singles ward survival guide!

It's that magical time again! Click here to listen to the new podcast entitled "Singles Ward Survival Guide" --> HERE!

For those of you not in the know about Singles Wards... here's a quick explanation. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we have wards. Wards are filled with people from a certain area, and they are assigned to a certain building, and a certain time for worship service. A SINGLES WARD is a ward for young single people between the ages of 18-31, because we're all in the same position in life... and also because they want us to date each other. The thing about Singles Wards is that sometimes, they're a little weird. So, Cody and I decided to make a "Singles Ward Survival Guide", which mostly consists of classifying everyone and telling you to avoid them. But, you know. So, listen up and figure out where you fit in the singles ward! And what you can do to not be one of these people!

CLASSIFICATIONS OF PEOPLE IN SINGLES WARDS WHO WE THINK ARE CRAZY

1. Sauron Girls: These are the girls in the ward who think only about the ring. They want that shiny bling on their finger, and they don't care who they steamroller over to get it. They will date anyone who crosses their path to get that 2 carat dream ring.

2. Premies: These are the little 18-19 year old boys who just got out of high school and are preparing to go on a mission. On their missions, they can't be kissing any ladies, so the Singles Ward is their playground. They want to find any girls they can to "fill the canteen".

i do not know this kid. google images.

3. Sour Patch Girls: These are the girls who are pretty jaded by love, and are "sour" toward dating. It's really too bad for them, because someone surely likes them. But they don't even bother anymore.

4. Soul Patch Guys: These are the guys who are getting a little old for the singles ward. They're having a mid-twenties identity crisis. They grow their soul patches in order to look cooler, and try to win the girls over. Silly soul patch guys.

i also do not know this guy.

5. Mission Plug Boys: These return missionaries cannot bring up anything in front of a crowd without mentioning their mission. We're happy they went on missions. But still.

i do know this guy. it's Cody!

6. The Question Marks: How old are these guys? You can't tell if they're a member of the bishopric, or if they're just soul patch guys without the soul patch. It's a confusing thing. Make it obvious, boys. Wear your age on your forehead for crying out loud!

like this guy. you never knew he was like 30 on hannah montana, did you?

7. The Self-Promoters: These are the girls who will lie to make something happen with a guy. It's like when a girl goes up and pretends she likes the same things as the guy, even if she has no clue what she's talking about. Be honest, ladies! You don't have to like EVERYTHING they do. In fact, you can tell them that if they want to take you on a hike, they should make it a short and easy one. If they like you enough, they won't mind.

i mean, right?

8. Overzealous: These are the boys who are the equivalent of the Sauron Girls. They will date anyone to get married. So, obviously, if you're a Sauron girl, you should find an Overzealous boy, and all of your problems will be solved.

9. The Players: These are the cutest boys in the ward that all the girls want, but the boys has no intention of ever dating anyone, even though they take out multiple girls in a week.

it's just... so dramatic. how could I not?

10. Little Engines That Could: These are the boys who are like Players, but it's only because every time they ask a girl out, they are rejected. And yet, they still persevere and ask girls out and have faith! Keep on keepin' on, boys!

OTHER THINGS TO NOTE

Don't date your home teacher.

Girls, don't ask guys out unless it's a desperate situation. Just do your job and look pretty.

And finally, don't bother just getting married without dating. You need to date the person to learn all about them! Put in the effort!

And that's all for today, folks. Catch ya later. Feel free to "like" our Facebook page, DW Datecast feat. Madeline, follow us on Twitter @DWDatecast, and follow this blog! Go ahead and comment and tweet us with ideas you would like us to talk about on the podcast. We love your input! Thanks everyone!

get over it, fools!

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been very attentive to this lovely blog. I just happened to take a vacation to England for 10 days! Lucky me! Anyway, here is the newest episode of datecast -----> click here!

And here is the blog post I wrote on my personal blog, P.S. My Name Is Madeline that inspired the datecast! If you want to hear more, you should listen to the podcast, if you don't have time to listen, this should suffice. Stay pretty, Salt Lake City! And hey, ask someone on a date!

A question I get most often from my friends is, "How do you get over boys?" And sometimes I feel like I'm the worst person in the world to ask. Because frankly, it doesn't take me that long. 

Haha... that sounded heartless.... but look at it this way. I date boys, and so far, it hasn't worked out. This doesn't mean it will NEVER work out, it just means that it hasn't yet. It is so so easy to fall into the trap of, "I date so many boys, and none of them work out! Maybe something is wrong with me???" 

That's wrong. The truth of the matter is, not every single boy you date (or girl, if you are a boy who is reading this...) is going to be THE ONE. In fact, you'd better hope not all of them are, because that would be super duper stressful. 

The reason that we date people is to LEARN something. I can look back at each of my relationships and say this worked, and this definitely did not. And with this knowledge, I approach a new relationship stronger and smarter than before. 

It's hard, really hard, to have a break up with somebody. You're used to them around. They text you, call you, cuddle with you, kiss you, make you feel special... and suddenly they are gone. You don't have the "we" factor anymore. If there is one thing I make sure to stress to my friends who ask me about break-ups, I tell them that they need some time by themselves. Being with your boyfriend (or girlfriend) becomes so normal and comfortable, that you forget how to be alone. How to be by yourself, just you, no one else. 

Another thing that I don't do is wallow. I just don't. I don't want to. I just can't be that person who crawls into bed and cries for days on end over what could have been. I definitely cry, but there is a moment when the tears have just got to stop... time to move on.

 I don't want to be the person who says, "remember that time when we did this and it was so so perfect and I thought maybe we would be together forever??" I want to be the person who says, "I remember that time, things were really good, and I was happy. But I also remember that time that things weren't so great, and I would like to not go through that again." 

I have to look at both sides of the story. If you get stuck remembering the good times, you won't learn what you're supposed to from the relationship.

And lastly, I look forward to the future. Every time I have a break up, I can't help but be weirdly excited for the next boy to come along. Like, "oh! That didn't work out this time, which means...*excited pause* something even better is around the corner!!!!" 

Because it is! Something better is always coming. 

So I jump right back into life, full speed ahead. That's the easiest way for me to get over it, is just living in the present and looking forward to the future instead of dwelling in the past. 

So there you have it (even if you didn't ask for it), my steps to getting over a boy (or girl??).

To recap:

1: Learn to be yourself again.

2: Focus on the whole picture.

3: Look forward to the future.

4: Take the lesson you were meant to learn, and use it!

in a relationship, you shouldn't be selfish

This is the newest episode of Datecast! ---> HOW TO HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP

In this most recent episode, Cody and I talk about relationships, and how to have a good one. Since I obviously am at that point in my life where I need to talk about this... it made the most sense. (so, don't take this next weekend's topic personally, Alex... it is what it is.)

Date Recap:

I'm the only one who had a date! Again! Is it just me, or is Cody slacking off? Alex came up and visited me at work. It was really nice of him! He had to drive an hour and a half! We watched fireworks for Utah's holiday Pioneer Day, and then just sat and talked for a while. It was so nice to have some down time! Cody makes some jokes about how I invited my friends on the date with me... and that our first date as a couple was a double date. What really happened was that my friend Kjarinda (Ka-Rin-Da) wanted to go watch the fireworks with her boy, and we decided to do that together! But they left when the fireworks were over. So we really had a lot of time to ourselves. And honestly, I don't remember ever specifying that it was a date. So. It was still fun.

And then... one that we didn't talk about! I got to take Alex with me to the RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING THEME PARK CALLED LAGOON! (It's average at best.) We rode a few rides and hung out with my sisters and friends (which, I'm sure, Cody would not approve of.) But it ended up being a good time. It's always good to spend time together!

Date Debate:

We decided to talk about how to have a good relationship. How to be a good girlfriend/boyfriend kind of deal. We talk about a lot of things, and honestly, this date debate is one of our better ones. The most important points that we discussed were that relationships require you to not be SELFISH! And to treat the other person how you would like to be treated. I don't know... just listen to it.

Also, something that's really fun to do is take the 5 Love Languages Quiz! (you can click on that) This quiz shows how you give and receive love, and if you know that, you should have minimal problems keeping your relationship going. So. Go forth and do.

Take someone on a date! (That means you, Cody)