Friday, August 31, 2012

{ 2nd Dates - Chris & Sharla }

 

In Sharla's Words:

Chris and I started off our relationship after we met through Skype for my interview. We continued to chat and build something from there. We got to know each other pretty well before our first date, and yes, I am fully aware I’m not the only girl he did this with. Well played Chris… well played.

Chris and I had an amazing first date and I anxiously waited for our second. He surprised me with a romantic dinner for two and made delicious salmon that was honestly the best salmon I’ve ever had. Not to mention its super sexy to see a guy cooking in the kitchen. He then gave me flowers and one of my favorite movies. After dinner, Jason was there to serenade us as we did a little slow dancing… Chris is quite the romancer. Later we snuggled up to watch the movie and laughed our faces off. Mr. Barbour did not disappoint, it was the perfect second date!

Each time I’ve been with Chris it exceeds my expectations. We have so much fun and I think we have a great connection. He and I have both been dating other people so I am not sure where our relationship will go from here. I guess if he asks me out for a third date we’ll find out.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

{ 2nd Dates - Chris & Danielle }


In Danielle's Words:

I was really excited to go on date number two with Chris. I had a great time with him on the first date so I was interested to see how things would go this time. He picked me up at my house in Utah and we drove through the night to LA. We only got a couple hours of sleep before we had to start the actual part of our date. Chris took me to a golf course in Beverly Hills to hit a bucket of balls. I wouldn't say I was terrible, but I'm no pro golfer by any means. Then we grabbed some lunch at Chipotle. Afterwards, we were just walking down the street chatting when all of the sudden a guy jumped up from drinking his coffee and started taking pictures of us. At first Chris and I were confused then we realized it was the paparazzi. Another photographer popped out from behind a car and together these two paparazzi followed us down the sidewalk snapping pictures. We thought it was hilarious. Chris and I finished off our marathon date by going to Six Flags and running around the park like little kids. I can say this was the longest date I've ever been on lasting 28 hours, but it was really fun and I'm glad I was able to spend more time with Chris. I can see myself with Chris but not sure if we will go on a 3rd date or not.  He talked a lot about how things were going with the other girls on the show so I wasn't sure if that was a reflection on how he was feeling about me or if he felt comfortable enough with me to talk about anything.  I hope he asks - we will see!

Chris and Danielle's date sponsored by www.declanation.com 




Friday, August 24, 2012

{ 2nd Dates - Chris and Tiffany? }


The Winner of the Lockets by Misty giveaway is Rachel Ashmore!  Rachel - you guessed all of Chris' 2nd dates right!!  E-mail us at themormonbachelorette@gmail.com to claim your prize:).

When I showed up to the shoot for Chris and Tiffany's date I had no idea that Tiffany was not coming!  Fortunately for Tiffany she now has a serious boyfriend and just moved to Utah to continue that relationship and we couldn't be happier!  It was also a nice surprise because Chris decided to take me on the date instead!

Chris had no idea when I showed up to the scene of the date that I had had a really stressful day!  I was just starting to learn what it was going to be like living the life of a military wife because my "almost" fiance Seth had just left for a 2 month training somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and we weren't able to talk the whole time.  We e-mailed every day but no talking.  It was so hard.  Missing him, following Chris around on dates, and working like crazy at my full time job became really stressful and I love that Chris thought of taking me on a date when Tiffany fell through so I could get a relaxing facial and stop worrying about all the crazy (and wonderful) things going on in my life.

Through this experience I have really enjoyed getting to know Chris Barbour.  I told Chris when he started this journey that people were going to say whatever they wanted about him and the girls on this journey, whether good or bad.  Whenever you put yourself out there that is bound to happen.  I mean when I watched this video I was like "why do I chew with my mouth open? - ew!  People are going to make so much fun of me for that!"  But at least I can make fun of myself right?:)  There are many things I can say about Chris but there is one thing that always stands out above all else - he is a good man.  He has good intentions, and he is a lot of fun to be around.  He is a great person to help find true Mormon love.

Thanks Chris for a great and relaxing "date".  Seth is even grateful too although I think next time I get a couple's facial it will be with him:).

Thank you Oil Essentials for sponsoring this date with Chris and myself:).  Every time I start getting stressed out I bring out my peppermint, lavender and lemon oil and diffuse which instantly makes me feel better.

Monday, August 20, 2012

{ 2nd Dates - Chris & Noelle }


In Noelle's Words

When Chris called and asked me out for a second date I was excited to travel back down to Los Angeles to go out with him again. It was a little different than before because I met him at a park. Chris was actually late - which I gave him a bit of a hard time for :)- but I didn’t mind; it was good to see him!  He had brought us dinner which we ate at a small table and chairs which were set up in the park by a pond area as well as a grassy area with some music playing. Right off the bat it felt like we were old friends that were catching up after some time apart. It felt natural to talk to him about what had been going on in our lives and talking about our families. 

After we ate Chris had a board game called “LDSopoly” which we set up and started to play. As we learned the differences of this game and regular monopoly we laughed and joked and had a lot of fun with it.  Chris let me take the date home and I can't wait to play with my family:).
Once the game was over we were able to just relax, talk, and walk around the park. The park wasn’t like any other park I’ve ever been to and it was so much fun to explore with Chris. I mentioned that Chris should crawl through the tunnel on the playground and he was such a great sport about it! He is so laid back and can just go with the flow which is one of the things I like about him. Because the date was more laid back I noticed the camera a little more. Chris picked up on this and tried to make me feel as comfortable as possible even though it was hard.

Overall I enjoyed the time I spent with Chris on my second date. I know that we definitely have a friendship, which is great. I’m not sure if we have the connection needed for a relationship so I am not sure if I would come back for a 3rd date or not.  I haven't quite made up my mind and I don't think Chris has made up his.  I guess only time will tell...

Chris and Noelle's Date Sponsored by DailyLDS and Missionary Novelty Company

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

{ 2nd Dates!! }

Hi TMB fans!  Chris' 2nd dates will start airing this Monday, August 20th and we will also be featured on ABC Nightline the same day!  Exciting on all counts:).  In the meantime we are doing a giveaway of custom jewelry from Lockets By Misty if you can guess which girls Chris brings back for a 2nd date!  You have to like their Facebook page here and then click on the link below to guess!  The winner will be announced on Friday!



Courtney
Heidi

Jessica

Kat

Kirsty

Melissa

Natasha

Noelle

Salina
Sharla 
Tiffany

Danielle

Monday, August 13, 2012

{ Interrupting our Current Programming For Another Love Story - Mine:) }

So our little Mormon Bachelor, Chris Barbour has finished his first round of dating with 11 AMAZING women:) - 12 originally but you may have noticed Kent had to step in to fill the shoes of one lovely lady that couldn't make it last minute.  Round 2 dates will start airing next week and we will be announcing a contest from tomorrow until then to guess who he brings on for a 2nd, but for today I wanted to indulge a little since The Mormon Bachelor/ette has been a huge part of my life for the past 2 years.

When the beautiful Aubrey Messick became the first Mormon Bachelorette it was an answer to her prayers and mine.  I was almost 30 years old and had really struggled to find Mr. Right.  I was so focused on the fact that I wasn't dating that I was miserable until we started TMB.  Putting so much work into helping other people find love helped me feel like I was making a difference and sharing the LDS Church standards of dating (modest dress, no smoking/drinking, no sex before marriage, etc.) at the same time which I hadn't been able to do in a big way since my mission in 2002 to Wellington, New Zealand.  It was the best - one of my best friends in the world Aubrey found the man of her dreams and they started an eternal family.  Others joined us along the way and several of them are married now too.  It has been the biggest blessing of my life and not to be a spoiler but I believe that our Mormon Bachelor now has also found true love:).

Many people have asked me since our 1st season with Aubrey why I don't put myself in the position as The Mormon Bachelorette.  My usual response is "because I don't know anyone that can run this thing while I go on 22 dates!" but now I have a better excuse ... I'M ENGAGED!!!

Yes, it is true - you can find true Mormon love at the ripe old age of 32.  I was 31 actually when Seth Schurtz came into my life - a blind date - and swept me off my feet.  We both talk about how crazy this journey has been - Seth is 31 and also LDS and has been in the military for the past 6 years which has kept him out of the typical LDS single's scene.  I couldn't believe he had stayed single for so long even though I always hated it when people would say "I can't believe you are still single!"  But he was so handsome and smart and kind and a gentleman.  I truly felt blessed that he and I found a connection and 5 months later made it official.

Yesterday morning he picked me up in a limo which had scattered rose petals inside and a box with a beautiful ring in it.  He helped me inside the car and sweetly asked me to be his eternal companion.  Of course I said YES and we were on our way to some mysterious location that turned out to be an airfield in San Diego.  I thought maybe he was going to fly us somewhere (Seth works as an F-18 pilot in the Marine Corps) but he sat in the backseat with me and we took a helicopter ride all around San Diego.  It was one of the coolest things I have ever done!  You can even see sharks in the water really close to shore from up there - creepy.  It was so romantic.  I feel so blessed and excited to spend the rest of my life with this amazing man and grateful that I can tell people that I can't be the next Mormon Bachelorette because I have found the man of my dreams:).  We are getting married in the Los Angeles Temple on September 29th and will live in sunny San Diego while he serves our country (which makes me so proud:).

Here are some pictures of our wonderful day yesterday - I hope you enjoy them and know that true Mormon love can come to those who wait:).







Thursday, August 9, 2012

{ Date #12 - KIRSTY FERRELL }


This has been a great experience so far and I knew that when I picked Kirsty up for my last date that it was only going to get better.  Kirsty is a great girl with a brilliant mind and a personality to match.  From the beginning I knew this date was going to be a little different than the others because The Discovery Channel and their crew joined us throughout most of the date.  Unfortunantely one of the crew members let me know a little bit of what we were going to be doing today, so being my mischievious self I played some games with Kirsty.  I tried to make her believe that I hated boats and that I hated the water, which I could tell immediately concerned her.  I kinda chuckled to myself a little and kept playing along with what the date was going to be. 

We drove down to Long Beach through all the traffic and she made me do some of the voices that one of her friends divulged to her that I could do.  After laughing and chuckling for a good little while after doing my Schmegel impersonations we arrived at PF Changs where we had a good dinner and got to know each other little by little.  The dinner was fun but unfortunately a little rushed because of filming stuff and a little of the drama that went down with having the proper permits or whatever.  After the dinner we walked around the pier  and continued to enjoy each others' company.  She seemed a little apprehensive because of the comment that I made earlier about not liking boats or water which led to the next part of our date which was the sail boating. 

Boating with Kirsty was awesome because I really love boats and I was having a blast with this girl, but this was my very first opportunity to go on a sail boat and ride around Long Beach.  This had to be one the best ideas that any of the girls came up with and it was such a beautiful afternoon out there that I don’t think the activity could have gone any better than it did.  Kirsty planned a fantastic date and the boat just made it better and better.  Unfortunately there wasn’t much wind and we weren’t able to do too much sailing, so it mainly consisted of us making fun of each other and running around the docks.  Kirsty was a very pleasant date and I had such a good time with her and I was able to connect with her in many ways.  I can see us continuing on this journey together and going on a second date.  I have gone on dates with 11 amazing women and it will be hard to decide who to take on a 2nd date but I feel good about Kirsty and I am not ready for our relationship to end.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

{ Date #11 - KAT RAMOS }




Todays date with Kat Ramos was a lot of fun!  She planned out a nice active date in which it was really easy to get to know each other.  I also like a girl who can keep up with me on the court so this was a perfect date.  The day was somewhat humid and really sunny which made it even more interesting.   Kat has a pretty fun personality,  She is very easy to have a conversation with and she has some interesting dynamics about her. 
                
After picking her up from the house she told me we were going to go play a little game of basketball which wasn’t hard to guess considering she was holding a basketball when I picked her up.  We drove down to Ocean Park and asked a few of the guys playing down there if we could cut in and play a game of HORSE.  It was imediately obvious that Kat was an athelete when she made me look like a fool for a little bit on the basketball court.  I was trying to be a gentlemen and let the lady win but then Kat kinda hit a cold streak.  So knowing that if she was going to stay cold than we could have all been witnesses to the longest game of  HORSE ever played I decided to not miss and win the match so that we could move on to the next part of our enjoyable date.  A girl has never beat me in the end of any game - I'm just really good at sports what can I say?

After I won at HORSE we mounted up and headed toward Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and ate at a local sandwhich shop.  It was funny because for the longest time we couldn’t find the place and even though we had an address we had no idea where we were going.  The great thing about Kat is that when we were lost it was like I didn't care.  I just enjoyed spending time with her.  When we finally arrived we enjoyed a fanstatic dinner and then made our way to the city walk.  We decided to grab some pinkberry frozen yogurt and went on to enjoy the street performers and some of the shops around the area.  The street performers were great and it was an absolute blast to get to see some of the amazing talents and skills of a lot of the people out there. 
In all the date with Kat was a lot of fun and it was great getting to know about her and her family.  She was a rad girl with a lot going for her and I am glad I had the opportunity to get to know her and enjoy a very nice afternoon with her.  I didn't feel the instant connection that you feel when there is intense chemistry between two people but I definitely felt something.  We will see if she accepts a second date so I can explore it a little more.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

{ Date the next MORMON BACHELORETTE }

While we prepare to watch the last of Chris Barbour's dates starting again this Tuesday, August 7th, we wanted to bring you a special announcement...

If you would like to date the next Mormon Bachelorette on Season 5 TMB apply today!  We are currently gearing up for Season 5 which will be filmed October 2012 in Park City, Utah. 


Questions?  E-mail us at themormonbachelorette@gmail.com

Thursday, August 2, 2012

{ Date #10 - NOELLE THIEL }



GIVEAWAY still on from VINTAGE PRINTAGE!
Vintage Printage Etsy Shop
1. Like the Vintage Printage Facebook page HERE
2. Post a picture on the Vintage Printage Facebook page of the product you want to win and include which Mormon Bachelor episode has been your favorite so far this season.

Giveaway ends a week from today (Tuesday, August 7th) and the winner will be announced on Wednesday morning, August 8th at 8am EST.


A day at Venice Beach couldn’t be any better than the day that I spent there with Noelle.  It was a beautiful Tuesday morning and the weather was so sunny!  I am loving this Southern California I wasn't expecting.  Noelle was a pleasant surprise because after seeing her on the season premiere I thought she was going to be timid and a little more reserved. Boy was I wrong!  I could not have been happier than being wrong like I was today.  

Noelle is a beautiful and pleasant girl to be around.  She is sassy and has a spunky side to her that shined through on this date.  We started by driving down to Venice Beach which was a challenge all in its own.  It probably took us a good 45 minutes to find a parking spot and you know what? It was a lot of fun trying to find that spot - we pretty much laughed and teased each other the whole time.  I didn't mind at all:).

She made fun of me everytime I passed and spot that we could have parked in which I found hysterical the entire drive so I started missing them on purpose.  From the very start I was very comfortable around Noelle and I felt like she was comfortable around me as well.  There was not one moment of awkward silence between us and it was really easy to connect to her.  
             
After finally finding the place to park we went to this amazingly delicious sandwhich shop which makes some of the best sandwiches I've ever tasted in my life, and they are well known for their famous mini donuts.   Then we went and had a great picnic on a grassy knoll right off of the Venice Beach boardwalk and just talked and got to know each other.  She was a ton of fun and just made me laugh the entire time.  She was quirky and snappy with her comments and has a truly sassy independent personality which immediately caught my eye.  I like a girl with spunk.

After our little picnic she had her friends and family put together this photo scavenger hunt and we proceeded to make idiots out of ourselves asking to take pictures with some of the most random people.   It was a ton of fun to laugh at and with each other.  She was so much fun and she was completely herself throughout the entire date.   I thouroughly enjoyed our entire date and I felt a good connection with her throughout.  We will see if a second date will happen between us, as of right now I would really love to enjoy more time with her.  This girl is a girl I can see myself really liking at the end of all of this.