Seniors Ryland Patti and Alycia Doucett go on a Holiday-Filled Blind Date!
December is the season for that sweet apple and cinnamon smell, the warm fires, sugar cookies, and most importantly, romance. On Dec. 16th, two PRHS Seniors embarked on their holiday themed blind date in the Paso Robles downtown park, where in “The 12 Days of dating,” our couple had the task of performing a dozen activities designed to get to know each other in a fun variety of ways.
The two daters were the eager Seniors Alycia Doucette and Ryland Patti.
Alycia, with a happy and energetic spirit told us that she would love a man that could make her laugh and knows how to treat a girl right. Ryland, looking for the same in a partner, was excited to finally find out who he will be meeting.
Before finally meeting each other on a crisp winter day Dec. 15, 2017, Ryland chatted with us at the Downtown Library to ask how he was feeling about the date. We met Alycia at Red Scooter cafe; we asked how she was feeling as well. Alycia was excited she was getting free food and nervous to see who her date was. Once Alycia saw Ryland, the nerves calmed and the two were excited to finally see who was their date. As we shadowed the couple, we gave each clue when we thought some sort of connection was made.
Scavenging for what they needed, Ryland and Alycia’s first activity was to find a tree decorated with holiday spirit. Using teamwork, the couple spotted a Christmas tree in the Art Studio window and took a picture next to it.
Then steering towards the park, the two had to find a bird, looked for a partridge in a pear tree–which we simplified into “a bird with no limitations”–and take a picture with it. Smiles appeared when they realized they would have to make their best chicken impression. The two decided to point to a bird in the sky after exhausting all of their ideas. Laughing about it , Ryland and Alycia did the best they could to show their creativity together.
The next activity got a little personal: they had to call their parents and explain what they were doing at the moment. On the fourth day of Christmas, the two must call their mama and papa birds. Ryland called his father and surprisingly found out that he knew Alycia and was happy for his son. Alycia decided to call her mother and the reaction was quite unexpected. Alycia’s mom didn’t remember Ryland, which surprised and embarrassed him and created a laugh for the two.
In order for the two to get to know each other a little, they played three truths and one lie. When receiving five golden rings, there must be a reason why. Finding out new things about each other, created a new memory for the two and perhaps find something in common. Ryland found that his date liked sushi, which seemed surprising.
The couple got talking and we left them alone for a bit so they could get some romantic alone time. The two chatted it up and were definitely enjoying the conversation.
Growing a bit hungry, Cold Stone was next on the list. Eight Maids of Milking was the concept for the two to go get ice cream. Winter is never an excuse to avoid ice cream, especially in Paso. The couple were excited to finally get some food in their stomachs and have a yummy dessert. At this point, you could sense the connection finally occurring. Getting to know each other throughout the date this far, Ryland and Alycia find conversing easy. Finding many things in common was too easy for these two.
While sitting outside of Cold Stone, the couple had the task of drawing each other. This being Alycia’s hidden talent, was a sweet surprise for Ryland as he admired the outstanding drawing of him. The two used something they had in common and take a picture with what they loved. Both loving the sweet taste of waffles, took a picture with a sign advertising waffles. Ryland and Alycia found that they both love movies, so they went to the movie theater to snap a picture.
Concluding the date, the two were asked to write a letter to each other based on their thoughts about the date.
“I had a great time getting to know you better on this blind date. I had no idea how many interesting qualities you had before today,” Ryland said to Alycia.
Alycia had a fun time and realized she had a bunch in common with Ryland and wants to do it again as friends. Ryland felt great about the date and decided to rate this date as a nine out of ten saying it was a great date and wants to definitely do it again.
There were many choices for this blind date due to our survey and getting as much publicity as possible. When we saw Alycia and Ryland sign up, we knew it was a perfect match as the two are known for being funny and outgoing.
