{ DATE #13: Jordan Miles }

One of the trickiest parts of this all is not knowing what to wear for each date.  The Staffers want to keep the date activity a surprise for me, so I have to rely on them to give me direction on what to wear.  Today’s date was an example of just how hard this can be to figure out from their cryptic messages.  Once I found out our activity, I wished I had worn a very different outfit.

So what was this mystery activity that I misappropriately dressed for?  Ballroom dancing with a very skilled dancer, Jordan Miles!  But I’m getting ahead of myself.  When Jordan picked me up, I instantly recognized him from our mocktail party.  I had noticed him there because he was a good looking guy that I had never seen in Arizona before.  Unfortunately I never had a chance to meet him at the party so I was left wondering if he really was one of my future dates or not.

I was happy to have my suspicion confirmed when I found Jordan on my doorstep, looking dapper in a button down and nice jeans.  He took me to a nearby park for a picnic with a nice light breakfast of a variety of fruits, all carefully sliced and placed in containers with some blueberries thrown in each one to add some visual appeal.  I was certainly impressed with the attention to detail.  I was thrilled when Jordan told me that the next stop on our date was at a dance studio for a private lesson in West Coast Swing. I have done a fair amount of dance throughout my life, but I’m not incredibly trained in any one style.  Partner dancing is probably the one I’ve done the least amount of dancing in.  So I was nervous about how well I would do, but felt good knowing that Jordan would be there to lead me through it.

When we arrived at Paragon Studio, he introduced me to his sister, Jalair, who would be our instructor.   She was a beautiful, petite woman with a sparkling smile – qualities very fitting for a great dancer.  Jalair and Jordan started off by showing me an example of what we’d be learning.  It quickly became apparent that Jordan certainly had the skills that would have allowed him to become a professional dancer as he had once planned to become.  I hoped I wouldn’t hold him back too much!

As we worked through the basics of West Coast Swing, Jordan was very patient with me.  He was confident in leading me through the moves, which is exactly what you want in a dance partner.  As I caught onto each move, we added more and more moves to build our repertoire.  Jordan was great at giving me positive feedback when I did something well, and smiled and laughed with me when I did something not so well.  Trust me, this is the kind of guy that you want to be in his arms.

Jordan was surprised when his younger sister, Jessa, arrived at the studio, ready for her lesson with Jalair after us.  I insisted that she too needed to show me her moves, so Jordan took her out to the dance floor.  She was just as fluid, beautiful, and sassy on the dance floor as her sister.  It was fun to see Jordan interacting with his sisters.  It was obvious that they are all close to each other, which is a great blessing to have strong family ties. 

After teaching me a few more moves we tried them all together to a great hip hop song and worked the floor!  By this time I was trusting Jordan more and more and was able to get my right arm to relax more and truly let him lead.  We had a great time whirling around the dance floor.   Jordan was wise to put himself in his best element and bring me along with him.  He was a great dancer!

I love that dance can be a great metaphor for relationships.  As the woman you have to surrender yourself and your will, and let the man take you through the moves.  This isn’t to say that the woman can’t show her own strengths but jazzing up the moves, creating excitement for her and her partner.  In the end the two are brought together into a beautiful showcase of compromise.

By now I had worked up a real appetite and was happy when I learned that we were going to Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, for some lunch.  We said goodbye to his sisters and hit the road.  It was nice to sit down and have some more time to really talk and get to know about each other.  By now I had picked up on Jordan’s laid back nature.  He’s not loud, doesn’t draw attention to himself, but he’s got a lot to talk about and carried a conversation very well.  I feel like Jordan has some layers that you have to work through before you’ll see just how amazing his is – he doesn’t put all his cards on the table at once.   But everything he was showing so far showed a man of solid character and faith.  I liked everything about him.

After a good chat we took our moves to the dance floor one more time.  Toby Keith’s is a great place to go for dancing.  Since it was the middle of the day, we had the whole floor to ourselves and Jordan made sure to utilize the space.  He really was so great and made me feel confident, even though I certainly was not as good as him.  What a gentlemen and an exciting date!