Easy as falling off a log....

So I've received some dating advice recently that was, to say the least, interesting. A boy in my ward said something about me having children and I answered that I wasn't married and so I wasn't a mom yet. The next day when I saw him (I tutor him so see him regularly) he brought up the subject again and the conversation went something like this:

C: "You just have to kiss someone and then you have a husband."
J: "If only it were that easy."
C: "It is. You just kiss someone to get a husband."
J: "But, Christian, if I did that then I would be moving away and wouldn't see you on Sundays."
C: "No, you could get a house here [meaning the neighborhood where a run-down needing lots of work has a list price of over $350k, sure, that's nothing but pocket lint...Also, why must I get the house? Best leave that one alone...] then you kiss someone and have a husband."

Last night I was at my sisters, to do my laundry and also watch her girls while she went Visiting Teaching. While we were having dinner, I mentioned the conversation to her. Not to be outdone, my niece piped up with her advice along these lines:

S: "You just kiss someone and then you get pregnant."
Pause from the adults, and eye contact between us, waiting to see what was coming next...
S: "You kiss someone. Then you get pregnant and then you become a family!"

If they are right, I either have a husband or two out there that I don't know about or a bunch of alimony due to me, I could use it to buy a house in my neighborhood...this is getting better and better. Heavens, I could even have a child or two running around somewhere...

(Guess I should have clarified at the start that both of the advisers are under the age of 7. Ah, the innocence of children...)

Dating Suckiness

Some time ago I heard the song "Sucks to be you" by Danielle Peck and it just made me laugh...sadly, there are so many men I'd love to send a copy of the words and song to....Here are the lyrics and I'm sure you'll understand what I mean....(oh, the joys of dating just keep going on and on and on...I really don't like the word "sucks" but sometimes it's just fits the best....)

DANIELLE PECK LYRICS

"Sucks To Be You"

I tried to love you baby

But I couldn't make you happy

And it just really shouldn't be so hard

I gave and you kept taking

You made some big mistakes and

You were always careless with my heart

[Chorus:]

I'm happier now

Ain't it funny how

All it took was leaving you

To finally feel good again

You say you're sorry now

That you figured out

Just what it was that you had to lose

It sucks to be you

You used your last chance so

I went and found romance oh

You really just can't stand it can you

You see the smile on my face

And it really drives you crazy

Just to see how much better off I am without you

[Chorus:]

I'm happier now

Ain't it funny how

All it took was leaving you

To finally feel good again

You say you're sorry now

That you figured out

Just what it was that you had to lose

Well it sucks to be you

Don't worry baby

I'm sure you'll find someone too

Yeah, who'll put up with you

[Chorus:]

I'm happier now

Ain't it funny how

All it took was leaving you

To finally feel good

You say you're sorry now

That you figured out

Just what it was that you had to lose

[Chorus:]

I'm happier now

Ain't it funny how

All it took was leaving you

To finally feel good again

You say you're sorry now

That you figured out

Just what it was that you had to lose

What it was that you had to lose

Well it sucks to be you

It sucks to be you

Yeah

I'm gone

It sucks to be, It sucks to be, It sucks to be you

I'm gone

[Thanks to Ashley Thomas (pyro4life1990@yahoo.com) for these lyrics]

Edited by JaNae Broadbent

All good things must come to an end...

Why is that? Why can't we just stay in summer and no school or work forever??? Oh, yeah, food, shelter, clothing...bummer...Before school started back up I took a little time off to relax and enjoy the summer activities and weather. So here's my "What I did over the Summer" summary....

• Touring all 33 houses on the Salt Lake Parade of Homes in 3 days. (I'll be sharing some of the ideas I gathered in a future post.)
Straightening up my bedroom and rearranging furniture.

• Completing my GRE prep course and the exam. Listening to others in my classes worry and prepare for the exam, I'm really glad to have it over with.
• Three trips to Salt Lake's Hogle Zoo.
• Dinner with Kara during her 1½ day visit to SLC from Tokyo. (Kara, please be sure to send me copies of the pictures you took while we were together. Can't wait to see you again for Christmas, hopefully.)
• Several family outings: Bear Lake for a family reunion with Nathan, Shayla's 4th Birthday party, Midway with Mom & Dad, Kelley's family cabin with the UT group + Mom & Dad, picnic in Bountiful while Ann, Tyler & Lucy where here, babysitting Shayla and Cambree...

• Activity Day Outing with the 8-11 year-old girls from church.
• A couple temp jobs.
• Getting my schedule all worked out for the fall; Anatomy of Speech and Hearing, Language Science, Pediatric Speech Pathology, Voice Lessons, and Aural Habilitation/Rehabilitation.
• Meeting some new guys at various singles activities, meeting new men isn't a regular occurrence so definitely worth recording. No announcements (several of them have already disappeared) just being honest about the summer.
• Setting up a part-time job that works well with my schedule.
• Meeting with my academic advisor, 2 full semesters and 1 on-line class next summer, then I'm all finished with the prerequisites!

Now it's back to school and work...After this full, relaxing and enjoyable summer, I'm really thinking that a job within a school is a great way to go after I'm done with my master's program. Vacations in the rest of the business world don't come often enough or long enough.

Ugh...more computer issues, had this all ready to go and then, somehow, I deleted it ALL, pictures, text, everything! Then there's all the spacing issues with my post...Sometimes computers can be such a pain....

The look....

or

...You know, that look I get almost immediately after someone finds out that I'm not married. It usually means one of two things; 1) You're single??!! I know a guy who's single and you should meet because you'd obviously be perfect for each other or 2) the advice of how to meet someone is soon to follow. Everyone seems to have advice or have blind date ideas. Those doing either come from such places as being stopped in the mall, my hairdresser's client prior to me, vendors for companies I temped at...there was even a friend's hairdresser (whom I've never met) who set me up with a guy she knew. Pretty much anyone who meets me, directly or not, feels it's their personal responsibility and duty to find me someone grand aka perfect. (Don't get me started with the look of complete shock that generally follows when someone learns I've never been married...another posting for another day...)

The advice will range from go to a singles ward...stop looking then you'll find someone...internet websites for LDS singles...to the famous SLC singles institution - the Dee's Dances. Now I realize that I look quite a bit younger than I really am, but age doesn't mean that I've lived under a rock and don't know the resources available to singles in the 21st Century. Sometimes I just want to say, "Been there...tried that...doesn't work..." or "Can't you come up with some more unique advice of how to meet someone?"

I know that meeting someone is much like getting a job-it's all who you know...that each person has a different connection of people who are new to me...hence, networking applies with this too....however, sometimes this is just insane. Many of the individuals attempting to line me up, or are offering me advice, are total and complete strangers to me (as my list above implies, and yes, it's accurate). What makes them think that they will have any more luck finding someone for me than my closest friends and family, who know me well and who's judgement and taste I trust mind you, haven't been successful either?

Don't tell anyone, but I've learned that the easiest way to get someone to NOT set me up on a date is to accept their offer to find someone for me, especially if it's an individual I don't know well. I'd venture to guess that 99.9999...% of the people who have offered either try and the guy chickens out and never calls or the person offering never follows through. (Let's call it chickening out rather than rejecting me, though it feels like rejection sometimes even if we've never met.)

After all is said and done, I do appreciate the help...someday the networking will pay off with big dividends. Besides each "encounter" brings me one frog closer to MY prince, right? I have even met a few great guys through these crazy means who I would never have met otherwise and some of whom I've even gone out with more than once or twice. Sometimes it would be nice for someone to meet me, find out I'm single and just let it go at that. (Much thanks to those of you who've done exactly that.) Oh well, guess that's one more advantage marrieds have over singles....Until that time comes for me, I'll just keep meeting more strangers who think they have the perfect guy for me or the "key" to me to finding someone which no one's ever used before...maybe I'll try that new fangled invention the internet...

(Ok, I'll step down off my soap box now. Thanks for your patience and understanding.)

My L-O-V-E Prediction

I'm sure you've all see it, MSN.com has a variety of articles that scroll through on their home page. Once in awhile they have various horoscopes. Now, I don't really get into all that stuff. I do read my horoscope weekly in the TV Guide but at the end of the week (for entertainment purposes only) and then I see if it "came true" and usually laugh at the predictions. Well, tonight they had an opportunity to view your love horoscope. I thought, "Why not? It's Friday night and I'm spending it home alone again. What could it hurt? Maybe I'll get a good laugh out of it." So I decided I'd see what they had to say for my love life (or lack thereof might be a better way to explain it, ah...so it goes sometimes....). Well, here's what the stars say about my love life, as of today:

"May 18, 2007
The current celestial energy encourages you not to put any limits on how good you think your love life can get. You may have done so in the past, based on what you feel you deserve, but the cosmic lineup right now is quite clearly saying that you deserve far more. You have every right to as much happiness as you can get. So go for it."

HA! We'll see about that. I'm sure it's good for nothing more than a great belly laugh. Thinking I deserve more and getting more are two totally different things. (Which might be part of the reason I'm home alone on a Friday night...I think I deserve better than just going out for the sake of going out and want to spend an evening with someone who interests me and isn't just a "free meal.") Guess I'll have to wait and see how it all plays out....[diabolical laughter and haunting theme music begins...]. I suppose someday I'll be able to tell myself, "I told you it'd all work out ok." (If I don't tell myself that, I'm sure someone out there will tell me instead.) Sadly, if history has a tendency to repeat itself, as I've heard it does, I won't be saying that for a long time. (But let's all keep praying I'm proven wrong on that account.)