Dating is the best! On my first official group date, a girl asked me out. She was a friend of mine I had met at Education Week, AND she was from Utah (THE HOLY LAND! ). I'm from Southern Oregon, where "friend dating" is less common, so I had such a good time! We played music at an old folks home, had a picnic, and then went bowling. It was such a good time!
That was awhile ago, and I have gone through all sorts of different situations, many of which I wish I had avoided. Word of advice when dating: think of it as being a survivor, trapping animals for survival. If you want to make the best catch, you don't make one trap. You make 15-20 of them! That's how dating should be. Young men, ASK LOTS OF DIFFERENT GIRLS ON DATES! Become friends with a ton of them. When you get home from your mission, one or two of them just might not be married yet.
Remember, friendship is the foundation of romance. And keep away from creepy, clingy, manipulative women. And most important, live by the spirit, and date girls who genuinely do the same.