Day 9

Ugh. Online rejection is not as crappy as "real life" rejection, but it's still pretty crappy. I sent a little ice breaker to 2 people- 1 closed the match and the other saw it and didn't reply. Granted, there is WAY less at stake here than making first move with the person behind a computer screen, but it still sucks.
I think I want to stick with the don't-make-first-contact policy, but then this stupid quote popped in my head- "Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."
Ugh.

Day 8... I think...

I'm beginning to think this is a stretch. Or maybe boys are a lot slower than I am.

This is the first day I haven't had any new matches! But, I'm thinking at 80 people I may be exhausting my resources. However, none of those 80 have followed up on communication. Yes, unfortunately that means cute cowboyish, etc. boy never had that chat with me.

Funny realization! I noticed that I can see who has viewed my profile, and realized I probably look like a creeper because I like to go back and look at people's profile and show them to my mother and they all have access to that information. Oops...

So, I thought I wanted to refrain from making contact first. Thoughts?

P.S. I was asked AT LEAST 4 times today if I'm married/had kids/why not. Yay.

Day 5!!!!

Um, HELLO!!! Super cute, cowboyish, guitar-playing, Christian boy "wants to chat." I'm down!!! Stay tuned!!!!

Day 4

I dislike being mean, but I've made an observation. Out of the 70 something matches I've received, about 9 have communicated with me so far, but they're guys I wouldn't really go for in "real life."
How important do you think it is to be physically attracted to a potential date/partner/ whatever you want to call it?

Day 2-3

The scientist in me is coming out. I want to look at this site I'm using and crunch numbers- haha! Here goes: I've been matched with 68 people so far and about half of them have viewed my profile. 9 of those 32 have sent me icebreaker questions. (Yes I realize 32 is not half of 68, hence the word "about.") And I have a strategy :)
At this point, I'm pretty much answering everybody's questions and trying not to judge them based on a goofy online profile. I was discussing with my dad that a person can be anyone or anything they want to be online and I wouldn't want someone making snap judgements about me based on about 10 things I've posted on the internet. So, this is all about being open-minded. Not to mention patient. Apparently these guys don't answer as quickly as some of us...
If we're being completely real, I'm still not taking this whole thing very seriously. It almost feels like a big game or joke, but an expensive one! Then I think about who is on the other end of this deal, and it's no game or joke to play with people's hearts and hopes. I'm still praying about how this all works and how it will go, so stay tuned!

And So It Begins

I'm getting old. I just turned 24 yesterday and my biological clock is ticking apparently. I would love to get married and have a family but it's looking less and less likely at this point in my life, so I've put a lot of thought into online dating.

I used to laugh hysterically at the online dating commercials and think, "Wow, desperate." Then I moved back to Odessa after college. Slim pickings. I love Jesus, so I'm looking for a man who loves Jesus more than he will love me. Problem is, I also love my church and there are about zero single men my age there. I also work at a very small school with no single men. So, I pretty much have no opportunity to meet single guys because the bar scene is not really my thing.

I'm a bit conflicted because I'm pretty sure God is big enough to bring me whoever He has for me whenever He's ready, but curiosity got the best of me. I made an account on a very publicized dating site and discovered that there are nice guys in my general vicinity that I probably would never meet otherwise. So, I sought the counsel of my parents and a couple of very trusted friends, paid for the subscription, and here we go! One of my advisers suggested I blog about my experience, so that's what I'm doing.

Day 1
Over the last week or 2 I have been matched with about 60 men, and have received icebreaker questions from about 7 of them. There are a wide variety of guys- lots of military and ministry and pretty much all of them claim to know and love Jesus. Some of them are musicians, most of them are sports enthusiasts, and a lot of them seem pretty fun.

I'm feeling pretty optimistic and wondering where all of this will go.
We shall see!

it's late

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin,but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: 'They hated me without a cause.'

26"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning." John 15: 18-27

To be really short and sweet, because I haven't really processed it all yet, I tire of Christians who think that our journey with Christ is a walk in the park. He suffered to save us and grant us salvation, and we think our lives are suddenly supposed to be easy. I wonder if we think we're somehow entitled to a life with no real burdens or pain. Not so. This passage is proof that we will face hard times, but our suffering is for His glory and our good. (I stole that last bit from my college pastor...) I won't pretend to know what that looks like, but I'll stand (ok, sit) here as a testimony and say that the worst times in my life have been the times of the most growth. Those are the moments when the Lord tells me, "Let Me handle this; I can do more with it than you can." Those are the moments I know that He is good and faithful, all the time. It's in those moments that I know His love.

(I'll ponder this some more and get back to it...)