Friday, February 25, 2011

{ Picture Perfect Shower }


The clock is ticking... it is less than a month until the big day!  Aubrey's friends came out in style to celebrate with a bridal shower full of food (crepes to be exact), friends and PHOTOS!  Thank you to Aaron Valdez of Perfect Shot Photo Booth for bringing your photo booth for us to enjoy.  To get your own photo booth for your next event visit Perfect Shot Photo Booth online here - we had a BLAST taking photos with all our friends and you will too.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

{ And... WE'RE BACK! }


In mid-September, Aubrey Messick, the Mormon Bachelorette went on her first date with Mr. Right, Matt Laidlaw. We watched them fall in love, get engaged, and share their love story from the very beginning. While Rick Buck was dating 22 women to find the girl of his dreams, Matt and Aubrey have been busy at work planning their perfect wedding. Some say that 3 months is too short a time to get to know the person that you want to spend the rest of your life with. This "How Well Do They Know Each Other" video will show you that for Matt and Aubrey, it has been more than enough time. When you know you just go for it, and you enjoy every second getting to know each other along the way. The big day is less than a month away on March 19th, and we will be sharing the journey with you. Congratulations to the future Mr. and Mrs. Laidlaw - we are so excited for this love story to unfold!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

{ In Melanie's Words }


I traveled, several times, from Ohio to California unknowing of the events that were about to unfold before me. Yes, I knew Rick was a great guy, that he was successful and that he was persistent in achieving his goals. Other than that, I myself questioned who is Rick Buck?

We first met last spring at a cookout in Newport. A basketball game was on TV that seemed to attract the majority of the people there, I had zero interest in the game, but I made my way towards that part of the house to mingle with new faces. Rick and I struck up conversation about the Phoenix Suns’ mascot, whom he went to high school with, his passion for being a dentist, his creative ideas about his future and what I enjoyed doing. I can tell you, it was all very memorable. Rick has a way to make others feel completely comfortable around him.

When I heard the news that Rick was the new bachelor, I thought this couldn’t be more fitting for him. He is in his profession, he’s stable, has a good sense of humor and handsome! EVERYthing I wanted in man! I thought some girl would be lucky to capture his heart. Never in a million years did I think I would ever be apart of his journey. But before I knew it, I was landing in Orange County. What was I doing? What if I fell for him? Sooo many questions, but it didn’t matter, I was coming after him!!

A friend helped me come up with my first date idea. It was tough trying to construct a date with a man who had just went out with 21 OTHER girls!! I’m not gonna lie, it sucked to think about me being the last girl, especially when I would come up with an idea that I wanted to do with him, only to realize he had ALREADY done that with date #7 or #13 ect..Yeah, not cool. But it only made me think harder and be more creative. And I’d say, it paid off! Haha

Round 2! Last minute we changed our plans from a boat ride to making a movie..hmm, being on a boat with him sounded wonderful to me, then I remembered, we were not going to be alone, at all, and that wouldn’t be romantic in the slightest! Shout out to “Raul” haha, thanks Charan, we couldn’t have come up with the movie idea or done this masterpiece without you! This date showed me that we could work together as a team and brought out our creative sides. Writing everything on paper was a lot easier then actually doing them. I.E kissing…no worries all you sweet spirits out there, only lips, not even one slip of tongue! Rick took the time to encourage me and made sure I was okay with doing all the scenes, including rolling down a hill filled with weeds and gravel, always a way to romance a girl! He continually made sure I was having a good time and made it clear that he loved doing this with me. Could this guy be real? I wanted to pinch him to double check. Him being so concerned about my happiness only confirmed that this man really did like me!

Of course, me being a woman, I automatically wondered if he was like this with the other girls.  The good thing was that I had seen a lot of their dates and I thought he was different with me and I was on cloud nine! NOW came the tough part, me going home, knowing he had several more dates. HA what fun this would be! NOT! It was hard watching someone who I had just spent so much time with, take out all these sweet, beautiful women. I loved the fact that he was such a gentlemen and kind with them, but darn it, I wanted to be in NY with him! He was on my coast and not with ME!

So now the juicy details! Our final date…kinda :)  He called me, sooo excited to tell me to pack up, that I’m coming back to CA. I didn’t have a say in the matter, he demanded! Within a week, I was BACK on a plane, all for Rick Buck!! However, this time, I was jumping for joy the entire trip. We were going to have a few days together before I met his family. This made all the difference. I don’t think it would have been as great as it was if we didn’t have that time together. Getting everything ready for dinner together made everything real. I gotta say, we were both nervous, they had no idea who he picked. We said a prayer together and were comforted by each other. The whole night was amazing!

Rick and I are always 100% ourselves when together. We have no problem telling each other what is on our mind. From him making fun of my frizzy hair (he totally says I put my finger in a light socket) to me telling him he smells like my grandpa!! Haha, ohh he hates me right now…

But we also share all the small details about our lives that make us who we are, our strengths, weaknesses, fears and triumphs. No story or question was/is off limits with us. We talked about our families, hopes and dreams for the future, the church and our expectations of a husband/wife. I know he loves the way he feels with me, the way he is able to be himself with me, the way I can always bring a smile to his face.

We learned a huge amount about each other in that short week. One my favorite parts was going to his offices and meeting the women that work along side of him everyday!! Ohh the tales they told me. This story will make him laugh at himself and quite possibly embarrass him, but this sums up why Rick needs to get married, asap! They were having a potluck lunch at his office and needed him to pick up some bread - simple enough right? Not for Rick Buck who NEVER grocery shops OR cooks meals, however.  He called them 3 times asking where to go to get bread and where in the store it was located!! No joke! And if you get a moment, ask him how he gets rid of wrinkles in his shirts or what his favorite part of dusting is and even maybe about his t-shirt collection and yellow pants… Something is different about this boy. I can’t put my finger on it, yet it’s so obvious.

I like him. I like him a lot.

Friday, February 18, 2011

{ True Mormon Love }

The dating frenzy is now over but Rick and Melanie's courtship has just begun.  Thank you Allison Taylor for the beautiful photographs!  You can check out AlliChelle Photography at allichellephotography.blogspot.com or on Facebook.






Wednesday, February 16, 2011

{ TMB in the PRESS! }

Congratulations to Rick and Melanie! We can't wait to follow the journey and watch you continue to fall in love with each other. In the past several weeks the press has been especially kind to us and we wanted to thank Scott Pierce from the Salt Lake Tribune and Kayla Franson from The Daily Universe, who both wrote amazing stories about the first 2 seasons of TMB. We look forward to more dating fun and are grateful for the coverage. We are definitely "feeling the love" this Valentine's Day!

A Mormon Couple Finds True Love in Web Series
Scott D. Pierce
Salt Lake Tribune

The Mormon Bachelor Finishes Series of Dates Tonight
Kayla Franson
The Daily Universe

Monday, February 14, 2011

{ THE FINAL ROSE }


Well after 7000+ miles (3000+ driving) traveled and about 130 hours of dating it has come down to this. I couldn’t be happier and more optimistic about my selection. I hope all of you have enjoyed the show. It has been a great pleasure to have all of you involved in my dating life and now I am excited to have it back to myself… Or should I say ourselves.

I just want to send a thanks out to everyone who has spent time on The Mormon Bachelor. Firstly to Erin who has put this all together and kept it smooth even when things could have become rough. Thanks to Aaron Valdez who edited and freely gave of his time to put a lot of the videos together. Also thanks to all the other videographers and editors. Included in those is my predecessor Aubrey who paved the way for me as well. Thanks to the sponsors without whom the show wouldn’t be what it was. Thanks to all the girls who went on dates. I am so flattered that you all would be involved and go on videotaped dates. Honestly, you all made me a better person. One day I told my buddy, “I feel as though I was dating a bunch of angels!” I wish you all the best and I think all the guys should come knocking down your doors. Lastly, I thank the girl I picked, but I’ll write more about her later. Now go watch the video and see who it is!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

{ RICK & ANGIE }


I think everyone must have an inner desire to be a Rock Star. I know I do. I think it would be kind of fun to be on stage singing out to thousands of fans or see people rocking out to my music. The only problem is that I was born with a mediocre voice at best. Though I can’t fill up stadiums and have people copying my every move, I can find one person that would make me feel like a Rock Star. When I called Angie to go out on a second date she not only replied yes but also said, “I feel honored to go out on a second date.” Talk about making a guy feel good about himself.

Our date started out at Dave and Busters. Angie and I started off by talking about past relationships and why some of ours had not worked out. We started on the topic about dating people with ex’s in the picture. I explained how most of my relationships in the past few years the girls had been in lingering relationships with ex’s in the picture. One thing I ask a girls early on is do they have an ex in the picture. Nothing is more unattractive and makes a new relationship unwelcomed than when someone else is still occupying their emotions. Well its funny because Angie also has had that same problem but with guys. It makes us want to scream “Come on people! It’s not hard just break it off completely!”

Okay back to the date. Next we were off to the games. Like I remembered from our last date, Angie likes to laugh. We fooled around playing a lot of the games at Dave and Busters. I really liked to goof off and really get into whatever it was we were playing. Angie let me be the goof I wanted to be and I could make her laugh just as I recalled.

So our date was going great and we started playing that basketball competition game. Now I remember being pretty good at this game. Then we started to play and she beat me, not just once but three times. Humiliation. I was robbed of my masculinity, I was too macho to not try my hand and something else to win my ego back. So we headed over to one of those impossible games where you control a crane and try to pick up a teddy bear. On the first try it was a success. I had one her a stuffed animal and my ego was back to 80%.

The way Angie makes me feel about myself is incredible (except for the whole losing at basketball thing). It is so nice to just be with a girl that you feel wants to be with you. So many times girls make me feel like they are owed a date by me. With Angie she is just appreciative of all you do for her and you feel how she feels about you. I gotta feeling that I have a tough choice ahead of me!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

{ RICK & SARA }


Before I get to my date I need to put a serious plug in for an awesome date idea. Everyone seriously needs to go experience this even if its not on a date. I wanted to go have Michael Jackson dance lessons. I specifically wanted to learn his freestyle moves and not just his dance routines. Phillip Dang did an awesome job of helping us get the technique so that we were able to freestyle some MJ moves. I could not have been more satisfied. I’ve learned to do other dance styles before but never had this much fun. Even when it was tough it was still so much fun. Seriously, just go do it Wednesday nights at 8 o’clock in Torrance. Best 15 bucks you’ll ever spend.

One of the great things about Sara was that she not only rolled with the date, but she was excited about it. I have planned dates before where girls are ambivalent to the idea. It makes things so much better when both people are eager to do the activity. That way if nothing else the date itself makes for good conversation. Luckily with Sara we had so much more even to talk about.

Sara and I started pretty much on the same level of learning the MJ moves. It wasn’t long before she surpassed me. Either way we had a blast trying to get the moves and learn the steps. There was this small routine we tried to do at the end of the session and I had a hard time even 4 moves into it. She pretty much picked up the whole thing. Quite impressive. The time flew by and we both decided that we needed to come back as well as the camera crew too. It’s just an addicting atmosphere.

Afterwards we headed on over to get some eats. We both were fatigued from burning some serious calories. We headed on over to Islands where we talked about a trip Sara had between our two dates to South Africa. Sara always has a cool story to tell. While she was there she got to pick up and play with a baby lion. We also conversed about things that I had learned from being The Mormon Bachelor. That eventually led to everyone’s favorite conversation topic: Dating.

I think Sara is an amazing person. The best thing about my relationship with Sara is that there has never been a dull moment. Why? because she has an electrifying personality. She is positive about everything and can be energized about seemingly insignificant things. If we end up together I don’t think she would ever think much is lame or that my ideas are boring. I like that a lot. Hmmm… Life with Sara?

Friday, February 11, 2011

{ RICK & MELANIE }


Let’s be honest all that any of us are looking for when dating is Chemistry. We analyze, theorize and critique everything in dating to death, but after all is said and done we are just looking for something that we can’t even really explain. I remember talking about one of my failed relationships with one of my buddies. We talked until our brains hurt from analyzing what went wrong. His final thought, “Everything just doesn’t add up to being stoked.” There is a guys deep thoughts on dating. Chemistry, stoked, or whatever you want to call it, I have it with Melanie.

Our date was actually a last minute change of plans to make a movie for our date. In some weird way I think it was inspired. My friend Charan Prabhakar (www.lastmans.com) was filming the date and suggested that we do that. So quickly we came up with the idea to make a spoof trailer on romantic movies. We spoofed three movies mainly. One thing that blew me away about Melanie was her ability to just go with the flow. I mean getting drenched in the cold for a dramatic scene or rolling around in uncomfortable weeds would throw most high maintenance girls off. Not Mel.

One of my favorite things about girls is when they know how to socialize. On both our dates Mel made good friends with the camera people. Did I mention both camera people are really good friends of mine? Another plus is that my friends loved her too. At points I thought Charan was as excited for us as we were ourselves. In fact it was Charan that kept pointing out how inspired he thought our date was. Things just kept falling into place.

The date was amazing. I couldn’t have had more fun. Oh and you may have noticed I got to kiss her a lot. Maybe a little intense for a normal second date but who cares cause it was some good kissing. There was definitely chemistry in our kisses so we didn’t have to act for that at all.

At the end of the date my place was a mess from so many wardrobe changes. As if I wasn’t impressed enough Melanie just started cleaning it all up and throwing all the wet clothes in the drier. Who is this girl?

While Melanie seems to be flawless and a great match for me, the song “Every Rose has its Thorn” plays in my head! Thank you Bret Michaels, lead singer of Poison and fellow reality dating show person, for those tragic words. Melanie is from Ohio and has plans to start school in Utah… “How is that going work?” Hopefully, I can pick some of those thorns off, write a new song, and one up Mr. Michaels.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

{ RICK & JANE }

And the Cake Truffles giveaway winner is...
Devany said...
DC is the perfect place for a date and a first kiss. Seriously romantic opportunities - Rick you should take advantage of in the future (just like i'll put those cupcakes to good use if I win.)

Devany, please e-mail us at themormonbachelorette@gmail.com to claim your prize:)


Call me crazy but New York was never on my list of places that I wanted to visit. I learned how foolish I would have been if I never visited. What a cool city with so much to do and it even has a romantic feel to it all. Due to my lack of NYC knowledge I tried planning a date but it was pretty much overruled. I had no objection once I heard the better plans. I flew in to New York in the morning and got into town around 6 o’clock and with no down time I got on the subway and headed to Jane’s place.

When I got to her place she had clue cards that said what we would be doing on our date. Our first activity was to head over to M&M World. M&M World was very cool but the best part of it was that it was just a great excuse to walk around time square. While I was there I was happy to be spending time with Jane but sad to know that there is so much more there to explore with her than I was going to have time for. Every direction you looked was something interesting to see or do.

The next clue directed us to the top of the Rock. For people like me that means the top of the Rockafeller Center. You know the place where New York has the outside skating and puts up the big Christmas Tree. We took a tour up to the top of the Rock and were greeted by a worker that told us how lucky we were because the sky had just completely cleared up and there was no one else up there. It was freezing at the top but it was just to romantic to pass up a good opportunity to lay one on her. Which was good cause it warmed us up for a little bit.

Next we went to a Mexican restaurant called Rosa Mexicano. It was really good Mexican food, especially their guacamole. After the food we went out and walked over to the opera and just kinda walked around. Once again no one was there and it is usually packed with people. We even snuck inside the opera building to look inside. After we left we saw the temple and I learned how the Prophet was inspired to buy the land a long time ago when the area there was ghetto. He received a lot of criticism for it but years later the land became prime real estate of New York. I love having inspired church leaders.

Back to the date. It was a really romantic time with Jane. We just click really easily. We joke around the same and life is just good when I am with her. Now add on top of that the romance of New York and I had a perfect date. I might just have to return to the concrete jungle where dreams are made of!

**Slade and Adrienne you two AMAZE me!  Thank you for the awesome video!**

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

{ RICK & ANDREA }

GIVEAWAY
Comment on this post below and you will be entered into a drawing to receive a FREE BOX of 9 CAKE TRUFFLES made by Occasionally Cake sent in time to anyone you want for Valentine's Day!  The winner will be announced in tomorrow morning's post!  Comment away!
A HUGE TMB thank you to Occasionally Cake for sponsoring Rick and Andrea's date!



Going into today's date with Andrea in DC I wasn't sure what to expect.  We had a ton of fun on our first date and I wanted to make sure that there was chemistry between us.  Long distance is never easy, and it is even more difficult to determine whether or not there is chemistry on a 2nd date. 

Andrea and I met up after church with our Chef Sabrina in Washington DC, who owns a business called Occasionally Cakes. She was an awesome instructor and you could tell she put a lot of pride into everything she does including her cake business. It was really fun. We each picked one of the teams from the Superbowl to make a cake for. I chose the Packers because I am a fan of their quarterback Aaron Rogers. She by default was stuck with the Steelers. It was very fun and interesting to make the cakes especially after seeing the popular reality show with cake decorating these days. Immediately you could tell the difference in learning styles Andrea and I had. She was a more hands on experimental worker. I was a more “give me the exact instructions” kind of learner.

We finished our cakes and headed off to a Superbowl party with some church friends in DC. We had a contest to see whose cake was decorated better and let’s just say the home town favorite won. And as if the cakes weren’t good enough on the outside, they tasted amazing - there wasn't a piece left after the game.  I even enjoyed them and I am not big on sweets. We finished watching the game and then it was off to enjoy our nation’s capitol.

One thing that impresses me so much about Andrea is her job. I mean I think it is awesome that she works for a senator as a press secretary. As we walked around I was able to ask her questions I had always had about politicians and what they spend their time doing and how are they as people. She was able to give me a lot of good and interesting feedback. We walked around and it got really late. We had the place pretty much to ourselves, which is rare for the different monuments and memorials. Apparently people don’t visit the capitol during the superbowl.

There is so much I can write but if I had to sum up my night with Andrea in word it would be: Impressive. She is such a nice and cute girl and she has so much going for her at the same time. I can tell you this much if we go out on a third date she won’t have to ask, “why didn’t you kiss me?” again.

A big thank you to Dave Marble for filming this date and Joshua for editing!  For additional footage about Occasionally Cake and Rick and Andrea's feelings for eachother check out this video here.

 **If you would like to order Cake Truffles from Occasionally Cake as a Valentine's gift for a loved one (or yourself, let's be honest) - TMB followers get a discount when you use the promo code OCTMB here. Occasionally Cake ships all across the United States and if you order today they will arrive by Valentine's Day!**

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

{ RICK & BEANA }


I have a secret that I’d like to share with everyone that reads these blogs. I love it when people compliment the girl I am dating. Loooovvve it! I would have a lot of perks if I were to choose Beana. I mean I would be able to fly anywhere if we dated, and there are a lot of places I would love to fly to. The biggest perk about dating Beana though is that everyone loves Beana. I can’t tell you how many people have told me how much they love Beana. By far she has had the most compliments of all the dates I have been on. Beana just has a magnetic personality and you can't help but be drawn in.

When our date started I got to her house and her mom pulled me aside for a 15 minute question and answer forum. While it may have embarrassed Beana I was having a blast answering all the questions. She may deny it but I know exactly where she got her fun loving nature.

After being drilled with questions it was off to eat. When I asked Beana out she had one request before our date and that was to be able to eat at In-N-Out. My eyes swelled with tears, “of course!” Okay there is another perk - someone who loves In-N-Out as much as I do. Although it’s not necessary we all love it when we date someone that likes the same food as we do.

Now here is where the fun starts and probably because our blood sugar was rising. On our car ride to ice skating we started to rock out to some of the cheesiest music I had - a little Justin Beiber, Spice Girls, Miley Cyrus (aka My Cy), and The Crash Test Dummies. Not only did we rock out but it broke the ice for a fun afternoon that followed.

The Ice Rink was our next stop. A pattern in this whole journey is that I have doing a lot of activities where we have the place to ourselves. We were the only ones on the ice for over an hour. It was so much fun. We could do things we normally wouldn’t be able to do. One of the things I really enjoyed about Beana was that she was able to just roll with the fun. We made up an ice skating routine and it was soo much fun coming up with all the lame steps.

The time was ending as it always does. The great thing with Beana is that she is so real that you feel 100 percent comfortable around her. She knows how to get you out of your shell whether its by playing Crash Test Dummies or putting her hand on your butt while strolling the mall. It is a breath of fresh air to just know that you can be yourself! When it comes down to it the biggest perk about Beana is simple. Beana is marriage material!

Monday, February 7, 2011

{ RICK & MELISSA }


My dad once gave me some dating advise. He said, “Rick don’t worry if your relationship feels like ones of the past. Every relationship has its own personality.” Along those lines I also once had a friend explain to me to not look necessarily for great traits in a girl, but to more look for how a girl makes you feel. If you love the way the make you feel then go after that one. Going out with Melissa I feel a certain way that I have never felt when dating another girl. Our relationship has a much different feel than I am used to. Normally I with girls I feel funny or relaxed with. However, with Melissa I feel cool. She has a very composed nature to her that is very appealing. When I’m with her it brings out a side I have not accustomed to but never-the-less enjoy.

We started off our evening on a slightly rough note. Most of the morning we spent trying to come up with an idea because our original plans that had fallen through. In fact this was the second time our plans had fallen through since the Sunday before. On top of that my dinner plans had just failed about an hour before then date. Luckily we decided to spend time at the Irvine Spectrum and do some random things there. Then after our activity go out to one of the many dinner places there.

Once we got to the Irvine spectrum we went to a little pedicure shop there and decided to get us some pedicures. It was going to be another night full of new experiences for me with Melissa. We went in and I immediately noticed that the YouTube video about these pedicure shops is completely true. It was funny but I felt like the ladies working on my toes were talking bad about me in another language. I’m glad I got to experience the full effect of getting a pedicure. I must say my toes have never looked so good. I think Melissa enjoyed my reaction to the whole situation. Something tells me though, that I won’t be going back anytime soon.

Next stop at the Irvine Spectrum was a Mexican restaurant called Javier’s. Very good food and to make it even better I got to practice some of my Spanish with the waiter. He was from Mexico City where I had served my mission. To compliment our meal our last stop of the night was at this Boba shop nearby, but not at the Spectrum. It was a cool little place that was hoppin’ even on a weeknight. We got our drinks and they were pretty tasty.

I couldn’t have asked for a better night especially with such a hard time planning it in the first place. My time with Melissa felt cool once again. It was short but I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to see if there is anything more for me and Melissa.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

{ RICK & SAMANTHA G. }


What do girls look for in a guy? What do guys look for in girls? I’ve heard it all to answers to these questions. The thing about answering these questions is there is no real answer. It’s too general of a question for such a personalized opinion. As an example, lots of girls say they look for a good sense of humor as being most important quality in a guy, but any class clown knows that is a lie. Well now that I have explained no one can answer that question, I will try and do so. The one quality that I find most people can use to increase their personal appeal is confidence! Even that has its exceptions, but I feel most guys and girls want a partner that is confident in themselves. Tonight I learned a lesson on confidence.

When Samantha and I rolled up to practice being pirates I noticed that she had an extra sense of confidence in herself. I could see it in her eyes. I don’t know if it was that or the pirate garb itself but she looked stunning. I know you are thinking, “Stunning? In pirate rags?” I find it hard to believe myself and the only thing I could attribute it to was her sense of confidence in what she was doing. She knew she was good at something and could put on quite the show. It was fascinating to see her do her thing. She hadn’t done it in a while but after dusting off some of the cobwebs she was really good at it. Lets be honest, who doesn’t like to try and impress someone they are dating?

On the other hand there was me. I had a complete lack of confidence in my performance. After a few moments I noticed I wasn’t going to pick up on this very quickly. Now I don’t really know how she felt but I felt like I was less attractive due to my inabilities. If I could go back I would have put on a more confident face and just went a little more with it.

Dinner was at Chili’s, one of my favorite places to hang out and eat. We had the chance to talk about what we had done in between our dates. She had a few more acting gigs and it was pretty obvious what I had been doing. I’ll tell you some of my favorite things about Samantha I thought about at dinner. First, she knows how to have fun. Second, she smiles a lot. Third, she has very good intentions. Lastly, I respect how she carries herself. I feel of all the girls I went out with, Samantha was judged the most harshly. She never did anything bad to deserve it. For some reason I feel girls have a certain perception of how all girls should act. When they don’t act accordingly its like I always say, “Girls be judgin’!” However, Samantha never hated back on any of her criticism. She never even complained to me about any of it, and in my mind that makes her an even better person.

Well that ended our voyage for the night, but not first without another kiss. As I walked away I thought of what a good night it was. Samantha really knows how to win a guys heart. I like that!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

{ Drum Roll Please... }

The first dates are officially in the books!  Thank you everyone for your votes.  It has been an incredible journey watching Rick have the time of his life getting to know 22 amazing women.  After a close count, the results are in! We couldn't be more excited about this group of 8 women.  Over the next 8 days get excited to watch Rick on his journey to his final date - he is even going on a little "TMB Roadtrip" to win the heart of his true love.

In no particular order the Top 7 are:

Jane Madsen
Samantha Goodsell
Melissa Lundquist
Angie Pita
Melanie Carney
Sara Olds
Andrea Candrian

...and the crowd favorite?

Beana Hathaway


Friday, February 4, 2011

{ Closer to Love - VOTE NOW! }

22 dates with 22 amazing women!  Who should Rick take out on a 2nd?  Vote here for your absolute favorites - and the girl that you think should be the future Mrs. Buck!  The girl with the most votes will definitely get a 2nd date - Rick will choose the others.  Results will be posted tomorrow morning at 8am.  Here's to finding true Mormon love! (You must have a Facebook account to vote)


DATE #1: Sarah McDermott-Griffiths Observatory

DATE #2: Sara Foster-Geocaching


DATE #3: Sara Borg-Horseback Riding

DATE #4: Andrea Candrian-Game Show


DATE #5: Keri Murrey-Shooting Range


DATE #6: Samantha Goodsell-Extreme Mini-Golf


DATE #7: Karen Hinkle-Knott's Berry Farm


DATE #8 - Roxanne Truesdell-Jazz Lounge


DATE #9: Angie Pita-Homemade Crepes


DATE #10: Sara Olds-Disneyland/Club 33


DATE #11: Christina "Beana" Hathaway-Day Spa


DATE #12: Alisha White-MASH


DATE#13: Kristy Uzelac-Trapeze


DATE #14: Erin Spencer-Downtown Disney


DATE #15: Lisa Whitlock-Trampolines


DATE #16: Jane Madsen-Cooking Class


DATE #17: Jamie Robinson-Santa Monica Pier


DATE #18: Brittany Plothow-Impromptu Modeling


DATE #19: Tina Brummitt-Home-cooked Dinner/Fireside


DATE #20: Melissa Lundquist-Paddle Boarding


DATE #21: Samantha Andreasen-Hockey Game


DATE #22: Melanie Carney-Engagement Photos

Thursday, February 3, 2011

{ DATE #22: Melanie Carney }



Vote for who you think Rick should go on a 2nd date with by clicking the "Like" button.

The first 5 to 10 minutes of the first date are always the most important. Everyone that’s been on a few dates knows what I am talking about. Remember this date: You’ve been ready for a date that you have been so excited about and you look great. A few minutes into the date you are in the car and you want to scream at the top of your lungs “Please take me back home”, but you can’t. Every second of the rest of that date just confirms how you felt in the beginning. Then there is opposite scenario. I met up with Melanie Carney and I knew within the first 5 minutes… actually more like the 5 seconds I was going to like this girl. Every other second of the date confirmed those first moments.

Melanie and I met at the Newport pier, but that wasn’t the first time I had ever met Melanie. In fact we met twice before within the last year and one time I had actually gotten Mel’s digits. She may hate me for writing this, but she rejected a date when I asked her out. Her reason: “I’m leaving in a week to move to Ohio”. A good excuse but none-the-less she rejected me. Well it didn’t matter because in those first second I could tell this was going to be a good night.

Mel’s date idea was to take pictures, an idea I have wanted to do for a while. Only she wanted to take the prints and place them in the frames for sale at Walmart. So we did. It was so much fun. We tried to come up with some good ones and some awkward ones. Honestly it was so much fun. Immediately I noticed that Mel like to touch to show affection, which is good because I do too. After we took pictures, we went to a CVS to develop them. It was crazy because we both noticed while looking at the pictures that we looked like a really good couple.

Then we got to sit at dinner at a place called Anjin. It was a Japanese grill where we got to cook our own food. As we cooked our food I learned about Mel and her family. Mel has plans to go into a nursing program in Utah within the next few months. Her plans are to work at a hospital in Newport when she is done with that. The best part of conversation was that I could talk about anything. It didn’t feel like first date talk, it felt like talking to a best friend that I was attracted to. I guess the only negative thing about the date was that she kept stealing the pieces of steak I was grilling and left me to eat the tongue meat we ordered! Actually I thought it was cute.

Well then it was off to Walmart where we put our pictures in the frames. My favorite part was that Melanie kept cracking herself up as she placed the pictures in the frames. After that we just started placing the pictures everywhere in Walmart. The date ended there and the only thing holding me back from a kiss was “did I really want our first kiss to be in the Walmart parking lot?” She’s too beautiful for that. Lets see… can you guess if I will be asking Melanie out again?

Special thanks to Kristen Lawrence who took our still photos tonight from www.halloweencarols.com


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

{ DATE #21: Samantha Andreasen }



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And the winner for best question asker thus far is… Samantha! So the main point on these dates is to get to know one another. I don’t think it is imperative that we have the craziest questions on a date. I do feel however that its when we get past the surface questions we all ask on a first date that we start really making a connection. For example: You can ask about how many brothers and sisters you have, which is always a good question. How about this follow up question that I got from Samantha: What are your brothers and sisters like? One question tells you so much more than the other. I got a lot of good questions during our date to the Los Angeles Kings Hockey game that gave Samatha and I a good base to get to know each other.

Our date started off at a Ralphs just outside the Staples Center where she gave me a rose that she hopes to receive in return. Then we went into Ralphs where we picked out our meals and ate them outside. I could tell right at this point that Samantha is a genuinely happy person. After eating we made a sign for our game. I got to use some of my poster making skills I acquired in student government in high school. While working on the poster I learned that Samantha didn’t tell her mom she was coming out here from Cleveland.

We then made our way to the Staples Center where the door security confiscated our posters (Glad we made those). As we sat down we watched the game but also talked a bunch about normal stuff like her going to school to be a nurse. Then the good questions started. I learned all about Samantha’s colorful family and she learned about mine. We both love our families and like talking about them a lot. Then I got some questions about my past dating experiences and about my past kissing habits. I like questions like that, luckily, so I was more than happy to share.

One thing that I noticed throughout the date is that every time the jumbotron would come on Sam would look up. I had a feeling something was going on, from that and the way she explained how she called and made friends with the people in the Kings organization. Sure enough in the third period they did the kiss cam they normally do at sporting events on the big screen. Was I going to look like a fool in front of everyone? Of course not! I kissed her good. Very impressive that she worked her magic within the organization to get us on that.

In case you were wondering the Kings won. I think the highlight for most of the fans though, was the historic kiss cam. This was definitely a great night. Now to add a few more questions I had tonight: How lucky am I to be doing so many fun things like the stuff Samantha planned tonight? How am I supposed to top what she planned tonight? Will I ask Samantha on a second date?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

{ DATE #20: Melissa Lundquist }



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I noticed in a lot of my blogs I use the word “learn”. I try and avoid it and use the thesaurus but I can’t help it. Tonight’s blog will probably use that word a lot more. On first dates it seems like we are constantly discovering our new surroundings. Sometimes it’s a new activity, but if for nothing else it’s always a new person to become familiar with. Tonight was a big learning night for me, because it was a night full of thing I had done for the first time. Why not start a night full of firsts at a location I had never been to. The date took place at Dana Point. This was the first time I had ever been there and after seeing how serene it is I wonder why I have never been there before.

I met up with Melissa Lundquist who would be my date for the evening. Immediately I was impressed with the way she did her hair. She explained my second “first” of the date. We would go paddle surfing in the harbor of Dana Point. I have to give myself props, because I did well for my first time. I did fall once but I guess its part of the learning experience. It wasn’t long until I got the hang of it and it was really fun.

We had a lot of time to talk due to the calm nature of the activity. There was a lot to talk about. Melissa is a student, works at a salon, and teaches yoga and pilates. If that didn’t make her busy enough she is also a single mom. That takes me to my third new experience: I’ve never been on a date with a single mom before. It was new for me and I didn’t know how much or little to talk about it. The good thing is she was comfortable either way. So we did talk about it a bit and I could tell she really had a love and admiration for her son. Until this point in my life I tried to avoid dating single moms, but with someone as cool as Melissa I don’t mind giving it a shot. I guess there is a first time for everything.

Later we took a walk on the beach to go visit the tide pools. That’s always good for a little fun. Then Melissa inspired me to take another first. We both ate a piece of seaweed that was washed up on shore. To finish up the tide pools we watched the sunset. I will tell you that there is nothing more romantic than a sunset on the beach. Its crazy what a sun setting on the water will do to you.

Lastly, we barbequed us some fish with some vegetables on the sides. I feel another “first” coming on here. Oh yes! I learned Melissa is an awesome cook because this was the first time I have eaten brussel sprouts and liked them. Actually they were my favorite part of the meal, and everything else was good too. Yum! Well that ended our “first” date but maybe I need to see what I can learn from “seconds”.