Proposition 8

I agree with and support California's Proposition 8. To understand why, please read "Disagree but Don't Be Unkind" by Orson Scott Card.

Only in Utah

So, I have decided that stress of having spiritual responsibility for over 200 young single adults might have finally become too much. Yesterday our dear Bishop - who I love and support and sustain - introduced his newest program designed to get all of the members of his ward married off. I won't reveal the actual name of his new program here - since it includes the names of several of the "older" young single adult men in my ward that he is most worried about. For the purposes of this blog - I will name it - Boyfriend for a Week. Yes, that is right - our Bishop wants the sisters to "take pity on the mothers of these poor menaces to society" and sign up to be their girlfriend for a week - in the hopes that it will teach the men how to commit - for one week at a time. Also, I think, in the hopes that they can set some people up, that they think would be perfect for each other, and force them to spend more time together than the obligatory blind date. I haven't decided if I am going to volunteer for this service project yet. If it weren't happening to me, I might think this was the plot for The Singles Ward III.

This is my first actual "singles ward" experience - all of my other wards were "student wards", which are vastly different - so my question is, are other wards like this? Do you have similar "challenges" from your Bishop? What is the craziest scheme you have heard of to get all the poor "menaces to society" married off?

Is Opportunity Knocking?

I have been challenged to join the thousands of singles looking for love on the internet by numerous people, but I have always put them off. I have always seen the internet as a really bad way to meet people, and just another way to be rejected. It seems really scary to post a picture for all to see and judge if you are cute enough to talk to. Wouldn't it be better to be pen pals with someone - sight unseen and fall in love with who they are - like in Shop Around the Corner and In the Good Old Summertime? I know it is cheesy and romantic fantasy - I've already admitted I am a hopeless romantic.

I know it can work, I have had more than one friend find love online - I'm just not sure it is for me. Call me old fashioned, but I would love to meet someone without the means of technology.

Personal Growth

I have been trying to have more confidence, so over the weekend I went to a social activity with the goal of actually talking to new people and getting out of my comfort zone. Of course I ended up in a situation that required a little more bravery than I was expecting. When I got there I discovered someone from my past that I feel very awkward around was also in attendance. I decided that I was going to put my new "bravery" skills to the test and treat him like anyone else, as if there was no awkward history between us. This was a difficult undertaking but I feel like I succeeded at least partially. At the time I felt pretty good about myself, but sitting here typing this post, and looking at this picture, I realize just how small and petty my act of bravery might look to someone else, and really, what little amount of bravery it actually required. There were no potentially harmful repercussions to my actions, death was not imminent, I was not going to end up in the hospital if anything went wrong, so why was I so scared? Maybe my new mantra needs to be - "It's not going to kill you!" Maybe then I would be able to report more instances of personal bravery.

School Time

Fall is my FAVORITE season. I love the cooler weather, the leaves changing color, and, crazy as it sounds I love going back to school. I loved having a fresh start - with so many opportunities to succeed. By the end of the year I was usually overwhelmed and stressed with homework and tests, but I still looked forward to the fresh start of a new year. I always seem to have more hope at the beginning of the school year. I used to go to every single class thinking - this will be the class that will have that someone special. It would take a couple of classes before I would admit, this class was exactly like all the rest, nothing had changed. I was still shy and unable to talk to guys. Speaking of guys - the one thing I have always wanted to experience in the fall is being in love. I have all these daydreams of dates involving fall hikes, driving in the mountains to see the leaves, bonfires, playing in the leaves, corn mazes, and most importantly, having someone to protect me when I get roped into going to the Haunted House. You never know, maybe this fall is the year!

I'll See You In My Dreams

My goal of getting up early to exercise once again flew out of the window. It is so hard to get up when you are having a dream about going on a date with a very nice looking guy who seems to be VERY interested in you. I seem to have perfected the art of waking up enough to hit snooze on my alarm, but not enough to interrupt my dream. I am able to quickly slip back into my dream world. But this latest dream made me wonder - you see, this dream it was my first date with this guy - and I was so stinking excited! He was totally into me, and vice versa. Now in real life, I have never been asked out by a guy that I was already interested in. So, is that crazy excited feeling as good in real life as it is in my dreams? And, will I EVER get a chance to find out?

PS - Okay so apparently I lied about not having any obsessions with movie/TV stars, but really, looking at this guy, who can blame me?

Obsessions

So, for the longest time I have thought that maybe there was something wrong with me because I didn't get obsessed or fanatical about things like others do. I have never had the urge to stay up to see a movie at the VERY FIRST midnight screening. Nor have I ever plastered my walls with pictures of my favorite movie/TV/music stars. And I have never screamed or cried or hyperventilated when I was in the presence of said movie/TV/music star. As I was thinking about this yesterday, I started thinking that maybe it isn't a bad thing. Maybe, just maybe, it shows that I am well-rounded, and have a healthy dose of "moderation in all things". And then I realized that I do have one very unhealthy obsession. I am a romance junky. Which, given my non-existent dating life, can be quite a problem. Give me a happily ever after chick flick any day, give me a TV show with some real romantic tension and I am hooked, give me a poorly written - no plot - sappy romance novel, and the world stops until I finish reading. I know how bad the books are, I know they are all the same, I know I get embarrassed even browsing the romance section at the library, I know the titles are ABSOLUTELY ridiculous, I know lots of times I have to skip over some sections that are rather too juicy for my taste, but I don't care - it's a love story with a happy ending - that's all I need. And, sadly, I have spent WAY too much of my free time, and not so free time, indulging in said obsession. But - I wonder if it is giving me an unhealthy view of relationships and happily ever after. I tell myself that it never happens that way in real life, but am I still expecting a knight in shining armor to sweep me off my feet? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to not have any obsessions after all. Moderation here I come!