The Dating Game: Types of Guys

The dating game...something we can ALL relate to. College is the greatest dating scene of all time...mainly because there are single males everywhere you look. Now, I've been the single girl for awhile...aren't you proud? In "Ending the Cycle" I described breaking the cycle of ALWAYS having a boyfriend. & here I am! Sure, I've met boys here and there but the inevitable always drives me away: I get bored. I don't know why this happens. But, it does. Perhaps my expectations are too high, but after 6 years of dating, I think they should be. I just need to find the type of guy that is for ME. It's not that I've stuck to one type of boy either. I've dabbled in all types, which is why I decided to put my experiences on paper (or on post rather)...

The Frat Boy:

Let me make a confession- I don't know one single person who I hang out on the regular who isn't Greek. Which in turn means, I've dated my fair share of frat boys.

Pros:

The Frat Boy knows how to have a good time and dull moments will be rare

All his friends are your friends

Double the formals & Date-nights

Frat parties are pretty fun.. especially if you have a fratslam

They love to be Greek just as much as I do & understand Greek Life

Cons:

Boys. That's exactly what they are. Men? Not even close

They believe they deserve more than one woman at all times (Dear Frat Boy, you're cool, but you aren't THAT freakin' cool)

Dates consist of hanging with his bros (can I call that a date?)

Their life revolves around three things: themselves, parties, their "bros"

The Hippie:

I wish I understood my attraction to hippie guys. Perhaps it's the way they go with the flow? For whatever reason, I have had my fair share of hippie phases (which my dad absolutely HATED)

Pros:

Great music, concerts, and dinner dates

Fights? Never. A hippie guy doesn't want to fight. It's all about the love.

All the hippies I have dated shower me with compliments...all.the.time.

Cons:

Those dreds have to go (ugh.)

The ponchos need to go also (if the hippie had a fashion sense, I'd be all over that)

So.Many.DRUGS. (seriously? Can you be sober for like....ten seconds?)

The Mormon:

The University of Utah has three types of guys: RMs (50%), Married (35%), Other (15%)...which means...the Mormon guy is EVERYWHERE...

Pros:

They won't be dating a million girls...only you (cough...frat boy)

These boys are so sweet & nice

Many are Returned Missionaries..which means they have learned to live on their own & have tons of stories to tell

The best kind to take home to mom!

Cons:

Three months and you want to talk marriage? (See ya later...)

If I hear ONE more mission story....(10 stories in 30 minutes is a BIT much)

Favorite topic: The future!

The questions they ask on the first date: "how many kids do you want?" "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" "Why did you and your last bf break up?" (SERIOUSLY?)

They are pretty behind in their education (they did serve a mission for 2 years)

The Athlete:

I'm a sucker for a good bod and a passion for working out. Who isn't?

Pros:

Did I mention their amazing bodies?

Active fun dates: running, batting cages, soccer, going to the gym

They aren't texting you every second of everyday (hello..they have practice, games, & working out to do)

Watching your man play a professional sport? HOT.AS.HELL.

Cons:

The Athlete is gone A LOT during the season (although I would count this as a pro as well...)

Groupies? MANY.

He expects you to understand the game, rules, standings, etc. (No...I didn't see the game. Gossip Girl was on...sorry!)

Location. They move around a lot which means you aren't driving distance away (again, I could use this as a pro)

You won't be his top priority. (yet, this passion for the game is a turn on for me...)

The Law/Med School Student:

I've only dated two of these in my life...so this description may not be accurate. I'll go from personal experience..

Pro:

He's smart which means he has a bright future

Need help with your homework? BINGO

He doesn't have too much time, so when he does it makes it count (awesome dates/conversation)

Cons:

Busy, Busy, Busy

Some of these guys think they are smarter than you...hey I don't care what salt is made of?! k?

They are stressed out a lot

The guys I have dated lack humor (DEAL BREAKER)

The Older Guy:

I've only dated one guy younger than me (he was a hippie...sigh) other than that I date guys older than me. I dated one guy 13 years older than me (I was 18, he was 30), which even now I cannot believe I did. Since John (name has been changed) I've dated a few guys 5-10 years older than me. But I'm a huge fan. Here's why...

Pros:

This guy has an established career, home, etc. and knows what he wants in life.

BEST DATES EVER (I'm not even kidding. This guy knows where to take you to have a good time)

The conversation is intelligent, interesting, and REAL (the other guys have yet to develop this quality)

They are gentlemen (generous, courteous, caring...heck they even open doors!) Chivalry is not dead for this type

Cons:

When you were in middle school...he was in college...weird (I just don't think about it)

The generation gap can get you a bit (What do you mean you don't know what Twitter is?)

They get serious pretty fast (Not as bad as the Mormon Guy however..)

You may feel a bit unsuccessful compared to them (hello! you are!) which can be a bit disheartening (I'm used to being way more successful than the boys I date)

The Metro Guy:

He takes 30 minutes longer than you to get ready. And those shoes? Fabulous! I don't have too many Pros about this type...but I'll try to squeeze some out...

Pros:

Their sense of humor is pretty girly also (which is fun because it's like that of your girlfrineds!)

Shopping with the boyfriend just got a whole lot better!

Cons:

Seriously...your outfit is better than mine. Ew.

I don't even pluck my eyebrows....and he does.....

I like manly men. I hate feeling like I'm dating a chick

Tanning (SERIOUSLY?) tanning???

You can't wear sweats with no make-up when you run to the store with him. When is it ever okay for the guy to look better than me? NEVER.

Please see description above in picture!!! (hahahaha)

What I've learned from these many, many failed "relationships" is that my perfect guy is a bit of all of the above (okay the metro can be thrown out. I like my men manly....). Thank goodness I have many years to continue the search (Hey! I'm only 21!!)

What do you think? I know I missed a few...fill me in!

Believing Christ

For those of you who don't know, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (yes, I'm Mormon). I don't usually blog about spiritual matters. I find it to be difficult because it can be so controversial. However, today I'm going to overcome that fear. Most of this is due a girl I recently met on 20SB, Jamie. Her blog is called Spread Your Wings & Fly (check it out. you won't regret it) She blogs about her life but includes a variety of spiritual matters. To be honest, I was inspired. Her posts gave me courage. So before I chicken out, I'm going to blog about my current feelings.

On the plane ride home from Colorado I finished a book my bishop had given me to read. When he passed it on to me, I figured I would skim through to get the general idea of the book and report back. I certainly didn't think I would get captivated and read the book word for word.

The book he gave me was Believing Christ by Stephen Robinson. Not only was it enlightening, thought provoking, and encouraging, but I actually enjoyed reading it.

There are so many wonderful concepts in this book, I don't even know where to start. The main topic was grace/being saved by grace. It was about the atonement and repentance- something that I recently have dealt with a great deal. I could relate. Stephen does a wonderful job of making sense & getting his point across. His stories are ones that I could relate too. He knew his audience & spoke right to their hearts (well mine at least)

I'll stop rambling about how amazing this book was and give you a sneak peak of what the content was like:

"However the Lord does say to us, 'Given your present circumstances and your present level of maturity, you're doing a decent job. Of course it's not perfect, but your efforts are acceptable for the time being. I am pleased with what you've done."

"God knows our circumstances, and he judges us accordingly. He knows who is standing in a hole and who is standing on a chair, and he does not just measure height-he measures growth"

"According to the scriptures [Jesus] knows more of the dark side than any of us. In fact, he knows more about pain, grief, loneliness, contradiction, shame, rejection, betrayal, anguish, depression, and guilt than all of us combined"

These are random, I know, but for some reason each one of these passages stuck out to me. I'm certainly not perfect. I have had my struggles with the commandants and staying on the right path. I was inactive for my first year and a half of college to experience "normal life," so I told myself. I felt held back by the LDS church. I wanted to be free of expectations. I wanted to be rebellious. I wanted to make decisions based on what I wanted at the time-what do they call it? instant gratification? Yeah, I wanted that. I'm not mad at myself for this decision. I would never take back the experiences I had or the mistakes I made. In a way, they made me who I am today. Now I KNOW what I want. I KNOW who I want to be. I've learned for myself that the church is true-for that I am grateful. My testimony of the church is mine and mine alone. I've been on both sides of the spectrum. & I have no regrets. I've lived and experienced so much-all which have lead me to the conclusion that life with Christ, the gospel, and the LDS church makes me happier. Happy-there isn't another word. I feel peaceful & happy when I think of the life I'm living now.

Ok, back to the book...

What I love about this book is the reassurance that I'm not alone. Christ is there and knows everything I am going through, all the time. The book stresses the unconditional love the Savior has for us. No matter what we do- no matter how far we stray or how much we neglect him- he is always there with open arms.

I am so thankful for Him. I am so thankful for the atonement.