Stranger Danger

Posted on by Giddyup,Linda!
  “I would never do that,” my single friend Diana says every time I tell her about a match.com date. This restaurant owner meets people from all over the world and has never met a stranger. But sign up for a dating site? “I’d be scared to death to go out with someone I don’t know,” she adds. I understand her fear. It takes time to get comfortable with the idea of meeting a stranger. That’s why I require a phone call and a full name and phone number before... Read More

Profiled: Part 1

Posted on by Giddyup,Linda!
I'm a woman who likes details.  So it's no surprise that I jotted down information about the dates I've been on since my divorce.  I'd have my notes ready before a second date to refresh my memory about the guys I met online. Answers are often in the details. My first step, though, was writing MY profile that told interested parties what I was looking for in a date.  I joined two sites, match.com and Tinder, and hoped men would swipe right and start an online conversation.  That was 10... Read More

Uncoupled

Posted on by Giddyup,Linda!
I describe divorce as an out of body experience, where the team you've played on for decades is now in "man down" mode. When I first filled out forms asking my marital status, it felt strange checking the box next to SINGLE, like a kite flying aimlessly with no one holding the string. I'd marked MARRIED for most of my adult life and never thought I'd be anything but that for the rest of my days.  One part of me knew I was single, but another part felt as if... Read More

My Truth

Posted on by Giddyup,Linda!
Dating at any age, but for sure at my age, requires learning to read cues and step around land mines. I remember the smooth talker who worked in the cannabis industry ("I don't partake," he told me. "Sure," I thought). He agreed to meet for our first date at that mountaintop resort I like with the valet parking, but the night we were there, the wind decided to join the party. What started as a warm, sunny afternoon dropped the temps about 20 degrees as the sun began to set.... Read More

Uncharted

Posted on by Giddyup,Linda!
I took a trip early in my singlehood to a place that will forever be on my list of beautiful vacation destinations: Sun Valley, an Idaho resort town where I’d never been before. But the difference about this getaway from the others I’d taken since my divorce? It was my first foray outside my comfort zone with a man–a straight, single man whom I met through mutual friends. We had emailed and talked on the phone for months, so I knew he was who he said he was, and that... Read More