Dialogue

At a YSA dance... for just a few minutes.

Mvob: This is why I lost interest in dances. I just don't like the attitude of the girls at these things.

Me: Do you know the girls here?

Mvob: Actually, I do know alot of them.

Me: How do you know their attitudes?

----

Later, in the car driving home.

Mvob: One thing I like about you is you really help to get me grounded sometimes. Snap me back into reality.

Me: (Making some sort of questioning silly face, or commenting about space aliens or something.)

Mvob: (after some babbling I don't remember) What I mean specifically was like at the dance when you reminded me that maybe I don't really know the girls there and I was just judging him.


Mvob responds well to feedback.
I have a tendency to give feedback.

Target

Regarding those lists people make about who they want to marry...

I was heavily influenced by a talk given by Gordon B. Hinckley in the General Relief Society Broadcast a year ago. He said two things which stood out to me, one of which I'm mentioned before; "Be an asset, rather than a liability, to a celestial marraige."

In addressing the young single women directly he said, "Aim high, but not so high you miss the target." I loved that. So this is my list... what IS that target? Here's what I think:

We aim for the center of the target. What's that center? I'd say what their life in centered on. The taget I want to aim for would be centered on Christ, and all the goodness that come with that as the real center. This would directly affect the next few rings of temple worthiness/attendance/worship, family values, and honoring his priesthood.

I know I had a few other rings in there in my original thoughts on this, but I don't remember them right now. Oh yeah, one of them was the ability to be an equal partner. Not a dependant, co-dependant, nor an abuser.

The outside rim, though, holding it all together is important. That would be faith in and to a relationship with you. No matter how qualified you think someone is to be a good companion to you, the arrows ain't gonna stick if you're throwing at a steel target. Don't waste your time there.

All those other things: looks, talents, interests, financial status, smarts, etc. etc. etc. are just the paint that makes that target initially attractive and make you want to take aim. They aren't, however, that core or backing that make the target something you can stick to.

And that, dear friends, is my wish list. I AM picky. I DO muse on the intelligence of Mvob. But when I look at things in life that truly matter to me, and those central aspects... Mvob holds up pretty good. He's not perfect - but neither am I (even though I'm pretty close... uh... right). I don't want to aim so high I miss the target.

People Change, or they Don't

You know how most people are one way around their family, another way around their friends, yet another way among strangers, different one on one, and yet different among acquaintances?

One of my favorite things about Mvob is that he's not. He's just as silly and quirky one on one as he in with strangers, with his family, or with my family this weekend. He did silly things all the time... just to make people laugh. For example, while visiting my parents last weekend, my dad pointed me and Mvob out to his stake president. So when the pres. came up to us and said "I heard a rumor that's you're her boyfriend," Mvob replied, "but you can't believe anything I say. It's all rumors, you see, I work for the National Enquirer." Huh? :) Or while we were getting gas in the car, (you can't pump your own gas in Oregon), the attendant said something about our Idaho license plate... Mvob says "Actually, we drove here from Scandinavia." Where does he get these things?

My aunt, who met Mvob this weekend as well, told me - "He's a good fit! Almost as quirky as you." She obviously doesn't know him well enough. I'd say he's even quirkier.

He likes being that way. When people tease him, he totally plays along, and gives them more reasons to tease him. Brohammes, you're a pro at teasing. You would have a lot of material to go on teasing him, and Mvob would pick up on it and just feed you more and more to go on.

But someone who doesn't change the way they are at all... to me, that says two things. #1, he's himself around me - and not afraid to be himself around anyone. #2, "Integrity, integrity, integrity." (Thanks JK's Grandma.)

Speaking of politics, I already voted! It's all vote by mail in Oregon. I did it last weekend. No, I won't tell you who I voted for you, but you can guess amongst yourselves. I'm currently wearing a Tshirt that initially said "VOTE, November 2nd." But I changed it to "I VOTED before November 2nd, have you?"