We met online?

So I'm talking to this guy & he's a ginger beard.. =D

He's from a town that is close to where I grew up. He went to high school with my ex- fiance. 

Technically.. we met online.

Does that make sense? 

We both were aware of each others existence back in the day, but we had never talked until we "liked" each other on Tinder a couple weeks ago. He's adorable. 

He graduated college the same year I did.

He has a job!

He has ambition.

He wants to further his education/career.

He doesn't want to stay in that small town. (this is a huge plus)

I mean...this is seriously exactly what I'm looking for. I'm sure I'll screw it up somehow..eventually. Anyway.
So we're planning on seeing each other this weekend, maybe dinner then go to the Cotton Eyed Joe in Knoxville, because guess what! He loves to line dance, too!! Seriously, where's the red flag, it's gotta show up sometime!

So, if we end up getting married with our Great Dane(s) and kiddos in our big house in Georgia near the coast, should I tell everyone we met online or say we grew up in the same area? Doesn't really matter to me! Some people don't want others to know they use online dating..I don't really care but I just wanna hear what ya'll think =)

Just for fun here's an ecard that describes me:

8 Red Flags of Dating

This is something that has needed to be a post for a while! My BEST friend keeps saying I need to talk about red flags. Well I wanted to make sure I had plenty to list, and try not to leave any out. So, HERE WE GO!!

When you're single and trying to mingle, there are a lot of warning signs (red flags) that you've got to look out for when finding Mr. Right. These are MY personal red flags with a few opinions of my friends. Your red flags may be a little different.


#1. Wants to meet in a secluded place: I mean this should clearly be a duh moment, but sometimes you ladies worry me. If they want you to come to their place or ask to come to yours before you've met in public, DO NOT AGREE. I had a guy once who offered to come pick me up to take me to dinner, and after I got to know him, I knew he was just being a gentleman. Reality shows that not all guys are sincere when it comes to that.

#2. Lives with parents at 22 or older: This really only applies if they are comfortable being there and aren't in any rush to move out. I understand if you have parents that physically need financial help from you. I also understand if you're in transition or saving money to find a place. Although, if you aren't trying any of these things..no. I cannot be with you.

#3. Works at fast food/retail at 22 or older: If you aren't trying to advance and you're content with literally flipping burgers for the rest of your life. I cannot be with you. You HAVE to have some type of motivation. Maybe you're working at Burger King, but you're trying to become a manager. That might be okay. But if you aren't trying to advance, we won't work. (basically if they're okay with making minimum wage and not working towards a better lifestyle)

#4. Mentions religion then talks about sex: There's an example on the Hall of Lame where a guy went on and on about his love for God and Jesus. Two sentences later he mentions he sees himself having sexual intercourse with different celebrities. Gross. Also, if they bring up sex within 5 messages after their profile goes on and on about their Christianity/beliefs, sorry dude, you're not for me.

#5. The ex-girlfriend caused all the problems: If they bring up the ex within the first few messages, RUN. That's just letting you know that they will be bringing it up often. They shouldn't bring it up until the question, "How many serious relationships have you been in?" arrives. & If they start comparing you to their ex, book a plane because running won't be fast enough.

#6. Wants to be next to you 24/7: I know sometimes we or maybe it's just me fall in love super fast and we're okay with the fact that they want to be with us ALL THE TIME. If they don't have friends to hang out with, this could be a problem. Everyone should make time with friends that aren't their bf/gf. If they want to dedicate every single second of their life to you, they haven't discovered their own self enough to know what to do in a relationship.

#7. Sends a naughty pic: Okay, here's something I refuse to do. SEXT. No thanks. Do NOT send me a picture of your junk. EVER. I will NEVER ask for one, so don't send one. Unfortunately, it has happened. Once I was sitting next to my boss in a meeting and it popped up on my phone. Guess what: he claimed to be Christian =O shocker... Yup. When I asked him why he did that, he said, "Christian's get horny too hun." WTF.

#8. Constantly on their phone during a date: If they're purposely hiding their screen so you don't see who they are texting (probably another girl) this is a problem. Hello! If you don't want to talk to me then don't ask me out on a date. If you do glance over and see a girls name..or a phone number without contact info saved: RED FLAG.



There ya have it. Dating can be annoying and tedious and sometimes dangerous.
This will eventually become a page along with the questions and date ideas you see up there ^^ that I'll be able to add onto. If you have any to add PLEASE comment or send them to my email!


Be safe!

Wish Upon a Wednesday// v.2

Say hello to our first Co-Host!!
Miss Semirah Dolan from Sound of Charm has agreed to co-host this week's wish list!
Check her out!!

So here are my wishes for the week!

I know I had a tank last week, but I LOVE these tanks with funny sayings :)

I have ALWAYS wanted a Canon... And I could use a DSLR camera.

I feel like this picture doesn't need an explanation.

This seems so unrealistic but gah I love their love.

And I believe there will be a Great Dane in each list, just a warning ;)

Non-picture wishes:

1. A dating site that lets me message for free.

2. A guy who doesn't mention the obvious fact that I have large boobs. (I mean come on, you think I don't already know this?)

3. A vacation. This girl is in NEEED of some sun&sand. Please winter, go away!!

What are you wishing for?

<div align="center">
<a href="http://trueonlinelove.blogspot.com" title="Looking for Love Online"><img src="http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/ag213/sh21fhl/ce5da5c0-796c-485c-862f-5fa77c99aca5_zpsf1b8c793.jpg" alt="Looking for Love Online" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Rules:

01. Follow your hosts (&cohost) with Bloglovin', GFC, and/or Twitter

02. Leave a comment so we can all follow back

03. Grab the button and add it to your weekly wish list post

04. Answer this, "What are you wishing for this week?"

05. Visit the other bloggers who have linked up and comment on their post

06. Tweet, pin, and share the blog hop to help us grow as big as possible!



Interested in co-hosting? Send us an email!

Charlotte's email: velvetandvinylscom@gmail.com

Ellie's email: sh21fhl@gmail.com

Single and Ready to Mingle// pt. 2

So as I was saying...I worked a lot of hours while I was a full-time student in college. I kept myself busy all of the time. I rarely went to my hometown (where he lived) to visit family because I just couldn't accept what was happening.

Eventually, I started to pick myself up and live my life to the fullest.
I was going to parties with my work friends (I used to turn the invites down when I was dating him.)
I was drinking (I was only allowed to drink alcoholic beverages when he was with me.)
I was meeting new people outside of work (this was NOT allowed.)
I was studying with classmates (also, not allowed.) 

I was living like a normal college student.

Then when I started dating again, I became super guarded and almost embarrassed as to what I had experienced. My criteria for who I date became extremely strict:

• Cannot live with their parents
• MUST have a job
• Must know what it means to pay their own bills

I still have this criteria but I wouldn't necessarily say I'm as strict as I used to be about it.

So a few months go by, 8 or so. And I'm dating this guy that I really start to like, and I get a text message...from the ex.

I don't remember the exact words, but I DO remember him saying, "I forgive you for what happened" 

... really? How can I be so lucky that YOU forgave ME?

It was stupid and annoying, but I soon found out the reason he sent that: a couple days later he was ENGAGED to another woman. I guess he felt like he needed to get that off his chest so he could move on.

 

So I began to move on much quicker from there on out.

Here's where the introduction of online dating began!!

My spirituality and religion was the only thing keeping me alive. I had become highly involved in church, was part of a praise band in the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on campus, and I was determined to find a christian man to date. 

I've seen ALL the commercials with online dating options. 

Christian Mingle was my very first attempt at online dating.

At the time, I didn't possess a smart phone, so I just used to PC version. I liked it! Although, their free version is pretty limited. I purchased 3 months for less than $60. You might say, "Dang! That's expensive" It's really one of the cheapest sites that I found back then. Sites like eHarmony and Match are close to $40 PER MONTH! It's crazy!

I met a couple of potential boyfriends but it wasn't until the last week of my subscription that I met someone worthwhile.. at the time.

He had a job and lived on his own (well with roommates) and paid his own bills. Bearded and had tattoos. Seems legit! So we dated for a few months and really just fell head over heals for each other. 

Problem: we lived 4.5 hours apart

We both got to talking and decided that we should move in together. He worked at a grocery store at the time and I had a full time job that I couldn't leave. We agreed that him coming here would work out best. So here he comes. All is perfect, we're both happy. 

He's searching for jobs and having a bit of trouble finding something. He gets hired at a local factory and loves it. Well the factory suddenly decided to cut their newest employees so he only worked for about 2 months there. Job searching again... and waiting..and waiting... finally gets a job at a retail store. We needed a bigger apt, 2 bedroom, and something closer to work for me. So we apt shop and found something PERFECT. We move in, and things just aren't the same. A lot of it had to do with him not being able to pay a lot of bills because where he worked they weren't giving him very many hours AT ALL. 

I have always had a job. Since I was sixteen. I've worked. Even before sixteeen, I babysat. I knew that in order to make money, you have to make an effort. He gave up. Not only did he give up on working, he gave up on me. He didn't try hard enough. He was unhappy and wanted to go back home. 

I understand that not everyone is like me: Independent. 

I do not have to be 5 minutes away from my family. I actually prefer not to be. On certain occasions, yes I want to be with family. But I cannot let that hold me back from chasing my dreams. He was not like this. He wanted to be near his family, so he moved back home. I couldn't be with him. I cannot be with someone who doesn't make an effort. 

We were still in contact because we shared a cell phone bill and one day he randomly asks how I'm doing (and the dog) a couple months after he left. He asks if I've been dating anyone and I'm like, dude that's really none of your business, but no I'm not. Oh, well he is! Already! Oh and SHOCKER it's the girl you always texted while we were together and I trusted you thinking you two were "just friends".... bullshit. So yeah. There's where I figured out why he stopped giving an effort.

*sigh*

Let's see.. this Sunday (March 30) will officially be a year since that ended. We're getting closer to today, so bear with me! 

After dating that douchebag, I started rebounding and basically speed dating guys off of dating sites. Discovered different apps since I had upgraded to an iPhone since the last time I used a dating site. Tried to go back on Christian Mingle, but they didn't have a very good app at the time, and I didn't want to pay for anything.

Then my love for Plenty of Fish was discovered.

I LOVED this app (still do but had to delete it). SOOO Many things you can do FOR FREE! Like messaging, liking, flirting, viewing, etc. I HIGHLY recommend this app for singles that really don't want to pay for an app. So during the summertime, POF and I were best friends. 

Shortly after discovering Plenty of Fish, I discovered blogging! Immediately fell in love with both! So that's basically what brought me here. My past relationships in detail. You can read on by looking through my first few posts because where this post ends, the blog began. 

Thank you for reading :) 

This girl is definitely enjoying the single life! No one to report to, no one to argue with, and no one to depend upon but myself! I really like it this way. But if you know me, you'll also know that I love going on dates and meeting new people! :) So that's what I'll keep doing.