50 first dates ... this weekend?

Subtitle: The Cache' Connections Love Boat?

It's Valentine's weekend - our favorite time of the year! For Cache' Connections, it's always been packed with fun events that connect people who are still hopeful to find their own Valentine. When we first began this biz, we weren't sure about hosting events ... because so many singles struggle just to get through the Valentine's holiday. But of course that didn't inhibit us from trying something "out of the box." Our first Valentine weekend after re-launch in 2008 was spent entertaining about 600 singles for a Cache' Connections Live! event, followed by our first "Cache' Connections Dating Game." A lot of risk, a lot of fun, some great memories. Another great Valentine memory is a Cache' Connections wedding this time last year for our winning couple from our Dating Game in Peoria, Illinois! Happy anniversary Craig and Phillis! Who woulda thunk it? Several other connections have been made in years past, and just this morning I spied a pending question-popping for a special CC couple who met at one of our bowling events this time last year :)

This weekend we have a variety of activities going on, including a Valentine's Mixer in Oak Brook, Illinois. 50 people will enjoy mixing, mingling and dinner in a private room at The Clubhouse. On Saturday there are 8 people that we have hand-selected for a Cache' Connections Dinner Party - always a big hit! Sunday offers Cache' Coffee Connections (speed dating) in Barrington, IL and a large Valentine's Dinner Party in Naples, Florida.

But back to the 50 first dates. One of the guys who is invited and registered for the private dinner party on Saturday has begun talking to someone else through the Cache' Connections website, and they plan to meet Saturday afternoon. He's asking about getting out of the dinner party Saturday night, stating that he feels like a "player." (Previously he had mentioned that he'd never been so popular as we bantered over our Facebook connection. I told him to stick with CC and we will keep him busy.)

But my friend brings up a good point to ponder. Is it cool to meet or date different people in the same time period? We took this question to Dr. Stephen W. Simpson, author, relationship expert and Director of Clinical Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr. Steve said that while he's not big on "dating" more than one person at a time, it's perfectly fine to "get to know" different people at the same time. This can, of course, happen in a variety of ways, including events, online dating, first dates and maybe even the infamous super market meet-up. So I asked my friend if they had met in person yet, and he stated no, they had not. I told him that it's perfectly fine to be meeting different people and frankly that people do it all the time! Also, he can simply explain to his female connection that he has a commitment and is needed at a dinner party for four women and four men, and she should respect his desire to follow through with that.

50 first dates? It could happen this weekend, especially for our friends in Chicagoland. Once you feel a possible spark with someone, you will need to let your other pending connections know that you have decided to pursue a certain person. If you prefer to go slower, one - possible - meeting - at - a - time, that's fine, but that may be part of the reason why you find yourself in your 40's or 50's and still looking for Mr./Ms. Right. As we constantly remind ourselves at Cache' Connections, "the harder we work, the luckier we get." Of course, we don't believe in luck, but we believe God partners alongside of us in our efforts and blows wind in the sails of this already moving "love boat."

~ Linda
Cache' Connections