For Whom the Bell Tolls (a post On Weddings)

I'm a pretty practical person. I am thrifty and I like a bargain. I like things to make sense and for decisions to be logical. I don't like massive shows of emotion. They make me uncomfortable.

BUT

In 65 days I will put on an expensive ivory dress that I will wear one time only. I will spend hours getting primped and I will finally walk down the aisle to become The Lieutenant's wife. The celebration has taken 8 months to plan but will last only a couple of hours

...and I'm super excited.

So what is it about this wedding that throws my usual practicality out the window and causes me to become a person who cries without warning and maintains a countdown in my head? I guess I've got a romantic side.

But the thing is, my countdown is not really about the wedding. It's about what comes after. It's about having someone who loves me enough to want me around for forever. It's about knowing that person will always be there because he is dependable and trustworthy. It's about knowing that even though things will not be perfect, they will always be OK because whatever happens, we will work it out together. To me, THAT'S romantic.

And I, for one, can't wait.

On Becoming A Lady of Leisure

As a 20-something girl in the full time work force, I have found the 9-to-5 (or in my case 8-to-5) world to be most disappointing. As I told The Lieutenant recently, my new aspiration in life is to become a Lady of Leisure. There are several supporting reasons for this decision noted below:

1. When faced with a choice between work and leisure, I always choose leisure- a value that every Lady of Leisure must uphold.
2. A Lady of Leisure should be always occupied, but never busy. For instance: I have several dozen craft ideas in various stages of completion. Because of my constant inspiration, I will always be occupied. Because of my wonderful lack of follow-through, I will never be busy. 
3. Everyone knows that a Lady of Leisure must have, at best, a voracious appetite for books- at least a mild interest in the current events and the news. I happen to be a fantastic reader and can finish an interesting book within record time. This talent should not be overlooked.
4. Obviously a Lady of Leisure must not have children, as children are the anthithesis of leisure. I do not have children, therefore I am an excellent candidate

Obstacles to said goal (and my plans to overcome them) are as follows:

• A true Lady of Leisure should be independently wealthy or have a wealthy benefactor, therefore freeing her to enjoy whatever pastime she sees fit. I unfortunately have neither, but am currently looking into whether a hard-working husband can be substituted.
• The social stigma of being well-educated yet unemployed: I believe that this misunderstanding can be cleared up by simply explaining my situation to the interested parties. I find that in this time of economic unrest it is only fair that I (who have no desire to work) allow my job to be bestowed upon one of those souls who are unhappily unemployed. Therefore, my becoming a lady of leisure is for the greater good.

I am convinced that when faced with these facts, The Lieutenant will have no other option than to see the sense in my decision.

On The Follow Through

I have found in this blog, and in many other life endeavors, a fundamental truth about myself as a person.

I suck on the follow-through.

I have good ideas and at times I'm quite good at implementing them. A lot of times, though, I have a tendency to hop from one good idea to another without actually finishing anything.

This is an area where I need improvement, and this blog is practice.

After all, we all have room to improve.

On Wives & Lies (How I feel about Mormonism: Part 1)

WARNING: this post may be deemed controversial and is not exactly light reading. 

Want to learn something about me?

I'm a self-educated Mormon scholar.

Let me explain. I am a Christian and I am not a Mormon. (Although Mormons also describe themselves as Christians- more on that in another post). Nevertheless, I have developed a burning curiousity about this odd religion. We can blame it on the fact that while I was in college I dated guy who was Mormon. Or maybe the fact that I used to drive around the Washington DC beltway and wonder what purpose of the huge, white Mormon DC Temple was.

The thing is, it seems innocuous enough on the surface. I attended ward meetings (church) with said Ex-Boyfriend and it was interesting, but not terribly different than other church meetings. That is until I started reading up on church history and the tenets of their belief system. 

For those who are completely unfamiliar here's the (very, VERY basic) background: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or "LDS") follows the teachings of Joseph Smith, who was "led by god" to a set of buried golden plates from which he translated the Book of Mormon (which was supposed to be a new testament of Jesus, supplemental to the Bible). His followers (Mormons) traveled west and settled in what is now Utah.

You may have noticed that Mormons have been in the news lately- the raid of the Fundamentalist LDS compound in Texas got a lot of publicity a few years ago and just last week the former "Prophet" of that compound was convicted on two counts of sexual assault of underage girls. What you may not know is that the "modern" LDS church does not recognize these "Fundamentalists" as being Mormons. The modern LDS church holds that this "breakaway sect" is misguided and not led by the true Prophet (think Pope of the LDS church)- basically they've gone astray.

It's statements like this that bother me:
"The FLDS, which has at least 10,000 members, is a radical offshoot of mainstream Mormonism and believes polygamy brings exaltation in heaven." (from The Washington Post article on Warren Jeffs' conviction.)

The thing is, if you look at LDS church history, there is nothing radical about the idea of plural marriage, marriage to young girls or the idea that having multiple wives is the way to please God.

BYU, the University sponsored by the modern LDS church is named after Brigham Young- a guy who had 55 wives, some who were taken from their previous husbands to be married to him. Did I mention this guy was the "President" (again, think Pope) of the Mormon Church at the time? He is still revered as a historical church leader who was instrumental in shaping the early LDS church.

A "Fundamentalist" is someone who goes back to the basics- in this case, back to the teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

The teaching of plural marriage was abandoned by the Mormon church in 1890, when the Church President experienced a divine revelation that plural marriage should cease. This revelation (known as "The Manifesto") conveniently put an end to the Mormon's disagreements with the U.S. Government and allowed Utah to become a state. Doctrines and teachings were adjusted accordingly.
 
If you want to be honest, the modern LDS church is the offshoot, not the compound-dwelling child abusers. They're living the real thing, the way it was intended to be.

Think about it.

For the full article on Warren Jeffs conviction, click here

On Books: Mere Christianity

This book is powerful.

I read this book for the first time last year and I'm going to read it again soon. From start to finish, it is a well-thought out explanation of Christianity from a philosophical point of view. I think it's important to note here that Lewis was at one point an athiest. I also think it is important that Lewis addresses only the true essence of Christianity, without taking space to address the differences and arguments that often exist between different Christian churches or denominations. It addresses Christianity in the most basic sense.

My favorite part about this book is that it's written for the layman. There is no haughty theological language or anything that the average person wouldn't understand. It's also not riddled with "church speak" (the "Christian" vocabulary people raised in church are indoctrinated with from a young age).

This book really challenged and changed me. It caused me to pause and think about what I truly believe. I began to draw distinctions between my personal experiences with God and things I believed simply because I had heard it from a pastor somewhere at one point. Christianity is special because it is personal. It is the only religion I know of that allows man and God to commune and have a relationship: a friendship. It is a shame that the one thing that sets Christianity apart is the thing that is often missing when Christianity is taught.

This is a good book, regardless of what your personal spiritual beliefs are. It is well written and I would suggest it to anyone who is interested in the basis of Christian beliefs- regardless of their personal stance on the truth of Christianity. It's worth reading.

Really.