A List of Stuff & Things For My Future Husband

I was browsing the big wide world of Bloglovin' recently and came across this listicle "May You Not Be Weird and 30 Other Prayers for my Future Husband" and it made me giggle. And I was a little nostalgic for that time I wrote out a list of everything my 'perfect' boy would be...and then he appeared a few weeks later. A few months after that we had, what I've come to classify as a 'whirlwind summer romance' and it ended because I forgot to include 'looking for a serious long term relationship' on my list. Okay, there were other reasons why it didn't last forever but I like to think that little omission also played a part. 

After that mess was cleaned up (it didn't end well) I decided to abandon the list and let the universe bring me something. The universe brought me J. who was essentially the anti-list. I went with it for awhile but at the 18 month mark it became clear that it was not what I wanted. Now, six months after that relationship ended I'm ready to return to the list philosophy. 

1. I hope you exist, and I meet you before my 30th birthday. 
2. May you be ready for marriage and looking for a serious relationship.
3. I hope you want multiple children and are open to the idea of adoption and/or being a foster parent.
4. I hope you're a camp person. That you can teach me one new campfire song and own a minimum of two tie-dye t-shirts.
5. You need to own a pair of work boots.
6. Please don't expect me to be in constant contact with you. I need to fuel my inner introvert and be able to spend time with friends without my phone. 
7. May you know the value of a hard day's work.
8. May you believe in something bigger than yourself.
9. It would cool if you were an RCMP officer, social worker, farmer or camp professional. 
10. It would also be nice if you shared my love of Disney.
11. I hope you love outdoor adventures and watching Netflix. Balance is important. 
12. You need to be financially responsible. I don't expect you to be a millionaire but you also shouldn't have mounds of consumer debt.
13. It's worth saying that I've always had a thing for males who play guitar. Especially if you can play Slide by the Goo Goo Dolls and/or a selection of country ballads. 
14. You're probably going to need to be a meat eater if you're going to attend my family gatherings.
15. I hope you know the value of eating vegetables, but also be open to eating chicken strips & french fries on special occasions.
16. I hope you are involved in your community, that you know your neighbours and they refer to you as the 'nice young fella down the road'.
17. Know that I'm using the term neighbours loosely, I expect you to be a a country boy.
18. I hope you are passionate about something other than making money.
19. May you meet the high standards of H. & R. and remember I loved them first.
20. May you be compassionate, humble and kind to others.
21. It would also be cool if you drove a truck. 
22. May you be blessed with a working knowledge of  basic vehicle and home repairs. 
23. And a desire to assemble any furniture that may come in multiple pieces.
24. Please be accepting of the fact most my skills conform to gender stereotypes. 
25. I hope you appreciate the little things in life. 
26. I hope you are surrounded by a good friend group.
27. I hope you love my quirks.
28. I hope I love your quirks.
29. To echo the inspiration for this updated list, "I hope you think the idea of praying for your future-but-maybe-doesn't-exist spouse is kind of silly but also sweet". 

Do/did you have a list of requirements for your future spouse?

Linking up with Stuff & Things

Oprah Wasn't Built In A Day

If you're a regular listener to Stuff Your Mom Never Told You you probably listened to last weeks podcast that talked about failure. I happened to listen to it on my drive home from visiting H. & R. this weekend and it was scarily accurate. In the last six months I've either completely failed or partially failed at a lot of things. In the past six weeks alone I've encountered upwards of a dozen disappointments and I'd be lying if I said I was handling it well. I was handling well, I had nothing but hope and optimism and I even channelled all that positive thinking/secret/law of attraction stuff and went ahead and sticky-noted in the dates for camp sessions for a job that I really wanted. And now I mostly just feel defeated. Which isn't to say that I'm miserable because that's not the case either. I'm so happy that I went with my gut and didn't wind up unemployed in an apartment in the city. I'm thankful that I'm no longer in a relationship with someone who doesn't get camp or own work boots. And being home will always beat being anywhere else (I don't really want to relocate to Labrador). I'll always acknowledge the silver linings but that doesn't mean I'm ignoring the massive storm clouds. And that's okay.

This time next year I hope that the things I've sacrificed have been worth it. I hope that the successes outweigh the failures and I can see the completed puzzle, because right now all I see is a pile of disjointed pieces. I don't know how to make the pieces I have fit together and it seems like each time I   start to make some headway I discover that the pieces I'm working with belong to a different puzzle and get taken away. So I need to start again. 

I want to remember how satisfying it is to complete a puzzle and how boring it is when the puzzle is too easy and only takes a few minutes to complete. Because the truth is maybe this time next year I'll still be working on the puzzle and I need to be okay with that. I want to remember that it's okay to keep working on things but sometimes it's okay to move on too. 

I know that there are bigger lessons to learn from all the recent disappointments but as the saying goes 'Oprah Wasn't Built In A Day' and I can't expect things to be handed to me on a clipboard or learn everything from one disappointment.


Linking up with Alyssa for Back to Blogging/One thing about today you want to remember a year from now. 

Brand New Information

The prompt for Blog-tember today is "Most people don't know this, but…" and my mind immediately went to this classic Friends moment when everyone finds out about Monica & Chandler.

My love of Friends is something most people know about me, but you may not know that "The One Where Ross Got High" is my all time favourite episode. I can recite it line for line and it makes me laugh every time. 

Most people know that I'm particular about my food, but you probably don't know that a lot of what I do and don't eat is about texture. I eat a lot of chicken breasts but I can't handle shredded chicken and I'm not a fan of leftovers because the texture so often changes when you re-heat something.

You probably know that I love camp and count myself incredibly lucky to be able to work as an Assistant Camp Director but you probably don't know that I almost chose to study Social Work.

I've blogged about my major fears/anxieties about dying alone but rarely mention my other biggest fear of forgetting. It's why I'm so 'into' blogging, scrapbooking, journalling etc. I worry about forgetting (and being forgotten).

I've said before that I've never travelled outside Canada, but I haven't mentioned that I don't feel a strong desire to travel. There are places I would like to see (Stonehenge, Auschwitz, Cliffs of Moher) but I haven't met anyone who I really want to visit those places with and there are other things I would rather spend money on.

I love Pocahontas and a lot of other Disney movies, but I have no desire to visit Disney World. I hate rides, I don't like crowds and all those people running around in costumes kind of freak me out.

I have names picked out for my future children, and I worry that they will skyrocket in popularity or a close friend/family member will use them before I have children meaning I can't use them. They've been "my names" for years though and not getting to use them would be heartbreaking.

I watch the same movies over and over again, occasionally I'll watch something new and when I do I thoroughly Google and IMDB the entire plot so that I can prepare myself for the ending and know what to expect. I do not like not know how things are going to end.

I enjoy a good cup of coffee and normally drink it black with 1.5 sugars. Sometimes I'll use cream and only half a sugar.

My favourite animals are squirrels and I obviously have a lot of love for cats but polar bears also rank pretty high on my list of favourite animals.

What are some things most people don't know about you? Don't forget to link up with Bailey Jean!

Someday (Soon)...

I will find myself working at my dream job (probably in the city) and being the best roommates ever with R.

I will be in a relationship with the guy I'll marry. 

I will follow a tutorial and finish making a button for my blog.

I will write in my prayer/gratitude journal for a month straight without missing a day.

I will clean my car. And my room. And my closet. 

I will finish reading Game of Thrones.

I will stop lying to myself and accept the fact I will never finish reading Game of Thrones.

I will travel outside Canada.

I will start Christmas shopping.

I will reorganize my iTunes.

I will reconnect with old friends.

I will get my MacBook fixed so I can stop relying on my giant desktop computer for all my blogging needs.

I will take a leap of faith and order a pair of glasses from one of those websites with cheap glasses.

I will stop overanalyzing.

I will stop biting my nails. 

I will be incredibly thankful and overwhelmed at just how perfectly all of the details in life have come together.

My Apologies

Dear Future Donna,

I'm sorry that instead of hauling out my suitcase that is currently hiding in the closet behind 3 old prom dresses and really starting the packing process I am leisurely watching Live with Kelly & Michael, sipping on some Pepsi. I realize that if I want to be fully packed for camp on Thursday night so that I can go camping with the Girl Guides Friday and Saturday and hang out with D. Saturday night before leaving for camp early Sunday morning, I should not be sitting in front of the TV/computer. Unless I am working on PowerPoint presentations for Staff Training or watching TV as background noise while I finish assembling staff welcome bags. This is turning into more of a guilt trip than an apology...which is good, because now I am feeling the need to rush this post and go be as productive as possible before I have to leave for Brownies at 5. Let's see how much I can accomplish in 3 hours (including getting dressed in something other than jogging pants & tie-dye t-shirt.)


Love,
Present Donna

As usual linking up here!