What Im Giving Up For Lent

So this morning on the way to work from church, I was listening to a local radio station. And they were talking about what they gave up for Lent. One gave up sex & one caffeine. Of course, being in a holy state of mind, I was thinking about the #1 thing that comes between me and God 99.9% of the time. And I realised during mass that it's guys. Guys take up way to much of my time & energy. And so I decided to give them up. So I called the radio station and for a glorious 2 minutes I was on air, live for all of Atlanta to hear. And I told them I was giving up dating. Of course, they took it one step further and said I shouldn't take to any guys at all for 40 days & 40 nights, unless I really had to (work, my dad, drive through guy).

So they took down my phone number and in 40 days they're gonna call me back and ask how my 40 days went. I'm not so keen on the "don't talk to guys for 40 days - that seems a little extreme, but I'm not going on a date for the next 40 days. Thats my plan.

So what did you give up for lent?

God works in funny ways

As most of you know, since you read my blog every day, or at least when I post, things with me and JAB have been rocky here lately, to say the least. He's a wonderful guy, but we are so very very different and we want different things, value different things and are at different places in our lives. Its hard letting go of someone who was such a big part of my life for so long, but I am hoping we can be friends.

So a few days before thanksgiving I was talking to my mom about all my millions of failed relationships and I asked her what I should do, maybe join match.com because of the guarantee or catholicsingles.com to find someone. Instead, in all her mommy wisdom she said "you should be single for a while".

Point blank, I am not good at being single. I am a very co dependent person, and I like being part of an us. Im not a huge fan of dating, I much prefer relationships. But for once in my life I decided I would follow my mother's advice and be single. So I decided to swear off dating for a month and a half, til Jan 1 and see how it was.

Now everyone knows being single during the holidays is very very hard, but I figured if I put it off, I wouldn't do it, so I put myself on a dating hiatus.

Sounds like a great plan right? Ya I thought so too.

I decided this time I would be serious about it, I would really focus on being single. I went and removed my profile from match.com and disabled eharmony's emails, I look myself off catholicsingles.com and went private on OK cupid. The last site I went to was POF, plentyoffish.com. Its by far my favorite dating site, its free, its easy, and there are lots of guys.

Now like every site, the recommend guys for me, but I always ignore them because they never meet my criteria. But that night, a picture caught my eye.

This is PB dressed like Santa

and this is what his profile read:

I am actually a pretty simple guy who wants what everyone else wants: a chance to be with someone they can't (or don't want to) live without. This is not to say I am looking to get married next week or anything, so don't be afraid! :)

So what is it that I want? Hmm... good question. Here is a good start:

You..

- are sweet, kind, understanding, patient, and affectionate.

- like music, like being physically active, like receiving random texts to see how you are doing, like being shown attention without being over the top, and you like sports (at least a little).

- realize that not everything is based on looks, there is more to a person.

- don't use the term "down for whatever".

- can turn heads in a pair of jeans or in a little black dress.

- are confident.

- like spending time with the person you are with.

- are not judgmental about someone who doesn't have an executive level, 9-5 type job (because even though I have a good job, it's not a 9-5 thing).

- are not threatened by the fact that I have an opposite sex best friend and an opposite sex roommate.

- can adjust to ever-changing facial hair. :)

- can laugh at the world, and yourself, and can give it just as good as you take it.

- like the fact that some people have A LOT of layers to their personality.

- like to talk until two in the morning about nothing or because you can't sleep.

- think a hot dog and a beer at a ballgame is just as good as a five-star restaurant.

- like road trips.

- want to get to know me! (Probably the most important)

As for me, I:

- am all of the above, why would I expect anything I am not willing to give. Wait, minus the dress thing and maybe I might not like if you have facial hair like mine. The other stuff, completely there on that. :)

- prefer ACC football to SEC football (go Noles!)

- walk/run/go to the gym 4-5 times a week.

- love talking to interesting people who have an opinion and will fight for that opinion.

- will always be supportive and in your corner, even if I don't agree with what you are doing.

- will be there to pick you up and even carry you if the need arises.

- will cook for you on occasion. :)

- will sing for you (if you are really lucky).

I hope to hear from you soon. Take a chance, take a chance... (yes, Abba... don't judge me!)

 Now ladies, we all know the perfect man died a few 1000 years ago, on a cross, for our sins, so I know perfection is hard to find but a guy that has 90% of what I am looking for is someone to take note of, right?

But what about my dating hiatus? Well I figured I'd send him a quick message, just a quick HI and that would be it. Trust me, I was not expecting to hear anything back.

But the next day he emailed me...

To Be Continued....