder Oak's "3 P's" -- Planned ahead, Paired off**, Paid for. (If the date is free, then you just need the first two)
4. You have to text or email me with the following info:
1. Who you went with (just a first name is fine)
2. What you did for a date
3. When the date was
5. You do not have to know me personally to qualify, if you heard about this blog through a friend of a friend (or anything else) then feel free to participate!
6. The drawing will be on June 2nd and the winner will be announced on the blog.

**Paired off means this is not a "hang out". You have to actually ask them on a date. And if it is a group date be sure your date knows that you are their date.

Round 5

Dear Ladies,
Try to have opinions about things, don't just agree with us and pretend to be into the same things we are. Eventually we'll find out that you aren't, and we feel like you lied to us. It's ok to like different things than we do.
Love, The Gentlemen

Dear Gentlemen,
If you say "We should go on a date sometime", and we say "that sounds great!".... you should follow up with a date.
Love, The Ladies

Dear Ladies,
Be open to a date idea, even if you don't think it sounds fun at first. Anything can be fun with the right people, and the right attitude. Plus if you give off vibes that you aren't into the activity you come off as rude.
Love, The Gentlemen

Dear Gentlemen,
When you have a certain skill like playing guitar, cooking, any sports, playing chess, computer programming, Jedi powers, constructing the perfect s'more, etc. and a girl tells you she would "looove to learn how to do (insert skill here) so well"... That is the golden opportunity for you to ask her on a date. Just simply say "I can teach you, what are you doing next (insert available day here)"
Love, The Ladies

Dear Ladies,
A smile goes a long way. Nothing crushes courage more than when we smile at you and get nothing back-- or worse when you give us a death glare.
Love, The Gentlemen

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Date

Many local candy companies give free or cheap tours of their factories, and get this-- YOU DON'T EVEN NEED A GOLDEN TICKET! (although it would be really awesome to ask someone on this date by making a "Golden Ticket" for them...Just sayin') Anyway, I've done a little research for you to find out which one's give tours and put all the information right here in this post. So now all you have to do is find a date and schedule the tour. :)

Here's the list:

Mrs Cavanaugh's -

Availability: Tours are Monday - Friday; 10 AM to 3 PM.

Cost: $1.00 per person

Length: 45 minutes

Address : 835 Northpointe Drive, North Salt Lake, UT 84054. (They recommend using this map instead of GPS)

To schedule tour call: 801-677-8888

Sweet's Candy Company -

Availability: Monday - Thursday 8:40 AM - 3:30 PM

Cost: FREE

Length: 40 Minutes

Address: 3780 W. Directors Row (1100 South) in Salt Lake City

To schedule tour: Fill out form here.

Taffy Town Gourmet Taffy -

Availability: Monday - Thursday 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM

Cost: FREE

Address: 55 West 800 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84110

To schedule tour: Call 801-355-4652 (tour must be scheduled at least 2 days in advance)

**This factory is peanut, tree nut, and gluten free**

Utah Truffles - 

Availability: Monday - Thursday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Cost: FREE

Address: 5060 West Amelia Earhart Drive Set B., Salt Lake City, UT 84116

To Schedule tour: Just go in anytime during the available hours.

All of these tours happen during the week, but I figured with finals ending this week we probably have time to go on a weekday in the near future. Also, most of them require that you wear close-toed shoes, so be sure to tell your date that.

Round 4

Dear Gentlemen,
"I realize that some of you brethren may have genuine fears regarding the real responsibilities that will be yours if you do marry. You are concerned with being able to support a wife and family and provide them with the necessities in these uncertain economic times. Those fears must be replaced with faith. I assure you, brethren, that if you will be industrious, faithfully pay your tithes and offerings, and conscientiously keep the commandments, the Lord will sustain you."
Love, President Ezra Taft Benson (To The Single Adult Brethren of The Church, April 1988)

Dear Ladies,
Even if you don't like sports, it is a good idea to know a little bit about them. Because a lot of gentlemen love sports, and its a good way to initiate a conversation with them. You don't need to know team names and athletes but here are a few basics:

1. The World Series - the Championship of Major League Baseball (MLB) the winner is determined by winning 4 of 7 games.
2. The Super Bowl - the championship of Football (NFL). The game is usually scheduled the first week of February every year. 
3. The World Cup - the championship for international Soccer teams, it is held every 4 years. The next one will be in Brazil in 2014. There are 32 teams that compete for the World Cup.
4. The NBA Finals - The championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) the winner is determined by the best of 7 games. the first 2 are played at the home court of the team with the better record. the next 3 are at the other teams court. and the final 2 (if needed) are at the first teams court again. This is for Pro Basketball teams.
5. The Stanley Cup - The Championship for Hockey.  The winner is picked from a best of 7 series of games.
6. For college sports go here.

Love, The Gentlemen

P.S. It may also be a good idea to know who the final two teams in the championships are.

Dear Gentlemen, 

When one of your buddies brings a girl to a mission reunion, or a BBQ, or some kind of social gathering... you should do your best to include her in the conversation. You can really mess it up for your friend if the lady feels like her date's friends don't like her. 

Love, the Ladies

Dear Ladies, 

One of the best ways to let a us know you are interested in a second date is the "After Date Text". Just send us a text saying you had a lot of fun or you really enjoyed our company and you would be interested in going out again sometime.

Love, The Gentlemen

Make Pizza Together

So I have a (probably unhealthy) addiction to WinCo. But its great and you can buy pre-made pizza dough! Which helped inspire this week's date idea.... so here's what you need to do:

Step 1: Ask someone if they would like to come make pizza with you. (This one was a double date so it was cheaper because you can share ingredients)

Step 2: Go to WinCo (with your date or by yourself) and buy the dough (its over by the cheeses, and they offer white or wheat) get a jar of pizza sauce, some Mozzerella cheese, and any toppings you want on your pizza.

Step 3: Make the pizza. There are directions on the bag of dough, essentially you roll out the dough, put on the sauce, cheese, and toppings, and bake it at 400 degrees. Bonus points if you can flip the dough in the air like Addie did!

Step 4: Have something to do while you wait for the pizza to cook. These couples chose to play cards.

Step 5: Enjoy the pizza!

And there you have it! this can be really fun because you can be as creative as you want or as simple as you want. one of the pizzas was made with stuffed crust and a lightning bolt design. the other was plain crust with all the toppings. So remember to just have fun! As for the cost? It ended up being less than $14 for both pizzas ($7 pre couple)!

Pizza Ingredients for 2 pizzas

Dough.................$2.96

Sauce...................$0.98

Mozzarella............$3.40

Pepperoni.............$2.48

Olives...................$0.74

Green Pepper........$0.48
Mushrooms...........$0.57
Red Onion.............$1.64

Tax........................$0.40

TOTAL               $13.65

Super Awesome Date.......Priceless

**Also if you need to borrow a rolling pin, pizza pan, or aprons feel free to text me 801-602-2593 the ones pictured above are mine and I'm willing to share for the sake of dating :)**

Round 3

Dear Gentlemen,
There is a quote we ladies often hear that goes something like this: "The guy who is nice to you, but not nice to the waiter, is not a nice guy". More often than not this is true. Be a nice guy. Be nice to the people who are waiting on you, be nice to the store clerk, be nice to the people who can do nothing for you. It goes a long way, trust us.
Love, The Ladies

Dear Ladies,
We appreciate hearing "Thank you" at the end of a date. After all, we did just give up a night with the boys, and shaved(probably), and spent money (possibly). Even if you had a horrible time, "Thank you" is a nice gesture.
Love, The Gentlemen


Dear Gentlemen,

Watching a movie or Netflix is not the best idea for first, second, or third dates. We're not an old married couple (no offense to the married couples reading this). We can't really get to know each other during a movie, and we assume that you aren't looking to get to know us, but rather just a hook up... 

Love, The Ladies

Dear Ladies,
When gentlemen open the door for you, they are not trying to belittle you or demean you. They are simply trying to bring back chivalry (which we all claim to be "dead"). So please, say 'thank you' so they will keep opening them for the rest of us who love it! Thanks.
Love, The Other Ladies

See how happy they both look? :)

Dear Gentlemen,
We appreciate sincere compliments. We know when you are saying things just to say them. So Thank you for the sincere ones. :)
Love, The Ladies

P.S. my friend Sam has written great instructions on paying compliments, if you feel like you don't know how He can teach you here. - Love, Colleen

Pass of all Passes

Buy Your Pass of all Passes NOW!!!

(This isn't one of my regular posts but I don't know how long this deal will be on City Deals.)

If you get a pass of all passes it could improve your dating life. Here's how:

• You buy your pass, and a bunch of other people buy theirs. Then when you want to ask someone on a cheap date these passes are your friends! Because if the guy/girl you fancy has a pass like you, the date is free. 
• Likewise if someone thinks you are wicked attractive they will want to ask you out, but being the poor college students that we are they can't pay for a day pass to 7 peaks, or some of the other sweet things on this pass. So they may not ask you out for a long time... 

Moral of the story: Get a pass. 

The greatest thing is if you get it on City Deals you get the pass and a $20 gift certificate to either Costco, Walmart, Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Nobel, or Target. So it's basically only $12 for the year long pass.

Tulip Festival

The Annual Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point

Thanksgiving Point has an annual tulip festival, this year will be the 9th! The festival starts on April 12 (That's this Friday) and runs until April 27. It will be open 10 AM- 8 PM all days. Admission is $10 Mon-Thurs and $12 Friday-Saturday, they also have Vendors like these who will be there selling food if you want to take advantage of that. And on top of everything they will have different bands and entertainers there!! So go grab a date, and head out to Thanksgiving Point!!

• Pros: You can walk around and talk for as long as the two of you want. When there is an awkward silence you can mention something about the tulips you are looking at. 
• Cons: you have to drive to Thanksgiving Point.

Also if you are having trouble asking someone out you can try using one of these tulip facts to segue into asking them on a date:

1. All of the Tulips at the festival are shipped from Holland and planted six months in advance.
2. Some of the tulips smell like what they are named. Like the "Apricot Beauty"(smells like Apricots)
3. Tulips once crashed an economy. Read about it here.
4. Tulips are edible.

Date Ideas

So, you asked someone on a date and they've agreed to go with you. Everyone is congratulating you (especially if you've liked this person for quite some time) but all you can think is "Oh my gosh!! I have NO idea what to do for our date!!" <Cue the theme music> Colleen Barry here to rescue you! I know, I know, I'm basically a super hero... and I've given a couple of first date ideas to get you started:

Coloring Contest - Get some coloring books and crayons from the dollar store (or google coloring books and print off pictures to color), and each of you take 3-4 pictures from it to color. When you are finished take them to a park, or the children's wing of the hospital, or your nieces/nephews, etc. and have the kids judge them to see who is the better colorer. Then you can sign them and give them to the kids or display them proudly on your own fridge.

• Pros- The date costs under $5, you can talk and get to know each other while coloring, and you can do it in an apartment or at a park.
• Cons- Your date might have wicked coloring skills and blow you out of the water.

Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point - Take a drive up to Thanksgiving Point (3003 N. Thanksgiving Way. Lehi, UT 84043) and pet/feed all the farm animals they have. They are open Monday-Saturday 10 AM- 8 PM. Admission is $6 ($7 on Fridays and Saturdays) and it includes a wagon ride, and if you get there just before 5 PM you can try milking a cow!! Seriously, how often do you get the chance to milk a cow these days?

• Pros: You spend the time walking around so you can talk to your date. You find out if your date is a "germaphobe." It's under $20, so it's relatively inexpensive. And did I mention you can milk a cow?!
• Cons: It's in Lehi so you need a car (but if you do this as a double date you can split gas too).

For more info go here. Also, if you wish to feed the animals you will need quarters for the vending machines.

Keep in mind that if you are looking to not spend very much your dates have to get creative. But creative is awesome! It's way more laid back and you can laugh about things. People tend to get more nervous and awkward the more expensive a date is.

Round 2

Dear Ladies,

"Resist too much hanging out... Don't make it easy for young men to hang out in a setting where you women provide the food. Don't subsidize freeloaders. An occasional group activity is okay, but when you see men who make hanging out their primary interaction with the opposite sex, I think you should lock the pantry and bolt the front door."
Love, Elder Dallin H. Oaks (The Dedication of a Lifetime May 1, 2005)
P.S. "You should also hang out a sign 'Will open for individual dates.' "

Dear Gentlemen,

If you are no longer interested in a girl, let her know. Don't just ignore her texts and calls. Don't just drop off the face of the planet. It's not very nice. Be a man and let her know. Besides we ladies talk and you will get a bad reputation, and you don't want that.

Love, The Ladies


Dear Ladies,
Give us the benefit of the doubt and say "yes" to a first date... It's just a date not a marriage proposal. And you never know what things we could have in common.
Love, The Gentlemen

Dear Gentlemen,
Please let us know what kind of shoes/attire to wear on the date. As you know, we have a large selection to choose from and we don't want to hike to the "Y" in flip flops...
Love, The Ladies

Dear Ladies, 

Don't be afraid to take a step and call us. you won't come across as desperate. Don't say 'Call me if you want to.' If you want to get a call say 'I'll call you' or Call me, please.'

Love, The Gentlemen

Was anyone else singing "Here's my number, so call me maybe?" ... well you are now.

Round 1

Dear Gentlemen,
It is not appropriate to honk your horn as a signal to your date that you have arrived and she should come out.
Love, The Ladies

Dear Ladies,
Don't go on the date with the guy who honks his horn, wait for the real gentleman who comes to your door. Yes, we do exist.
Love, The Gentlemen

Dear Gentlemen,
When you are invited to someone's house for dinner, offer to help clean up by asking the host/hostess "what can I do to help?" Sometimes the answer is "nothing" and that's fine but at least offer. We notice.
Love, The Ladies
P.S. Don't just offer to help the girl you are trying to impress help everyone, it makes a difference.

Dear Ladies,
Please be ready on time. We're nervous enough as it is, we don't want to wait in the front room for 30 minutes making awkward small talk with your roommates while they judge us. Plus, we put effort into planning a date, please give us the courtesy of being ready on time.
Love, The Gentlemen

Dear Gentlemen,
It is creepy to hit on the 18 year old girl just because she is legal now, if you feel you must pry on the young and inexperienced, you may need to re-evaluate why no ladies your own age will go out with you.
Love, The Ladies

Dear Ladies,
If you like a guy and he's asked you out, show it. We understand playing hard-to-get, but the cloak and dagger bit is a little wearying.
Love, The Gentlemen

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

A few weeks ago my singles ward had a combined EQ/RS lesson on dating. Now, normally when we do a combined lesson its for the last hour of church, but this time we ended Sunday School early to make time for the HOUR AND A HALF long lesson. On dating. In a singles ward. Clearly we want to get married, if for any reason so our roommates will stop setting us up on blind dates with the people they didn't want to date (I mean if the person is so amazing why isn't our roommate pursuing them, right?) You are probably all laughing because you relate all too well--or because you luckily found someone to marry and you are living happily ever after and avoiding the aforementioned "dating lessons"... Props to you. But for the rest of us who have yet to find "the one" I have decided to create this blog to share advice from the ladies to the gentlemen, and vice versa. So I hope you all enjoy it, and use some of the advice in your dating endeavors. And please feel free to email me at colleen.barry@me.com with suggestions on posts (they will remain anonymous, so have no fear!)

Love,
Colleen

P.S. These are meant to be informative and humorous, I hope no one takes offense to any. If you do feel free to email me.