The Only Thing I Didn't Get For Christmas

Nobody's perfect, and I wouldn't want to date anyone who thought she was. Who would I want to date? Well, in a perfect world, she'd probably be a lot like this.

The right girl for me is strong, independent, and self-assured. Although she's perfectly capable of opening jars/reaching objects on the top shelf/killing spiders/assembling that dresser she just bought at Ikea, she asks me for help with these types of things because she knows it makes me feel like a big strong protector who's taking good care of her, and she likes to be taken care of. In return, I'll happily open/reach/kill/assemble and pretend she actually needs my help, without acting like she's incompetent... and I'll probably kiss her when I'm done.

She groans and rolls her eyes when I drop an awful pun or cheesy joke, but secretly thinks it's the cutest thing. Most of the time, she's a little kid in a grown-up's body -- she gets excited over things like putt-putt and roller coasters, and thinks making a pillow fort or a snowman would be an excellent way to spend a day. Tickle fights and play wrestling are common occurences. She loves playful teasing, flirting, and witty banter and can give as good as she gets. On the other hand, she's quite a fan of more... ahem... adult pursuits. She's a ridiculously good kisser who's comfortable enough in her own skin to be an adventurous and talented lover, and laughs in the bedroom. She loves romantic surprises, but knows that if they happen too often they lose their excitement.

She loves (like really really loves) music of all flavors and dances in her underwear when she thinks nobody's watching. Her iPod is her best friend. She knows how to throw down on occasion, but is past the "party all the time" stage, and wants more out life than getting drunk and making out in "da club." She'll pull over to help a turtle cross the road without getting run over, and her exterminator knows better than to put out lethal mousetraps. She loves dogs, but doesn't have one because she's not home enough to give it the attention it needs and deserves (or does have one because she is). She likes dinner parties with a few friends, can pick out a great cabernet, and makes killer lasagna, but thinks it's more fun to cook something together, cause I'm a pretty badass cook myself. She's a giver, but so am I, and she sees the fact that it's mutual as a major plus.

She's cute most of the time, drop dead sexy at others, and I think she's always gorgeous, although not necessarily in the most traditional style. She probably hates the gym as much as I do, but goes anyway to stay in shape because she'd hate needing her own zip code even more. She's more of a jeans and t-shirt girl who cleans up well when the need arises. She's geographically desirable -- either she lives in the Tyson's/Reston/Herndon/Chantilly/Ashburn/Sterling/
Loudoun/Dulles region or she's willing to share the burden of making the trip back and forth relatively equally. She likes to spoon and sleeps better in my arms than out of them, but knows that it's better to both have lives than to try to spend every night that way. She's a social butterfly, fits in well with most groups, and has a wide range of friends.

She believes in sleeping in on Saturdays, doing the right thing, and that a good relationship can last forever with proper care and feeding. She knows a great guy when she finds him and treats him like the best thing that ever happened to her, because he just might be. She believes there's three parties in a relationship -- you, me, and us -- and makes the "us" a priority. She knows that nothing is perfect and good things take work, but thinks we're worth it. She'd like to get married one day, but only wants to do it once, and sees kids somewhere down the road, although not in the immediate future. In other words, she's a good wholesome girl with a naughty streak, and she's ready to date someone with the possibility of a future together.

Now, obviously, it takes months to years to learn all these things about a person, and I don't want or expect to know if someone's right on the first date. On the other hand, it's pretty easy to see if someone's NOT the right person. Sometimes it seems like single girls with this kind of potential are an endangered species. Do they really exist?

Oh, one more thing: if she's reading this, she knows my email is in my blogger profile, knows how to send one, and isn't opposed to drinks with a stranger who happens to have a great blog. ;-)