Fall In Minnesota

Greetings from St. Paul! My Dad and I are in the Twin Cities for my cousin Nathan's wedding. The wedding was last night at Lake Como. The ceremony was beautiful. And so was the setting! Before the wedding, my Dad and I walked around the lake, which was probably about a mile. Perfect for a barefoot stroll in the grass. (Barefoot because the heels I was wearing for the wedding were not walking shoes. But the path along the lake was so pretty, I couldn't resist!) I fell in love with all the old houses along the lake.

Wedding breakfast this morning, then it's off to the Mall of America for some serious shopping. Don't worry - I brought good shoes for that. Happy weekend!

Thoughts on Online Dating

Confession. A couple of months ago, I signed up with LDS Singles.com, a dating website geared towards members of the LDS Church. I’ve always been opposed to dating websites on principle, but I was bored. And I know there are people out there who have had positive experiences with online dating. I figured that as long as I kept my expectations low (which they were) and my head on straight (which I always do) it couldn’t hurt. And maybe I would meet a fun boy or two to have dinner with. That was the idea.

So I wrote up a profile, posted some pictures and paid my money. It took me a couple of tries, but after a week or so I felt like I had a pretty accurate, if somewhat vague, snapshot of who I am and what I stand for.

Unfortunately, writing my profile and picking out pictures was the fun part. The “flirts” I sent out were never responded to. And the “flirts” I received primarily came from 50 year olds on the other side of the world who didn’t speak a lot of English.

Not that there haven’t been some entertaining moments. There have. Here are a few highlights of the e-mails I have received in the past couple of months.

• I practice a unique and special blend of martial arts and the priesthood.
• Are you looking for a hand to hold?
• do you know of anyone that knows how to replace a window regulator for a Honda Accord by chance? ive bought the part online and by Saturday or Monday could have someone install it for me. Let me know if you do,id greatly appreciate it

Turns out, online dating is pretty much the same as my real life experiences. The boys I think look interesting couldn’t be less interested in me. And the boys who may be interested in me are, in a word, weird.

So what have I learned in the past couple of months? I like me. I don’t really think there’s anything wrong with me and if I was just cuter, skinnier, funnier, smarter or more righteous… I could find a man. I think it’s just not my time. And I’m ok with that. So if anyone is looking for me, you will probably find me dancing like an idiot at a country concert, out to dinner with friends, chasing my nephews around the park, doing my visiting teaching, or studying for my insurance license. I’m not at home crying into my pillow. And I’m also not on LDS Singles.com. Been there, done that, so not interested.

Cuter By The Minute

A Semi-Angry, Mostly-Amused Rant

Occasionally people have said that I must make up some of the funny experiences that I claim happen to me on a day-to-day basis. If you are one of those people, you should probably stop reading this entry now. You are not going to believe this one.

But last night I was at the mall when I was accosted by someone selling skin care products. He asked me what I was using for acne, pointed to my chin and said (and this is a direct quote) "because it isn't working."

If that's his sales pitch, it's the worst line I've ever heard. I am freaking 31 years old and apparently my skin is bad enough that some teenager working at a mall kiosk is giving my grief about it? I don't think so. He will never work in this city again. Not if I have anything to say about it.

Discussion Question

Congrats to Ty & Jess. They are expecting a BOY on my birthday, February 14th. I hope my new nephew and I will get to be birthday buddies!

Which brings me to an important question. Why are babies so easy to love while grown up people are so easy to, well, not love?

All My Favorites

I got to spend time with some of my very favorite people this weekend: Ty & Jess, Tay & Heather, Biz, Dad, Kelli Carlson, Tyler, Bryce, Lauren. And Brad Paisley. Yeah hurray! Overall, not a bad weekend. However.... I feel like I must add...

Personal Note to Darius Rucker:
We know you’re not Hootie and the Blowfish anymore. And we want to respect you as a country artist. We do. But we need you to help us out a little. Please DO NOT add a fiddle to slower versions of old Hootie songs and pretend like it’s country music. Please DO NOT wear a tee shirt with someone else wearing a cowboy hat if you’re going to wear a ball cap. And under no circumstances are you allowed to remake Prince’s “Purple Rain.” No one should really do this. But Hootie and the Blowfish singing a countrified version of “Purple Rain” was really more than any self-respecting fan of A) country music, B) Hootie and the Blowfish, or C) The-Artist-Formerly-Known-As Prince could really tolerate. I was insulted on a lot of levels. (A and B, but not C. To be specific.)

A Finished Project

I am excited about this cross stitch project I finished today. I got a little obsessed with it last weekend and spent most of Saturday curled up on my couch, stitching away and watching Pride and Prejudice. The long one! It was a great day.

Of course the picture does not do justice to how cute this turned out! But you get the idea.