In this special Halloween episode, we’re chatting about the spookiest things about dating and relationships. Feeling alone. Not knowing what the other person is thinking. Lacking nonverbal communication with all this online dating. Sensing something has changed in your relationship. Oh, and in-laws. Scary!

Next we’ve got Spooky themed 60 Second Sips that has us wondering if no costume is worse than the pretentious one that needs some man-splaining. This deteriorates into a riveting discussion about the worst Halloween candy. Speaking of which … are we too old for trick-or-treat? What about dressing up and having parties with your friends?

And of course, what’s more terrifying than the horrors of online dating? We talk about quite a few Drinkworthy Dating Disasters. And keep in mind that this week in particular, none of these are farmed off social media. These are things we’ve actually seen or experienced! Dating is so scary we didn’t have to search for long.

Plus, stick around for a little announcement about our podcasting schedule for the rest of the year. Give us your ideas, questions, and feedback for the podcast by slipping into our DMs on Instagram.

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What is Shots & Thoughts? We're three 30-somethings hosting a podcast about dating, relationships, and life in general.

Follow us: @ShotsThoughtsPod on Instagram and @ShotsThoughts on Twitter.

Intro music: A Himitsu - Adventures: youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE

In this week’s episode, we chat about Tinder’s new feature called Plus One, where you can find a date to take to a wedding or other big event. This has us pondering great movies like “The Wedding Date” and wondering if this is really a good idea. Would you ever feel pressured to bring someone along for a wedding or family event?

Next, we do a little drinking with Ashley, who is now convinced more than ever that Amy or Olivia may accidentally date a serial killer.

After that little tangent, we chat about our favorite (and least favorite) places to shop for clothes at our age. H&M, Target, & Other Stories, Loft, TJ Maxx … not going to lie, we seem a little lost, so if you have any suggestions, let us know on Instagram! Plus, we talk about the Cult of the Nap Dress. And if that doesn’t sufficiently confuse you, we go through a Drinkworthy Dating Disaster profile that lands us on Urban Dictionary and leaves us wondering when dating got so dang complicated.

Word of advice? Swipe left on anyone who says they’re “primal.” Unless that’s your thing. Meowwww.

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What is Shots & Thoughts? We're three 30-somethings hosting a podcast about dating, relationships, and life in general.

Follow us: @ShotsThoughtsPod on Instagram and @ShotsThoughts on Twitter.

Intro music: A Himitsu - Adventures: youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE

We dive right in this episode with a big question: How much does someone’s family influence if you date them or continue dating them? And when do you meet their family? Would your family be honest with you if they thought someone was a bad partner for you? What differences among your families are acceptable and which ones are dealbreakers? What if health problems like addiction run in your S.O.’s family? What if they never introduce you to their family? We tackle all these questions in this week’s episode!

Then after a quick game of 60 Second Sips, we ponder choosing your a** or your face. You read that right. There’s a theory out there that given your amount of body fat, either your face looks good (a little extra plumpness) or your bum does (lean, mean, squat booty machine). Is this true? And we don’t care if you think this is real … which would you pick?! Thank goodness for Botox and fillers so we don’t have to seriously make this decision.

And stick around to the very end because Ashley shares a Drink-worthy Dating Disaster that will having you lol-ing for real.

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What is Shots & Thoughts? We're three 30-somethings hosting a podcast about dating, relationships, and life in general.

Follow us: @ShotsThoughtsPod on Instagram and @ShotsThoughts on Twitter.

Intro music: A Himitsu - Adventures: youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE

Let’s just start this episode with a little bit of rage, shall we? Olivia goes off about her latest dating experience. Who knew the seemingly simple question of, “what are you looking for?” could cause such a ruckus. Turns out the “Fuckboy Free Zone” mug in his profile was false advertising.

After we debate peoples’ reasons for being on the apps (finding a relationship, getting laid… whatever it is, you’ve got a purpose), we then go into tough conversations. When do you bring up the big conversations like marriage, kids, finances, and the number of pets in your home? While we have some opinions about timing, we do also think that if a crazy person wants to judge your choices about your future children, maybe its better to know that right off the bat. And honestly, we are getting older. This whole “clock is ticking” thing is starting to get more real for those of us who want kids. So don’t waste our time.

We dive deeper into the topic of when you bring up various finance topics. What do you like to splurge on? Do your parents currently pay any of your bills? Do you expect your spouse to work? What splurge will you never give up?

60 Second Sips has us pondering if we’d go on a first date to a concert. Next up is thinking about our favorite fall activities which include dressing up for Halloween, haunted houses, carving pumpkins, seeing the trees change colors, eating candy, and scary movies. And no, Cabin in the Woods doesn’t count as a scary movie, but Amy would still recommend you all watch it. Which causes Ashley to call Amy out on her worst characteristic. Listen to find out what it is!

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What is Shots & Thoughts? We're three 30-somethings hosting a podcast about dating, relationships, and life in general.

Follow us: @ShotsThoughtsPod on Instagram and @ShotsThoughts on Twitter.

Intro music: A Himitsu - Adventures: youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE

It is our big 50th episode! Can you believe we have had enough to talk about to fill fifty episodes? Because we sure can’t believe it. In order to celebrate this big milestone, we have made a list of 50 Epiphanies. We drop bombs of wisdom throughout this whole episode. Some are serious, some are not-so-serious, some fall a little flat, and some are even questionable bits of advice. We argue about tequila, mac-n-cheese, and celery. It’s a journey this episode!

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What is Shots & Thoughts? We're three 30-somethings hosting a podcast about dating, relationships, and life in general.

Follow us: @ShotsThoughtsPod on Instagram and @ShotsThoughts on Twitter.

Intro music: A Himitsu - Adventures: youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE

You heard it here. Amy says it. Olivia was right! The dating apps are just as terrible as she said. Amy is single and back on the apps, so we talk all about how much the dating apps suck! We hate the crap men write on their profiles, we bitch about their photo choices, we rant and rave about their inability to hold a decent conversation, we vent about Milwaukee being such a small world for dating.

We’ll fall for you … if you trip us. ;)

During this bonus, we also talk about anxiety and over-preparing for dates, letting someone pick you up for a first date, not letting on that you’ve super-stalked someone online before you’ve met (hint: use obituaries), and this epidemic of breadcrumbing and why we think it happens.

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What is Shots & Thoughts? We're three 30-somethings hosting a podcast about dating, relationships, and life in general.

Follow us: @ShotsThoughtsPod on Instagram and @ShotsThoughts on Twitter.

Intro music: A Himitsu - Adventures: youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE

Happy Fall, y’all. We’ve got pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkins on the balcony and we’re contemplating getting out our fall wardrobes. Pumpkins and sweaters and ghosts… oh my! Speaking of ghosts, when is it too late or no longer acceptable to ghost someone? At the end of a second date, Olivia was certain she didn’t want to see this guy again… and straight up ghosted. Was that okay? What if the situation was a little different?

Dating apps list your astrological sign. Is this something you factor in to your decision whether to swipe right or left? After laughing about judging people with certain signs, we move onto reacting about different things we’ve seen on Instagram – how many of these can you relate to? Wanting a bar in Target, having a limit on the things you can do each day, having favorite gas stations, and proper strategy for asking a man multiple questions via text.

Finally, we end with our brand new segment – Drinkworthy Dating Disasters, where we share something crazy we see on the dating apps, and get your reaction and rate just how cringe-worthy we think it is. We start off this first one with a biiiiiig *brain exploding emoji*.

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What is Shots & Thoughts? We're three 30-somethings hosting a podcast about dating, relationships, and life in general.

Follow us: @ShotsThoughtsPod on Instagram and @ShotsThoughts on Twitter.

Intro music: A Himitsu - Adventures: youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE

Today we’re feeling irritated about traffic, slow drivers, and disappointing employee appreciation weeks. After we vent, we talk about some random dating topics. When is it too soon to ask someone you’re dating to take you to the airport? Go figure … it depends! Is it okay for a woman to make the first move? This reminds us of Ashley putting the moves on a Justin Bobby look-alike. It didn’t go exactly as expected. Is it a turn off if a guy asks you out immediately on a dating app? Is there a perfect amount of time to wait before suggesting a date? We have differing opinions here (shocker, I know).

In this 60 Second Sips, we talk pedicures, dating profile content, and the importance of having clean hand towels. And not making them icky. It’s a whole thing. Just listen.

Next, Olivia goes on a whole rant about appropriate clothing to wear outside of the house which is apparently something the three of us don’t agree on at all. Is it acceptable to walk your dog in pajama pants? And there’s a difference between athleisure and true PJs. Is it okay to wear slippers outside of the house? Does your attire matter depending on where you go? For example, is the bar lower at Wal-Mart than it is at Target?

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What is Shots & Thoughts? We're three 30-somethings hosting a podcast about dating, relationships, and life in general.

Follow us: @ShotsThoughtsPod on Instagram and @ShotsThoughts on Twitter.

Intro music: A Himitsu - Adventures: youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE

What’s the hardest part about dating in your 30s? We discuss the dwindling pool of available singles and the financial burden of dating. We also talk about feeling already set in your ways about things like finances and cleanliness and going out; this means dating in your 30s means finding someone who fits you close enough and making peace with your differences instead if growing together with someone like you may have done in your 20s. Now, we’re already grown! And apparently quite particular about things.

Someone also commented that moving a lot as an adult means maybe not having a good network of people through which to meet someone. And while that’s reasonable, we also wonder about people who haven’t moved and yet still somehow don’t have a good group of friends. Is that a red flag or a dealbreaker? We generally agree that having your own friends and interests and hobbies outside of the relationship can be really healthy. So what if your significant other is lacking friends?

Amy takes us through some 60 Second Sips and we’re wondering how long we could put up with a boyfriend’s overbearing friends. And, what if you’re dating someone who always wants to “do it for the ‘gram”? This one was inspired by the show My Unorthodox Life and after discussing this show, we talk about what we’re reading, watching, or listening to right now that we’d recommend. Our other suggestions include Manifest and Formula 1 on Netflix, Brooklyn 99 on Hulu, and Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever. We also discuss the books The Midnight Library, The Second Chance Club, and Take What You Can Carry. As for podcasts, we have been listening to Something Was Wrong, Anatomy or Murder and My Favorite Murder. And sadly, Amy recommends you all re-watch Twilight.Why. Just why.

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What is Shots & Thoughts? We're three 30-somethings hosting a podcast about dating, relationships, and life in general.

Follow us: @ShotsThoughtsPod on Instagram and @ShotsThoughts on Twitter.

Intro music: A Himitsu - Adventures: youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE

Have we got a story for you guys! A linen dress ruined with red wine. T-rex attacks. A nearly broken pelvis. Lederhosen. “Roar” by Katy Perry. The Triwizard Tournament. A new identity. And two days worth of recovery. Buckle up because this is a good one.

After we spill this news, we enjoy Ashley’s 60 Second Sips which throws us down a whole tangent about yoga retreats and men who do yoga. Would a yoga retreat be something you’d ever way to do? Do these Instagram-worthy retreats make yoga look unattainable? All you really need is your body to do yoga and reap the benefits, no Bali vacation required.

This, of course, evolves into a whole discussion about all the different workouts we’ve tried (and either liked or, well, didn’t), including the story about Amy being outdone by a bunch of old people in a workout class. Also, pro tip, don’t go try to do a workout after giving blood. Olivia was a kickboxing instructor and you’ll never guess what Olivia said to Ashley that almost made Ashley devolve into a murderous rage.

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What is Shots & Thoughts? We're three 30-somethings hosting a podcast about dating, relationships, and life in general.

Follow us: @ShotsThoughtsPod on Instagram and @ShotsThoughts on Twitter.

Intro music: A Himitsu - Adventures: youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE