Okay, guys.. getting personal with this one. So last July my ex and I broke up. I wasn’t sure how to even date at this point. I had been with him for a year and a half and before I was with him I was married so I definitely wasn’t “in” with the dating scene.

I started asking single people at work and single friends I knew how they find dates and I found out 90{a5b98d8aadad8a43baf067fef0ce0912b440e89419e3e8e4a4a9262865f9e101} of their responses were Tinder.. or some sort of dating app. My initial reaction was, “I’m not about to go to a bar and meet some psycho and get killed.” No joke.. these were actual thoughts. Anyway about a month later I was sitting alone at home with my cat, Zoey watching Netflix and I realized I should probably give this Tinder thing a shot. I didn’t want to become a crazy cat lady after all.

I started swiping. (You swipe right if you are interested in the guy and swipe left if you aren’t.) Let me be super honest with you here.. I swiped left for what seemed like years. I’m not sure if I was given the short end of the stick or what but I saw many men with green hair, many with bios that said “Looking to hook up,” and some were photographed with their wife saying they were both “looking for a good time!” Also, I can’t forget the occasional almost naked mirror selfie dude. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.. but something about it was addicting. Thinking maybe the next swipe you could find your future boyfriend.. or heck maybe future husband was thrilling to me.

I finally ended up with some potential matches and went on about 4 dates. Some were horrible and some were actually not bad at all ( need an entire blog post just about this) It ended up none of my tinder dates really seemed like the right guy for me though. About 3 months had passed and I was about to delete the entire app when I came across a guy named Richard.

I remember his biography said: “A sarcastic Brit looking for awful people.” I cracked up right away. I then scrolled through his pics and saw a picture of him with two friends in wet suits and surfboards.. score! ( I’ve always loved surfing and have a sweet spot for surfer boys) I also saw a picture of him with a sailor hat on and a fake pipe in his mouth making a silly face which made me realize this guy may be as strange as I am. I decided to send him a message.

We ended up hitting it off right away ( on chat at least) we were both joking a ton and cracking each other up. I asked him what he was up to tonight and he said, “Eating dinner at Tacombi.” I said.. “Isn’t that in NYC?” and he said “Yep!” I then realized he lived in NYC and I live in Austin, TX. It turns out he had his Tinder on while he was visiting Austin a week prior and we matched. I thought just my luck.. when I meet a guy who seems amazing and is hilarious he lives across the country. Little did I know.. it wasn’t bad luck at all..

We ended up talking for a week straight. Every day on text, Skype, Facetime, and Snapchat. By the end of the week he told me he had to book a flight to come meet me in person. I was excited and 100{a5b98d8aadad8a43baf067fef0ce0912b440e89419e3e8e4a4a9262865f9e101} on board with this. ( which is kind of crazy.. I know.)

I was so nervous and excited when the day finally came. I showed up to the airport and literally hid behind the vending machines at one point because I thought I saw him coming down the escalator. ( It was someone else.. probably should have worn my glasses) Two minutes later I spotted him walking away from me. No clue how I spotted him from behind ( there were no butt pictures on Tinder- I swear) but I did! I went up to him and tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around. We smiled at each other and had the worlds best hug. I felt butterflies, a sense of comfort, and excitement all at the same time.

We had such an amazing weekend. We went to get mexican food, drank too many margaritas ( they help the nerves) went to Pete’s Piano Bar and sang songs, had a water bottle kicking match, sang “Aint No Mountain High Enough” and danced in the streets, got a sugar rush from way too much sugar in our coffee at a diner and laughed until we cried watching “My Strange Addiction” on Youtube. Sunday came quickly and it was time for Richard to leave. I tried to act like I wasn’t sad.. I think I actually did a pretty good job pretending as well, but when he rode off in his Uber to the airport I shed a tear. I then got in an Uber and I remember the sun was so bright. I felt like life was bittersweet. I was sad I had just met someone so amazing and wasn’t sure how we would continue this tinder romance living in different states, but I was so happy because I knew he was out there.. I knew he existed.

Fast forward to 4 months later and here we are today. ( Still together!) Since the month we met in the beginning of November we have almost seen each other every other weekend. Richard travels to Austin a ton to come visit me and I have also been to NYC to visit him. He actually is flying here this weekend to wait at the finish line for me during my half marathon! This will also be our first Valentine’s day together which is super exciting.

All I have to say now is..  I’m so glad I swiped right! Thanks, Tinder. I owe you a drink!

Have any of you met your significant other on Tinder or a dating app? I would love to hear stories!!

XOXO,

Scarlett