At lunch with a friend today, she made a very good point (as she usually does): If my blog is to serve as a chronicle of my life, my dating life is going to look sadly awful. What about the good stuff? What is the funny, happy, or interesting side of dating? And she’s right (as she usually is); I’ve had a really good time being single. I don’t love every minute of it and I don’t want to stay single forever, but my single life can be pretty exceptional.

1. If I’d married any of the guys I’d dated before I turned 29, my husband would most likely have been white. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but because of online dating, I met a Latino. And now, I’m in love with the Latin culture. My experience with Latinos was limited pre-January 2013, so once the culture was introduced into my life, I’ve embraced it; I’m learning Spanish and I’m taking salsa lessons. I’ve eaten so much ridiculously delicious food in the last year and I can officially say that Cuban and Puerto Rican food are definitely a favorite of mine. Most importantly, I really like Latin guys. My match.com profile will definitely host a special search button for them.
2. Since I left small town America, I’ve met and gone on dates with guys from all around the world…Turkey, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, China, England, Scotland, New Zealand, India, and Canada. It’s super interesting to hear about life growing up in other countries and to compare our customs and traditions.
3. Because I date new people on a constant basis, I’m always getting the chance to try new places, eat new foods, and experiment with new things (i.e. salsa dancing). It’s been fun meeting new people with new tastes, favorite restaurants, and interesting hobbies.
4. Single life = single sports leagues! I’ve met some of my closest and newest friends in Chicago by playing S3, a sports league for singles.
5. Talking about boys is the most fun pastime for ladies. Even my aunts ask me about my dating life. My (married with a child) coworker hears all of my dating dramas and shares stories about her dating life before her husband. It’s all my girlfriends and I seem to talk about. What will we gossip about when we’re all married with children?!
6. My dating life has seriously gotten me the BEST blog material! If I didn’t blog about dating, I’d have a really boring blog…my kitchen is now painted blue…I made a new recipe last night…my husband plays his music too loud. Dating blogs are so fun and I get awesome responses from my Facebook friends! Thank you for that!!
7. One of my very first Sassy Hong Kong articles was about dating in the city. This one article catapulted my editing and writing experiences by putting me on the writing staff for Sassy and on the editing staff for CityLife magazine. I had so much fun in the publishing world in Hong Kong!
8. Lastly, I have some of the most entertaining first date horror stories ever. Get me at a dinner party and I have three amazing stories to get the ball rolling. In case you need a good dinner party story, here you go:

• Ear Licker
• Jessie’s Girl
• Angry Man

And while I really am ready to be in a real, committed relationship with a nice, normal, attractive (Latin) man, I can revel in the fact that my life is actually pretty damn good. I might not have everything I ever dreamed I’d have, but I certainly do have a lot for which to be grateful.