Relationship

For all you people out there with more experience than I have, which isn't saying much:

1. What is the difference between settling and allowing him to not be perfect?

I have the impression that it is a fine line, and if I cross it, then I'd better come to terms with it fast or I'll be miserable. I recognize that I'm not going to find perfect. I don't deserve perfect because I'm not perfect. But I also don't want to settle with someone who won't honor me or cherish our relationship. And with the way society is raising these so-called "men", the outcome isn't looking good. (Society's version of "women" today sucks, too.) I guess I'm just starting to doubt that the good men won't recognize me because of the jaded point of view because of all the "today's women" that they encounter. I've read that there is this "Men, Stay Single!" push out there now because so many people have been allowed to want what is bad for them. I don't think that staying single is going to solve the problem. I believe that we should recondition ourselves and what we look for in a mate. We need to look at what has worked in the past. Find people celebrating their 60th anniversery. Shoot, nowadays, finding a couple celebrating their 15th is a feat in and of itself. We need to learn what it means to be sacrificial, to put others' needs before our own, but also know how to not be walked over.

I say all this because I don't want to settle for an effeminite guy who thinks he's becoming what women want by getting in touch with his feelings. I don't want to settle for a guy without integrity or honor. But then, I come back to the question of where is the line between settling and allowing him to not be perfect? Is it okay if he can't get along with my family? I've experienced the heartache that can cause. Is it okay if he doesn't agree with a gun in the house? I mean, where's the line?

B. What is the difference between expecting change and expecting growth?

I know it isn't right to try to change a person, as much as it isn't right for someone to expect me to change for them. And I recognize the difference between adjusting to a person and changing for a person. I guess a lot of why I don't understand this is because I don't understand men. I grew up in a household with a mom and 3 sisters. That's it. My dad was absent, and I never lived with brothers. People tell me men are simple to understand, but it's not that easy when I'm struggling to figure out the women I've lived with. I think my biggest problem is that I've not had a MAN to be around and learn what it really means to have a man in my life to where I could recognize one when I see one. So what are the differences between a boy and a man, and a loser and a man?


Sorry about the bit of a lecture in there, but I'm discouraged. It seems that when I think I've found someone that is a good guy, he doesn't recognize me or he's all about being single. And then someone who I don't think is going to turn out to be my type does ask me out because I can already see signs of how he assumes all women want the "sensitive" type.

I want a man who will be a man. A man who is willing to be responsible as the head of the house. A man who has integrity, honor, valor, courage, determination, wisdom, and patience. I understand that I'm not going to find all that in a young man. But I'm uncertain what to look for that shows signs of these to be grown into.

Okay, with this, I will leave it up to y'all to comment or leave me with bits of wisdom and discernment.

Links!

I'm so proud of myself right now. I know nothing of this linkage stuff, and somehow I was able to figure it all out by simply copying and pasting in my template. So now Nate can no longer complain about not being able to link to other sites from mine, and having to use the "Back" button, 'cause you know it's such an imposition. But anywho. I'm really proud of myself for figgurin' it out! So y'all have fun surfin'!

Carrot emergency

That's all I remember. I cooked for my mom's dinner party that was last night. There were 12 people there. The menu was pretty good:

chicken casserole
sour cream mashed potatoes
steamed carrots
green beans with almonds
baby spinach salad with poppy seed dressing
homemade dinner rolls
sweet mint iced tea with half an orange slice in it
coconut cream and keylime pies (bought)

Well, it all turned out well, except the carrots. Everything was ready to go, and the dang carrots were still sitting in the steamer and hard. It's funny. Two of the ladies that were there both gave me tips on how to cook carrots. And one of them who writes books on social graces fixed the table b/c I had it set wrong. I thought it looked pretty, which I thought was all that counted, but apparently I was wrong, again. In the end, all the guests gave me a round of applause for a "job well done", cheesy, I know, but it made me feel appreciated. The evening was a success as far as my part was concerned.

This doesn't work.

I keep checking this blog, and for some reason the site owner isn't keeping it updated. I look at it almost everyday, and Darlin' Joy just doesn't seem to add anything. Weird.

Flashback from hell

I had a moment of panic today. I was taking a shower and all of a sudden the water got cold! I thought "Oh no, this isn't supposed to happen here! The hot water heater must have blown out. I'm in the United States of America now! This only happens in Colombia!" Then I turn around and notice that I had knocked the handle to COLD. Whew! That was a close one!

It's about time!

Finally! I figured out the secret...girls, listen up! If ya wanna get asked out, go get your oil changed.

I'm about to head up to Nate and Julie's, so I needed to get my truck serviced. I always go keep an eye on what they're doing to my truck, so I also get to chat with the mechanics in the garage. While I was standing there, the mechanic and I struck up a conversation, Alex is from Mexico and studying ESL so you can see the connection. Another mechanic came up and started givin' him a hard time, so Alex told him to go away 'cause he was tryin' to get "hooked up". Funny. Well...my truck was done, so I say bye to Alex and go in to pay.

Afterwards I'm walking out to my truck, and one of the guys from behind the counter is also walking out to pull another car into the garage. He stops me and asks since I just moved down here, if I came to be near a man, or if a man came with me. I say no. He then asks if I like men. I say, well, I'm not a lesbian. He gets bright red 'cause he meant if I was heartbroken and angry. He then asks if I want to go get coffee. I ask, "well, first, what's your name?" He got embarrassed again because he had forgotten to introduce himself. Turns out his name is James.

Well, just about when James is as red as he can get Alex, notices what's going on, and pokes his head out the garage and yells, "Yo Alex, tu novia's on line 1!" which means his girlfriend's on line 1. Poor guy...I started feelin' sorry, so I gave him a break and let him go back inside with permission to call me sometime.

It had been so long since I'd been asked out, that I almost forgot how to react and what to say!

Change the subject!!

This picture is to serve as evidence that this actually happened. For some reason my phone wasn't charging. I just figured it was my car charger wasn't working properly. So that night I plugged it in by my bed to let it charge overnight. I woke up in the morning to the smell of battery juice. I checked out the phone, it was VERY hot, and it turned on just long enough to say that the battery needed charging. I took off the battery to preserve what little was left hoping to be able to salvage my phone book. When I popped open the back, it was stuck. I pried it open and discovered The Hole. Apparently there was a short in the charging connections in the phone, and it heated up so much that it burned a hole into the battery and the phone! That afternoon, I bought a new phone.

Something stupid...

Have you ever...

(x) snuck out of the house
(x) gotten lost in your city
(x) seen a shooting star
(x) been to any other country besides Canada
( ) had a serious surgery
(x) gone out in public in your pajamas
(x) kissed a stranger - one time I missed while greeting with a kiss in Colombia...oops!
(x) hugged a stranger
( ) been in a fist fight
( ) been arrested
( ) done drugs
(x) had alcohol
(x) laughed and had milk/coke come out of your nose
(x) pushed all the buttons on an elevator
( ) made out in an elevator
( ) kicked a guy where it hurts
(x) been to a casino
( ) been skydiving
( ) broken a bone - does fracturing or chipping count?
( ) been high
( ) skinny-dipped
(x) skipped school
( ) flashed someone
( ) done the splits
( ) played spin the bottle
( ) gotten stitches
( ) drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour
(x) bitten someone - I bit Dr. Who in the stomach when we were kids, I don't remember it.
( ) been to Niagara Falls
(x) gotten the chicken pox
(x) crashed into a friend's car - barely tapped the bumper, no damage
( ) been to Japan
(x) ridden in a taxi - One time our taxi wrecked in Colombia
(x) been dumped
(x) shoplifted - when I was like 4, and mom made me return the items
( ) been fired
(x) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) stole something from your job
(x) gone on a blind date
( ) had a crush on a teacher
( ) celebrated mardi-gras in new orleans
( ) been to Europe
( ) seen someone die
( ) been to Africa
(x) driven over 400 miles in one day - 36 hours straight driving from Mexico to Atlanta.
(x) been to Mexico
(x) been on a plane
( ) seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
( ) thrown up in a bar
(x) set a part of yourself on fire - I lit my hair on fire blowing out my 21st birthday candles!
( ) eaten sushi
( ) been snowboarding
( ) met someone in person from the internet
( ) been moshing at a rock show
( ) been to a moto cross show
( ) lost a child
(x) attended an university
(x) graduated from an university
( ) done hard drugs
( ) tried killing yourself
(x) taken painkillers
(x) had someone cheat on you - well, one guy lied to me about the status of his previous g/f.
( ) cheated on someone

CAMMO ELI!!!!!

Where is he?? I don't see him!

Picture of Elijah John!!!

This is Elijah John! Isn't he adorable...reminds me an aweful lot of his father!