Online Dating

With apps like Tinder and many others, the whole online dating scene is becoming a pretty big thing. And there are a LOT of mixed feelings about this topic, especially from older generations. They tend to have an extremely negative view about dating online, and are (obnoxiously) vocal about it. They say that nothing good can ever come of it, that you're not even talking to the person you think you are, etc. 

Let me be blunt: these people need to get their heads out of their butts and out into the real world. 

When the internet first started and chat rooms became a thing, yes they were very dangerous. Webcams were uncommon, and Facebook and other social media weren't even around/popular, so it was easy for people to pretend to be someone they weren't. In 2015 with the way technology has progressed, it's nearly impossible for someone to disguise themselves, as long as we're all taking the right precautions.

I'm a HUGE advocate for online dating/friendships, and you know why? Jake and I met online. Through Facebook, yes, so it wasn't as "scandalous" as it could have been, but still. People are either pleasantly surprised when we share this information, or they're completely put off from ever speaking to us again. And I find that SO SAD. Just because the first time I spoke to my spouse was through a computer screen doesn't make our love any less real or "right."

Here's a picture of Jake and I on our first weekend together
in person, after talking online (Facebook, Skype, etc) for 3
months

Countless church leaders have spoken about the power for good (and for evil) that the internet holds, and I believe that online dating is just another one of those opportunities. I've heard countless horror stories about online dates gone horribly wrong, creepy messages or cyber-stalkers, and so much more. While those are common, there are so many good opportunities on these sites! We have an opportunity to share the gospel, or to find other LDS people who we may never have met in person. Jake and I definitely would not have met if it hadn't been for the LDS Facebook group that we were both members of; he lived in Texas, and I was in California.

Let me conclude by saying this: just because a couple met online doesn't mean they aren't a good match. If anything, they might be a better match than some couples that meet in person: people that meet online tend to be more likely to share common interests and get to know each others' personalities before seeing the physical side of things.

Our First Dance

The song that played for our first dance as husband and wife was "Forever Like That" by Ben Rector. Jake and I chose this song because the first time we heard it, we both fell in love with it. The message is beautiful, and when we were dating long distance it was one of our favorite songs to listen to together. 

Well I'll be your rainy day lover. Whenever the sunny days end.

And whatever the weather, we have each other.

And that's how the story will end.

Well I'll be your shade tree in summer,

If you'll be my fire when it's cold.

And whatever the season, well, we'll keep on breathing.

Cause we'll have each other to hold.

I'll hold you-and I'll sing.

I wanna love you, forever I do.

I wanna spend all of my days with you.

I'll carry your burdens and be the wind at your back.

I wanna spend my forever-forever like that.

Well I'll be the words on the pages,

If you'll be my sweet melody.

And the tune can keep changing, cause I'll keep arranging.

And this is the song that we'll sing.

We'll sing ooo

I wanna love you, forever I do.

I wanna spend all of my days with you.

I'll carry your burdens and be the wind at your back.

I wanna spend my forever-forever like that.

When the rain comes, I'll be your shelter.

When the winds blow, we'll be together.

When the storms they rise, I'll be right here by your side.

And I'll sing:

I'm gonna love you, forever I do.

I'm gonna spend all my days with you.

I'll carry your burdens and be the wind at your back.

I'm gonna spend my forever-forever like that.

Nothin' All That Special

This week was a pretty quiet one for Jake and I. Jake spent his days at work as usual, and I stayed at home working on craft projects (like lots of embroidery), watching TV, writing letters to my missionary friends, and other stuff like that.

The weather here in Rexburg over the summer is still SO weird to me: we've had a lot of random thunderstorms and rainshowers over the past few weeks, and this past week was no different.

On Friday Jake and I went on a "real" date for the first time in a while! We went to dinner and then did a little shopping before going to see the movie Paper Towns at the discount theater here in Rexburg. We'd read the book together a few months ago (by John Green) and had mixed feelings about it, but we'd heard good things about the movie so decided to go. This was one of those rare occasions where we both loved the movie more than the book!

Sundays are always my favorite day of the week, because Jake and I get to spend the entire day together. We went to church and spent time together at home watching some movies, playing card games, and cuddling of course!

This Week's Spiritual Thought

I finally finished reading Psalms! The last chapter, Psalms 150, was a really beautiful way to end the book:

"Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
"Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to is excellent greatness.
"Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
"Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
"Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
"Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

Soulmates

Happy August! Since this is the month that Jake and I got married, all of my posts will be related to relationships, marriage, etc. You get the idea.

So, soulmates: real or fake?

There are a lot of general authorities who have spoken about this, and within the church it's usually a general belief that soulmates don't exist. 

"I don't believe there is only one right person for you. I think I fell in love with my wife, Harriett, from the first moment I saw her. Nevertheless,...I don't believe she was my one chance at happiness in this life, nor was I hers...Once you commit to being married, your spouse becomes your soul mate, and it is your duty and responsibility to work every day to keep it that way." 
-President Uchtdorf 

That statement pretty much sums up my opinion on soul mates. While I believe there are certain people that I could have never married and gotten along with, I think it's possible for almost any two people to make a marriage work if they both have their hearts in the right place, and a strong relationship with God. No marriage is ever perfect, but the trials couples go through can be overcome through prayer and scripture study, especially when they're done as a couple. Strengthening your relationship with God together strengthens your bond as husband and wife: God is like the glue that holds us together.

Being Sick is Super Exciting

This week was a pretty uneventful one. Jake worked a lot, and I hung out at home catching up on more reading and doing some crafts. Since I was still feeling sick, I was pretty much cooped up in the house every day. SUPER fun. (Hopefully you can tell that's sarcasm).

My latest embroidery creation! It took about
15 hours total.

Very early Thursday I woke up with a KILLER sore throat, and Jake looked down my throat with a flashlight...and it was strep. Even though I just had it in February. I told Jake with this kind of luck, I should enter the lottery! Later that day we went to the doctor's and got a prescription, and day by day I've been feeling better. I'm SO thankful for modern medicine!

This Week's Spiritual Thought

Jake and I discovered through this cool feature called Relative Finder that we are 12th cousins 2 times removed...gross! Haha. It's distant enough that it really doesn't matter, but it's cracking us up. I've always wondered if we were related since both of us have sides of our families that tie back to the country Whales, and it's a pretty small country, so it really doesn't surprise me. Family history is COOL!