Eight Years, You Say?

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I've been single for almost eight years. Fun times around here, that's for sure.

Brief recap to how I got to this point...

Dating History:

• 1 Serious Relationship, ended by him much to my chagrin (2000-2005)
• 2 Semi-Serious Relationships
• #1, ended by me (about two months in 2007)
• #2, ended by him (about two months in 2008)
• Sprinkling of unsuccessful dates (spanning from 2008 to about 2010)

*It should be noted that throughout my early and mid twenties I had quite a time going out on the town and making questionable morale decisions. {Attempting to tactfully disclose a slightly promiscuous stage} It was a blast. But I'm not longer behaving like a floozie in her heyday. Moving on. 

So, Serious Relationship was initiated by him and both Semi-Serious Relationships were set up by mutual family friends. Unsuccessful dates were a mix of random set ups and online dating. 

For the past two years or so, there has been a major drought in the field of dating. I tried a few different online dating sites-both paid and free sites- at different times throughout my twenties and didn't enjoy the experience any of those times. But I know people who have had success with online dating sites- some even now married, so I do know it works. Couple the dislike for online dating with my distaste for going out until the wee hours of the morning with the new crop of partying twenty-somethings where I don't seem to meet people anyway, and I have not been on one date in two years.

Two years.

Mostly I'm fine with that, going on the assumption that somehow I will meet the person I'm supposed to be with and more importantly deserve to be with, that it just hasn't happened yet. I'm right where I'm supposed to be. 

But then there are those times where I really think about the reality of the situation: I am 30 years old and have no dating prospects to speak of. People have stopped offering to set me up on blind dates, I don't work with a large population of dateable men, I occasionally go out but don't seem to meet people when doing so, so.......how am I going to meet the person I'm supposed to be with? Enter panic. 

And apparently online dating.

I feel a sense of pressure that I should be online dating. I understand where people are coming from when they ask me if I'm online dating or encourage me to do so. What I have a hard time with is that I have used various online dating websites unsuccessfully, I've paid for a service that has not yielded any results. Yet people continue to prod me into going back online to date.

I've decided that I will try a popular online dating website one. last. time. I will pay $30 for one month of access to online profiles of people who supposedly are also looking for a relationship and see where it takes me. I'd rather buy a pair of black leggings to pair with my new Hunter rain boots with that money, but I am giving it one last shot. If it works out and I meet some great people, awesome. And if it doesn't, I am officially done with online dating, and I can say with complete conviction that I gave it my all, and will move on. 

Watch out Match.com, here I come!

Stay tuned for updates on my experience. I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat already...