Single & Fulfilled: A Paradox

I never want to feel bad about being single.

That goes for whatever age I am… whether I’m twenty going on twenty-one or forty going on forty-one.

I say that because I think there’s an unhealthy stigma associated with singleness. If you’re single, it’s just a waiting game until you can achieve the nirvana that is a relationship. If you’re single, there’s a reason you’re single. If you’re single, don’t worry… you just haven’t found the “one” yet. If you’re single, please carry around this unnecessary pressure because you aren't getting any younger amiright?

I was raised to avoid dating in high school, because I believe the purpose of dating is for marriage. Naturally I wasn’t ready to get married in high school, so it probably wasn’t a good idea to date then. And I’m truly thankful for that mindset because personally it sure saved me a lot of heartache. I was waiting til college (because that’s where true adulthood lies…).

So I entered college as a freshman, prepared to meet my future husband and date and then get married after graduation. Freshman year came and went, and wow that pesky future husband hadn’t shown up yet. Sophomore year… still forever alone. And here I am, a junior in college, and the horizon for dating is quite empty.

I went into college with an expectation of finally getting a relationship. I had been a good Christian girl, sort-of patiently awaiting my time. And when that expectation wasn’t met, I found disappointment, frustration, and a good portion of self-doubt.

Let The Good Times Roll

Last weekend we spent another day in our favorite adventure city - New Orleans.

The Social Media Experiment

Hi friends.

I've decided to do a social media fast/experiment of at least one week (maybe longer, we'll see!). I'll be deleting all social media apps from my phone, which include Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

I've done certain social media fasts before, but I got the idea to keep an updated journal of the experience from my friend, Kayla's, post here. I've deleted my apps before, usually so I can have fewer distractions when studying for a big test; but I'm sectioning off a week specifically for a couple of reasons.

I have a deep appreciation for social media. I think it's great. I love being connected to people I might not have a chance to connect with very often in real life. I love having an easy way to see at least a piece of my friends' lives. So often I am inspired by what I see on social media.

But I'd like to see how much more time I have in my day and how much more productive I can be with that time. You don't realize how much of your day is spent playing on your phone until you count how many times you pick it up, only to realize you can't do anything but use it to call and text people (wow, a phone used as a phone ???).

I also believe fasting from social media will give me more opportunity to hear the Lord speak. Sometimes I think we beg for God to speak to us, yet we fill our lives with voices from everyone but Him. Of course God still reveals Himself in the noisiness of busy lives... but how much more could we receive in giving Him the quiet?

I'll still be logging on to Facebook via desktop, mainly because that doesn't really suck up my time as much as the apps do. I'll also have Facebook Messenger in case anyone needs to reach me that way. This post will be updated daily, just to keep all of my updates together and organized. Thanks for following along!

This Provincial Life

"Adventure is out there!" - Up

I like Beauty and the Beast, but honestly it's not my favorite Disney movie.

But lately I've been feeling a lot like Belle, in that I too want adventure in the great wide somewhere. (So much so that I bought this shirt!)

That's something I've been craving a lot lately (perhaps partially out of discontentment); but also just craving something new and out of the ordinary. I'd love to travel more. I'd love to meet new people and hear new stories. I'd love to learn more.

So I think something I'll be challenging myself to do this semester is to create my own adventure.

It can be something as small as visiting a coffee shop I've never been to or doing my quiet time downtown at the levy.

I'm pretty boring, so even watching a movie I've never seen before is an adventure for me.

If I'm feeling really adventurous, New Orleans is but an hour away.

Last weekend, Allie, Kire', Kendall, and I took a day trip to NOLA; and it was such a fun day full of things I'd never done before in a city I barely know.