Date Lab

They've got strong Christian values in common, but how far can faith really carry them?

7 p.m. | Circle Bistro | Foggy Bottom

Tim: I wear a suit and tie every day, because that's required work attire. I walked to the restaurant from my office, thinking, This could be good, could be bad. I got there about 10 minutes early. She was already there.

Kelly: He was in a shirt and tie; he looked like any generic guy in D.C. Looks-wise, he's the type of guy that I'd end up dating, but I wouldn't say, "That's what I'm looking for." We sat down, ordered drinks and started talking about random stuff. Normal, generic stuff.

Tim: She looked older than I was expecting. [Then] she mentioned that she graduated in 1997, and I [thought], Okay, she's a year younger than me. But a couple of things weren't lining up, so I said, "You graduated high school in '97?" and she said, "No, college." That was a bit of a negative. She's also pretty short, around 5-foot-1. By comparison, my most recent girlfriend was 23 years old and 5-foot-9.

Kelly: I felt like I dominated the conversation. I ask questions, a lot of them, and I want people to tell me stories about their lives. So I asked him, "Tell me about your favorite memory," and he said, "Well, I don't have just one"; and I asked him about his favorite place, and he said, "I don't have just one." He said he really likes sports. I told him I listen to the Sports Junkies. I thought it would get him talking. With boys, sports was always my "go-to." He had no clue. I don't think he was very entertained by me.

Tim: Was I entertained? Yes, I had a good time. Was I laughing nonstop? No, but I wasn't supposed to be. I wasn't at a comedy club. She was asking me why I thought that they matched us up, and I said that one of the things that I wanted was a strong Christian. She fit the bill, so there was relief there.

Kelly: Most of the time when you tell people that you want to go out with a Christian guy, they go, "Oh, I know a Christian," and they know one. They don't think about anything else, like who you are and what you like. I'm pretty liberal for my church and [my friends]. I know it's stupid, but I got a little nervous when [Tim] said he was a Christian from Texas, that he was going to be like, "Women shouldn't work" and things like that. But, talking to him, I realized that he wasn't that way.

Tim: Our families are much more conservative than either one of us. We're both the political pariahs.

Kelly: He seemed to really care about people. He said he'd liked his job in Texas because he felt like he made a difference in people's lives. I really liked that. At times, it felt like we were on the verge of having chemistry. Then I'd be like, Maybe not.

Tim: We left the restaurant around 9:15. The next MARC train wasn't until 10:45 p.m., so I walked her home. We exchanged information, and I gave her a hug. The purpose of the date was romance, so that didn't come to fruition, but I had a good time. I'd give it a solid 3 [out of 5].

Kelly: For a blind date, it went pretty well. We weren't getting on a plane to Vegas, but I didn't want to fake my death to get out of it, either. [I'd rate the date] a 3. Nice, but very generic.

Interviews by Christina Breda Antoniades

UPDATE: Both daters confirm they've had no contact. Too bad, says Kelly, who wanted to set Tim up with a friend. ("I guess I probably screwed that up by not calling her," Tim says.)

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