// Plot Twist //

Want to know the easiest way to make a 25 year old woman cry? Ask her on a date and then stand her up. Or maybe that's just the easiest way to make me cry. 

I haven't been on a date since January. I blamed it on my lack of time due to school and work. But who am I kidding? I secretly hope and pray that Mr. Wonderful walks in to my life and carries me off into the sunset and we live happily ever after. 

Instead, I'm 25 and still living at home with my parents. Not that my parents are bad roommates. In fact, they're perfect roommates! They buy all the food, fill my car up with gas, let me live there rent free. My life is pretty cushy and I totally get that. But I know there has got to be something more to life than living in the basement. (Please tell me I'm right.)

So when my younger sister started dating again after a recent-ish breakup, I decided I should take the plunge into the online dating world. The whole "Hi, my name is Liz. The six things I couldn't live without are my phone, books, a toothbrush... As I can't think of anymore," thing sure gets old. What gets even more annoying are the influx of messages saying "you're a babe. How do you feel about a casual hookup?" How about I just delete you. So I suffer through mostly losers and when I finally find someone who can hold an intelligent conversation, I can't help but think that this might actually workout! A guy who can woo me with words, oh be still my heart. Okay, you actually will have to do more than that but I definitely love playful verbal banter. 

I am very selective when talking to people on the internet. I mean. It's the freakin' internet for heavens sake. So I started messaging a few guys and the conversations were great. The only bad thing is, I was about to leave for Italy in a few days and was working basically everyday until I left. But I did have the night before my flight left free and thought, why the heck not? So I told one guy that we could go out Tuesday night. He agreed. I messaged him Tuesday morning because he still hadn't contacted me since setting up our date. I asked him what the plan was. He told me he'd pick me up at 8pm and that we'd get cafe rio. (Mexican food is another key to my heart.) 

So I packed my clothes for my trip, ran errands and got ready for my date. And not to toot my own horn, but toot toot. I looked cute! I sat in my living room for an hour. Waiting. A message to say hey, I'm running late. Anything. Instead I got radio silence. I called my brother and sister in law for advice. Because what else are brothers for? Basically they confirmed my suspicions that I was being stood up. 

I went to my room and changed into my jammies. And started to cry. The thing is, it wasn't really about him. It was about dating in general. I have the worst luck with guys. My brother texted me and said men are dogs (parks and rec reference). He tried to cheer me up with pictures of my nephew. He told me, this guy wasn't worth crying over. My mom came into my room to console me. Yeah, I might have been over reacting but when your dating life is the constant part of a movie about the bad dates someone goes on before they meet Prince Charming, you'd cry too. 

My friends tell me that it'll happen when I least expect it. I'm calling BS. Finding someone happens to the people who are proactive about it. So, that's what I'm doing. Or trying to do. I want "it" to happen to me. I want to find someone I love and to spend my Saturday nights with. I want to go on double dates with my friends and not be the third wheel. 

So yeah, being stood up totally sucks. And I know one day I'll be able to laugh about all these crazy experiences. I know Mr. Wonderful will get here eventually and that he's takin' his sweet time. But more importantly, I know I'm not going to give up on this dating business. The plot twist in my life one day will be Liz finally gets the guy!