To Be Continued, AKA "Happily Ever After"

Lately I have noticed many of my friends from both college and high school taking the plunge and getting married. Weddings are beautiful. The happiness, love, and togetherness are evident. However, some might call me a cynic others a realist, but either way I feel as though most people today picture their lives on the wedding day, not on the days, weeks, and years following. Some call it the “happily ever after,” I choose to call it the “to be continued.”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that everyone that is getting married now have lost their minds. I’m simply saying that maybe we should all think realistically about what happens after the honeymoon. I say all that because Jason and I have been getting a lot of flak for a recent decision we have made.
We have decided we want to live together before we get any more serious about marriage. To me marriage is very serious and I do not want to enter into that kind of commitment without being completely positive that he is the one I want to spend my life with. We both know that if we do choose to get married it will be a “divorce is not an option marriage.” So, clearly with this being how we plan to have a marriage we have to be absolutely sure we want to be together forever. People also seem to assume that since Jason and I want to live together that it means we just want to shack up together. Heaven forbid people actually realize that it’s because we never get to see each other as it is, so by living together we will get to see each other more.
Another issue others seem to have with Jason and I is the fact that we have a slightly unconventional relationship. We don’t believe in labels. Ultimately, yes he is my boyfriend and I am his girlfriend we just don’t use those terms. Most seem to confuse this as not being able to commit. Quite the contrary, we are very committed to each other. Just because I don’t call him my boyfriend doesn’t mean I don’t love him. Just because I don’t call him my boyfriend doesn’t mean I’m not sure he is the one. Just because I don’t call him my boyfriend doesn’t mean I don’t want to grow old with him.
Some of you may be thinking why I even care what other people think. I wonder why sometimes myself, then I’m reminded when someone asks us why we don’t just call each other boyfriend/girlfriend, or why haven’t ya’ll gotten married yet, or why do you guys want to live together? Sometimes I just want to tell people to butt out. Maybe I will next time because, honestly, I’m just tired of explaining things to people who try to make it their business.

Proverbs 16:9

Well here I am entering the wide world of blogging. I wasn't sure I wanted to start one but alas here it is. A few things to know about this blog and me (although if you're reading this you probably will already know these things). First, I tend to think I'm really funny but most of the time instead of laughs I get silence. Second, I will more than likely have a few posts that either don't have much of a point or will be really long and by the end you'll wonder why you wasted your time reading the whole thing. Finally, I talk about celebrities...a lot.

I can say that this post does have a point. I have had a Bible verse pop in my head a lot lately. Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Why this verse? Spending 6 and a half years of your life in school to get not just a Bachelor's degree in journalism, but a Master's in it as well is a lot of time. However, what is tough is when you spent all that time hoping to be a television reporter but in the end you don't end up where you thought you'd be. This is the epitome of having a plan, but God having bigger plans. I have to be reminded of this frequently because I do tend to get frustrated. At first, my thoughts were what kind of plans could God possibly have for me in the small town of Benton? But that is when faith must take over. We may not have any idea what God has planned for us down the road, but isn't that what makes life exciting?! We can't spend our time dwelling on how our life has taken turns that we never expected but that's the point of the Bible verse. We make plans for our lives. God, however, decides the route we take to achieve these plans. Most of the time it is never the route we plan to take. We have to remember though that God's route is the best route. I mean, he's God. He knows best! The adjustment to the adult life is still a struggle, but ultimately I am enjoying life to the fullest and waiting to see what else God has up his sleeve. Plus, I have the best family and friends who help make the adjustment easy!

I have definitely enjoyed myself for the short amount of time I've been here. I got to experience the horse races for the first time. Here are some pictures from the fun day:

This was my favorite part!

My partner in crime:)

The bugle man!!!

My favorite picture of us!

Gotta have at least one picture of my main man, Louie!

A final thought: Make plans and have goals, but remember God will help you achieve them in a completely different way than you imagine!