House dates.

This is going to surprise you, but I wasn't popular in college.

Unibrow? Check.

Jerk attitude? Check.

One year social suspension by the Dean? Check.

I had it all, I really had it all, and yet? Not popular. I got rejected from every fraternity. I went through rush and got blacklisted because they were afraid of how my break dancing skills would impact Greek Culture. Or I was a punk. It was one of those.

I did have two good friends though.

Their names were Stu and Carsten. One Friday night, while I was probably busy writing really horrible poetry in my dorm room, Stu and Carsten decided to see what popular people did on the weekend. They got in their car and waited by the main exit of the campus. Then, when they saw a couple drive out on a date, they followed them.

I think our shared belief was that surely there were amazingly fun parties going on that we didn't know anything about. Or really awesome concerts or house boat shindigs. Or, at the bare minimum, some above average laser tag.

Turns out people were just going to the Outback. After following a few people to the land of the blooming onion, they gave up and returned to campus. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who had below average dates on the weekend.

A few nights ago though, my sister called me. She's in college right now at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. When I picked up, the first thing she said was, "I have a post idea for you. I just went on a house date!"

Now I know what you're thinking, "What's a house date?" There were at least three possibilities:

1. It's like the movie "Cars" and someone has released an animated film staring giant/loveable houses that go on adventures, and some boy took my sister to see the movie.

2. It's about "House" music. Some boy took my sister to a house music concert.

3. It's a date where you dress up like Gregory House from the hit TV show and say mean things to people who have crazy diseases that are curable in 60 minutes.

Great guesses, but it turns out we're all wrong.

A house date is a long-standing tradition at UNC. There are a few houses of Christian guys on campus. At the beginning of the semester, they all put money into a house date fund. Then, they get together, pick a night, and set each other up with blind dates. Then the whole house goes out together.

So a guy called my sister up and said, "Hey, would you like to go on a house date with John Doe? We'll pick you up, we'll all go canoe and have ice cream, and there's no need to bring your purse. This is our treat." My sister said yes and then she and a bunch of other girls went out on a house date.

Where was that when I was in college? I know that sounds a little Anne of Green Gables, but call me old school. I would have totally done that.

And apparently, it's a big deal. The next day in class, my sister overheard some girls she didn't know talking about who got asked on the most recent house date.

Am I the only Christian on the planet that's never heard of house dates? Were these happening at Samford University and I just didn't know it?

Did you ever go on a house date?