One Lovely Blog Award

lovely (adj.) – 1) charmingly or exquisitely beautiful; 2) having a beauty that appeals to the heart or mind as well as to the eye; 3) delightful and highly pleasing; 4) of a great moral or spiritual beauty

A big, Texas THANK YOU to Michelle from Texas over at Diary of That Crazy Girl for the nomination for the One Lovely Blog Award!

Here are the Lovely facts about my Lovely self:

1. I am “fun sized” (5’4″) and frequently have to have my pants hemmed, unless I want to wear 3″ heels with everything (and I am much too practical for that)!
2. I have a freckle in the iris of my left eye, and I like to see how long it takes dates to comment on it. It’s small, so only the perceptive notice it!
3. I have a passion to be a mentor and counselor to high school and college-aged kids. Everyone should have both a Barnabas and a Timothy.
4. I’ve been to all 50 states in the U.S.
5. I have a goal to visit all 7 continents (including Antarctica)!
6. I have an engineering degree and also partial degrees in both biblical counseling and graphic design.
7. I view myself as a chocolate covered marshmallow – hard on the outside but soft and gooey on the inside. And let’s be real. Everything is better with chocolate.

And here are my nominees, all Lovely bloggers in their own unique ways:

1. Juni Desiree
2. Little Sunshine at 1617 Sunshine Ave
3. Paul at The Captain’s Speech

Authentically Aurora

Walking Wounded

It has been six months since the man I loved had an emotional breakdown, quit his job and called off our engagement all in the course of a single week. There are days where I’m okay with (even thankful for) the fact that I’m not married to him. And there are other times, like the entirety of last weekend, where everything reminds me of him and, though in my head I know his rejection was a blessing in disguise, the reopened wounds of my heart still cause intense pain.

For those readers who don’t know me personally, my ex-fiance was a Marine who graduated from the Naval Academy and then got his MBA at Harvard. Ironically, my younger brother is getting married in December to a Boston girl who grew up not far from Harvard. Still more ironically, my brother proposed to his girlfriend on the exact day that my ex asked for the ring back. You just can’t make this stuff up.

So, last weekend I flew up to Boston for the bridal shower of my sister-in-law-to-be. We spent all day Saturday touring Boston, a place my ex had frequently talked about taking me to show me the ancient ivy-covered landmarks of Harvard. Everywhere we went, my mind inserted a mental image of him talking and laughing with his college friends.

On Sunday, the bridal shower closely resembled my own, with the same unique activities played while surrounded by the rustic elegance of a white-and-burlap theme. Waiting in line to board the plane home, I was in line behind a man wearing a Semper Fi T-shirt, and I was seated next to a newly engaged couple who spent the whole flight alternating between kissing and discussing their guest list.

I’m still slowly taking steps forward, but after weekends like the last one, I feel like I’m walking wounded, leaving pieces of myself behind as I plod ahead toward my future.

Authentically Aurora

Project Prince Charming

When my fiance dumped me earlier this year after dragging me through months of on-again, off-again counseling, my daddy told me to keep my sense of humor. He said it would help to keep me sane. After returning my wedding dress and having to personally call the wedding caterer and photographer and florist and baker and venue, I was pretty sure humor wasn’t what was going to keep me sane. No, my small friend Zoloft kept me sane (along with an alarmingly small group of girlfriends who managed not to desert me in the depths of my depression).

But now, months after dealing with returns and legal paperwork for the engagement ring and surprise phone calls from my not-to-be-in-laws (I swear, it may as well have been a divorce), I have started to dip my toe back into the dating pool. And now – yes, now – I understand what Daddy meant about keeping my sense of humor. Because, you see, the quality men of my generation are so sparse that the idea of finding one who is still single feels impossible. I laugh so that I don’t cry. Especially after trying the online dating scene. Yes, I will definitely be needing that sense of humor now. Double shot of hilarity, please.

So! This blog is going to be my outlet – and hopefully a source of entertainment for you, dear reader – as I catalog my adventures and misadventures in dating. When some women are rejected, they become insecure, believing that something is wrong with them. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me, I do not typically struggle with a lack of confidence. On the contrary, my concern is that I will never find a man who is up to the challenge of marrying such an intelligent, attractive, talented and successful young woman. I know, humility is one of my best character traits. Thus begins Project Prince Charming.

As my best friend Ashley recently pointed out, “It’s hard having standards.” I couldn’t agree more.

Authentically Aurora