Tuesday, July 5, 2011

{ DATE #4: Chris Morales }


My date activity tonight required that I wear a bit of a costume, so I had a little more of a heads up on this one than normal as to what I should wear. I was told to dress 1940’s style/World War II style, and that if I chose to wear a skirt that I should wear shorts underneath it. Okay okay, I’m starting to pick up on what this might be. I hoped that this meant I was going dancing...

When I found Chris on my doorstep in a white sailor suit, I got even more excited about what exactly we’d be going to. Let’s be honest ladies, who doesn’t love a man in a uniform? I was fortunate to have some friends assist with my hair, makeup, and even in picking out my outfit for the night, so I felt completely pampered. It brought back memories of being a little girl playing dress up – you felt like a princess heading to a ball. And I was happy to be next to a dapper looking sailor.

I instantly felt at ease with Chris, like I could tell him my fears, my secrets, and he wouldn’t judge me for it. He would just take it in, and then provide some sage advice. That feeling continued over dinner at Royal Taj, an Indian restaurant in Phoenix. Just as all my dates have done, Chris had carefully selected the restaurant, and I appreciated the effort. I haven’t done Indian a lot and so I was grateful to have a guru like Chris to guide me. The food was very good, especially the naan bread. Over dinner Chris asked several questions about how the experience of being The Mormon Bachelorette was going, how it felt. I was really impressed by Chris’ ability to put himself in my shoes and see it from my perspective. He was dead on with the things that had been worries, trials, etc. I told him that I thought this was going to help him immensely as a lawyer, and in serving people, as it allows him to have empathy for people. I was also impressed by Chris’ willingness to come to Arizona, from Utah, to take me on a date, given the fact that he’s preparing to take the Utah Bar exam at the end of the month. This is precious studying time! He was so kind to make the sacrifice and I’m really glad that he did.

As we drove to our next destination I continued to wonder where in the world we were going. It finally clicked as we passed the Biltmore shopping area. We were going to the Arizona Biltmore, one of the oldest resorts in the Phoenix area, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Wrigley family back in the 1920’s. Since it was built, every US President has stayed there. It’s a historical landmark. Chris still had to let me in on the fact that we were going to a Swing Dancing convention of sorts, which had a Lindy Hop event and competition going on that night. As we entered the room, there were many in military uniforms, and every girl was in a cute dress or skirt. There was even a live band, which was really good!

There had been debate over whether I should wear heels or flats. The girls voted for the heels based on the fact that they just “made the outfit” so I wore them, but Chris wisely advised me to bring along the flats for at least part of the night. Though some forms of dance are better with heels, the Lindy Hop is definitely not meant for heels! I loved learning yet another style of dance, or at least refining what I may have once learned. Chris was a great teacher – he knew his stuff, he knew how to explain it to me, he confidently led me, and was patient with me when I messed up. I really had so much fun! Chris was such a hot commodity that when we took a break and I happened to say something to one of our production crew, a girl saw the open window and grabbed Chris and took him to the dance floor. I literarily had given just a foot of space between us and this girl took it! I didn’t mind sharing though – I knew that I had him for the rest of the night.

The plan after the dance was to go to The Gelato Spot. Having recently found my true love for gelato while in Europe last month, I was excited to go. But alas, we stayed at the dance too long and they were closed. I called an audible and suggested we stop at a Quiktrip (QT) gas station for some cool treats. QT’s are infamous in AZ and have all sorts of slurpee type drinks and tons of fountain drinks. I had always seen a milkshake maker machine there but never really knew what it was about. Tonight seemed the perfect night to try it. So we both grabbed a cup of ice cream, inserted it into the machine, and let it mix up the ice cream into a milkshake, made perfectly to our specifications of thickness. What a nifty idea! It was a nice ending to a good date – I’m glad Chris trusted my suggestion for a QT run.

I had a lot of fun with Chris and I was glad that he had made the sacrifice to come to Arizona for a date. Some say nice guys always finish last but at this stage I can see Chris ending up in first place at the end of all of this.

19 comments:

Katie said...

Oh, I kinda love them together.

Mandy said...

Looks like they had a wonderful time. :) Chris is the most genuine, caring, spiritual person I know. Great choice!

Kim Messick said...

Looked like they had fun! They can both dance! And I'm so glad the format of music with the video is back! I'm a big fan!

Erin said...

omg. i went to college with him - not only that, i spent a month with him in ecuador and peru (he was a tour manager for the dance company i was in). he is AWESOME. and has it all together. she can stop here. quality.

Sara Borg said...

This guy is legit!

Bekah Parker said...

The dress was perfect!!! You looked amazing!

Stormis said...

He seems like a keeper for sure.

Laceski said...

I'm barely coordinated enough to walk and I think that looked like a ton of fun! Great date idea. Loved the costumes and the venue. It was really nice to see that he chose an activity that he knew she'd enjoy and them put forth the effort to find an event for them to attend. They seemed to connect really well both on and off the dance floor.

Haley Jaye said...

What a perfect date! I was Ashley's roommate and he couldn't have planned a more perfect date for her personality. I'm rooting for these two.

katilda said...

i totally met this guy in my ward on sunday! i just remember that he smiles a lot. can't be a bad thing!

Unknown said...

Yummmm. Garlic naan!

The Herd Mom said...

Ashley, you should grab the guy who dances! They're hard to find.

Julie Tomoser said...

From Ashley's write up it sounds like she had a good time. It was hard to tell from the date video how much she was into him. Seems like a solid guy!

ktaycall said...

He seemed very genuine and sweet. Definitely 2nd date material!

Jonathan Joseph said...

Are guys allowed to post on these things???

I spent 2 years with Chris in MN, and he is pg (pure gold). No matter the time of day/night, he'll seriously put everything aside to help/befriend/uplift anyone. Chris would make a great brother-in-law!

The Judd Family said...

Oh my gosh, I was at that dance...

Unknown said...

I loved this date!

Taylor Earl said...

Chris and served together in Uruguay. You'll never find a more loyal and sincere person.

Tammy said...

They were perfect for eachother!!! So cute! but really, that looked like the second most boring date ever, Aaron's date still is holding a strong first place. I thought the 50's date idea was clever, but part of me is wondering where Chris got that sailor outfit. Did he rob a high school drama theater? Don't even get me started on her 50's outfit, oh wait....it wasn't 50's. He seemed like a real gentleman, and who doesn't want to date a lawyer. I wish they would have shown when he taught her to dance. Can I just say I am loving this bacherlorette! I have never seen it before, but I am really into it.