Dating NonMormons

I live in Rogers, Arkansas. Home of the beautiful Ozark Mountains, birthplace of WalMart, and I love it. I didn't always love it. I dreamed of leaving my home, traveling to discover the mysteries behind Brigham Young University-Idaho, and as soon as I graduated-I did just that. I packed my bags, waived out my parents suburban, and we journeyed West (I refuse to believe that was 6 years ago. SIX!!). Once there, I realized how awesome Arkansas truly was. I missed it terribly, constantly begged my parents to let me come home, then reluctantly agreed to stay far longer than I planned. Don't get me wrong. I loved the atmosphere: it was a lot like Christmas! Everyone was happy, devotionals were inspiring, the boys were kinda funny looking (but hey, it's Idaho!), and the weather was atrocious. I can't say enough bad things about the weather so I will not discuss that. By the time my Sophomore year rolled around, I was one of the "older" girls (summer semester). You know, the one who hadn't somehow gotten herself engaged and married. Looking back I would totally slap all of those girls in the face (the mean ones, not the super nice sweet girls I dearly love!!) and say "we are 19 years old for Heaven's sake!! there is no rush!!!"

(*I know many wonderful women who married at this age and this post is not meant to hurt their feelings. It's only meant to hurt the feelings of those girls who also weren't married at 19 but were really mean and had boyfriend slaves. More about that later)

Anyhow, we all know how my happily-ever-after crashed and burned. We also know that I'm fighting the urge to become an angry, bitter woman at the ripe age of 24.

I digress. Anyhow, now I have found myself in the nook of America's best kept secret. You should be thankful I'm writing about how amazing Arkansas is because I don't want you to move here. I know it sounds snobbish BUT if you move here, our population will grow and NWA will cease to be the cute little hub it currently is. Sorry, I'm not good at sharing. It's always been a weakness of mine. I can always share my food, my house, and definitely clean towels. I will not share: my boyfriends, car, or bed with anyone besides Max.

NWA also has many eligible bachelors my age here. They are handsome. They have AMAZING careers and they're on my intellectual level (can I say that? Oh well). I like having discussions outside of homemaking. I like a man who respects my hard work and awknowledges that I am an equal in the work place. I THOUGHT I liked all of these things. THEN my biological clock started ticking louder than I have ever heard it IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. Children everywhere seemed to torture me. It's true. I may or may not have looked at your child on Sunday and wanted to kidnap him. My answer for doing so would have been "It's not my fault! My hormones made me do it!!" ... I don't think that would have gotten me far in court.

So what is my dilemma?? I decided three months ago not to date nonMormons. Um, yeah that sounds like a great idea except there are hardly any LDS guys here! Brilliant idea Ruby! Why did I decide this? Oh well, I dated a really attractive, smart, ambitious, hardworking (ugh, it's making me sick to just list his hot commodity traits) and I felt a "spark." Heaven only knows how long it's been since I've felt any form of "spark." The minor detail was that: I don't have premarital relations (hey we can kiss!!) and I have a word of wisdom (he was actually pretty good about this and thought it was cool that I didn't do certain things). Even if he thought my convictions were cool and he was respectful, I was not cool enough to have him hang around to make me his girlfriend. In the long run, it probably wouldn't (ok it definitely wasn't going to) have worked out. But I was still scarred nontheless. Maybe more scared than scarred. I had a fabulous time being myself and having fun conversations but there is a spiritual level that I need filled. I like talking about my calling, my testimony, how I converted to the LDS church. I have always liked the idea of having a worthy Patriarch in my home who will help me with our children because he wants to help and understands the roles of families. It eats at me sometimes that I have made this choice because there are kind men out there who just lack the religion subject. I have rationalized in my head that I can find someone who will convert because he feels the Spirit and not because he thinks it's what I want him to do.
Should I? My friends- should I put a label on the guys I go out with just because they don't share my faith? Am I being selfish when I refuse to go out with someone who doesn't believe the same way I do?

I know there are worthy men in our church. I know some really good ones! My father is one of them, my best friend Brianna and my Sissy are married to one and her father is an excellent Patriarch as well; there's just a part of me that is skeptical. I guess maybe I worry about every finding the "right" one for me... Should I rationalize what I've always known to be true for true love?? Or do I wait? Wait for what seems an eternity in the hopes that a righteous, handsome, tall, dashing LDS man falls from the sky on my front lawn?

I think we all know the answer to this one...