The "Feminization" of Men

"He's so emotional." 

"He's a little too in touch with his feminine side." 

"There are no good guys out there. They're either the 'bad boys' or 'verging on gay.' Why can't I just find a good guy?" 

"Where have all the real men gone?"

My friends.... You asked them to be more like women!! 

"I don't want you to fix it, I just want you to listen!"

"Why can't you be more romantic honey?"

"Why can't you be more sensitive?" 

"You never talk to me, what are you thinking about?"

Women have confused the heck out of Men!

Women have started to act more like men and it all started with the feminist movements in 1848. Although the first convention dealt with women having the right to vote (which I am completely for), the feminist movements eventually became about equality in the business world, and women having the capability of doing everything a man can do. And in turn, women have forced men to start having female emotional qualities. 

Can women do everything a man can do? Sure. Should they? No. 

I sometimes wonder why on earth females get offended when the guy opens the car door for them, or holds the door, or offers to carry something for her. What is so offensive about that? He's not saying you can't do it. He's being a gentleman, and not making you do it.

So again, the question is raised: "Where have all the real men gone?" 

God created men and women to be different, for different purposes. He gave men certain qualities, and women equally important, but different, qualities. If men and women were created the same, good Lord in Heaven, we'd have a boring world. 

Think about it this way. A group of 10 executives are working on improving their company. However, all 10 executives were brought up in the exact same community, they grew up going to church, school, daycare, etc., TOGETHER. Their family mindset is the same, their values are the same, beliefs are the same. Because of the nature of their background, the executives cannot move forward with the improvements. There are no new ideas brought to the table, no new perspectives to glean from, no "outside experience." STALEMATE. 

Newsflash: Men & Women are supposed to be different! 

Someone told me the other day that she can talk to her boyfriend for over 3 hours on the phone. Why on earth would you want to do that? I can understand if you don't see each other very often, long distance relationships, school breaks, etc. But EVERY DAY?! When do you get everything else done in your life? I sometimes wonder how much of the talking he actually does... 

Men are not talkative beings. They don't need it, nor do they bond by verbal communication. Women however, crave conversation, they thrive off it. To women, a 3 hour phone conversation could mean that a man is extremely interested in her. To men, it might just mean he wasted 3 hours on the phone.  

Instead of having girlfriends who fill our need for conversation, and the emotional sides of our lives, we have molded men to fit into that role now. 

But men, you're not off the hook either. It all started with Sadie Hawkins and her dad. I'm sure you've heard the story... women have started to take over the dating world. And men, you've sat back and allowed them to do so. Some women believe they have the right to ask a guy out. But then where do the roles reverse? "If she asks, then she pays. But if she pays, does she pick you up? Does she get you at your front door? Where does it end -- when she carries you over the threshold? When do you become the man so she gets back to being the woman -- when she gets pregnant? It won't work. Take back your manhood and find a woman to ask out." 

Yes, girls can be pushy and very assertive when getting a guy. BUT, if men stepped up their game, maybe the roles wouldn't need to be reversed. Afraid of rejection? Don't be! So one girl doesn't want to go out with you. Take a step back, and revise the way you asked her, and try again with someone else! There are 6 billion people in the world. One of them is bound to accept the date ;) 

So where have all the real men gone? We've made them disappear, fade into the woodwork, and smothered them

"The truth is guys, that every woman, whether she will admit it or not, wants to be chased. It's as ancient as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Women have a deep desire to be so beautiful that men would search the ends of the earth for them, fight for them, and yes, even risk rejection for them. Nothing is more attractive to a woman than a man she's interested in being sure enough of himself to ask her out." (Haley DiMarco, Marriable). 

On the Brink

It has been a crazy week... like my best friend said.... my life is a sitcom.

This week so far has been awesome and challenging. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. I've been able to get up and go to the gym every morning, do my devotions, and then spend the day at the lake reading and swimming. Idyllic right? Some things happened today that made me realize... I'm standing on the brink... on the brink of something new. Something awesome. Something that I cannot even imagine.

What it is?

I have no clue.


This morning I was getting ready for my devotions, and the daily Bible verse that came to my phone was good, but for some reason I flipped to the book of Revelation. Why, I have no earthly idea. But God knew. This passage made me think about my future.

I know your deeds, that you have a name

that you are alive, but you are dead. 

Wake up and strengthen the things that remain, 

which are about to die; 

for I have not found your deeds completed

 in the sight of God. 

Revelation 3:1-2

I am not fully living yet, because I'm still working on doing His will. I know I'm on the right track, and in the right place, and finally I'm on HIS timetable instead of mine. In the last two weeks, God changed my entire plan, and I am now back to graduating in May of 2013 like I was originally supposed to. I had been praying for a cut and dry answer as to what I should do, and He answered. 

I'm so excited to see what my future is going to hold. Who is going to be in it, and where I will end up this time next year. Maybe I'll revisit this blog post and see what God has done in that time. He isn't finished with me yet. This summer with the children's ministry, I cannot wait to see how He is going to use me and work through me. 

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

I guess you could say this is going to be a random blog post with my ramblings while I'm sitting at work. A reflection over the past year I suppose...

This was the hardest most difficult year I've ever been through to say the least. It challenged me physically, emotionally, mentally, academically, and spiritually. I've grown so much this past year though, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I've met some amazing people, lost some people, and made some pretty legit new friends.

In August of 2011 I arrived back at school after vacation.... ready to dive right in to Junior year of nursing school. I was taking a peds class and doing clinicals in Richmond, VA at St. Mary's Hospital. I fell in love with the hospital and the people that work there. Potential job possibility? Maybe. I survived first semester by the skin of my teeth. That was academically. Emotionally and mentally I went through a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. Like I said... one of the hardest years I've ever been though. During that semester, I asked myself the question... Do you really fall in and out of love? Or does that love simply change? I'm still not sure if I know the answer to that question... if you've got any insight I'd love to hear it.

Because of some new friends that I made, I was able to try new things, see more of Lynchburg than I ever knew existed, and actually begin to feel like a college kid that got to have fun. So thank you, if you took part in any of those things. You know who you are, there are too many people to name.



Over Christmas break, I worked a crazy ton of hours. I think my last tally was 110 hours in 3 weeks. I did night shift, early morning shift, and anything in between. Now that I look back, I was nuts. But I loved it. I got to spend time with my family, and my little man, Ross. It never gets easier saying goodbye, but coming home is just that much sweeter because of him.

I got to spend a day in D.C. with a good friend, cooking, freezing our tails off walking around the city, and walking along the water in some sketch location. For about the course of a few days after I got home, I swear my life became a sit-com. The movie title 50 First Dates comes to mind... I'm not sure why though because I definitely didn't go on 50 dates!!! So many awkward stories and things happened, I can't even begin to tell. Some funny stories about old people and them trying to match-make come to mind.

96 year old lady: "Do you have any kids?"
Me: "Ummm no, I think I should probably have a boyfriend before that thought process happens."
96 year old lady: "Hmmph. You should get on that. My wheelchair van driver is single..."
He arrives and is like 30 something with a beer belly and balding... NO THANKS.

Coming back for second semester... I got to spend an entire week with my best friend taking a New Testament intensive. What a BLAST. We hung out with some pretty cool people, and had a ton of fun packed into the week before actual classes started. I also began my 2nd job that week, working with an elderly lady who has Alzheimer's disease. A challenge, but so rewarding. The semester started off with a bang, jumping right into clinicals in the Emergency Department where I fell in love with it!!! Had some crazy cool experiences with patients, level one traumas, and meeting some really awesome people, and also finding out some bad news during one of those clinicals. One of the lady's I did my CSER with for over a year had passed away... becasue of this news I got to feel the love and encouragement from my clinical group. Bonding with my clinical group was one of the best things ever. 

During this semester... somewhere right after Christmas... I got the brilliant idea to kill myself and graduate early. I was working two jobs, taking 17 credits, and was going insane. Everything was falling into place for me to graduate in December of 2012, 6 months early. I would have completed the nursing program in 3.5 years without transferring any credits in. Right before Spring Break some people walked into my life and some people walked out. Those people have become very dear to me, and have forever changed my life, the other people, are missing out. Spring Bring was an awesome experience with a road trip down to Florida with 4 amazing girls. We had such a blast, met some really neat people, and were completely sun-burnt and exhausted when we returned.

After Spring break, school returned to a semblance of normalcy, if you can call Nursing school "normal." I started long-boarding again, wrecked up a few times, but had a ton of fun. I've figured out I need to learn to carve... which basically means turn. I've got the scars to prove that I'm working on it. I pulled the first all-nighter of my college career. NEVER AGAIN. I say that now.... but it'll probably happen again. We sat and talked in a church breezeway, had a glow stick war, made and drank 3 pots of coffee, had homemade pancakes at 5am, then stayed up to be at work by 8am the next morning. It was exhausting, but I got to know a very special person a lot better that night, which made it all worth it, and I got coffee and a muffin out of the deal the next morning.

Next on the list was the SGA election for Student Body President and VP. I had such a fun time campaigning... even though it was early mornings... late nights... and no naps! Everyone's hard work paid off, and Chad & Josh won the election.



Since then, end of year tests are done, finals have come and gone, but God has gotten me through. I have moved 3 times this semester, and I'll be moving again in the next two weeks hopefully. I'm venturing out and trying something new, I'll be living on my own, in MY apartment. Scary, intimidating, terrifying, exhilarating, and exciting. I'm having so much fun planning out room arrangements and decorations. I sign the lease hopefully this coming week. On another note, over the past week or two I've been having second thoughts about graduating early. Was it really worth it? Would I miss out on my last year of college? All sorts of questions were running through my mind. I started taking it to God in prayer. I told him he'd have to make it really obvious if I wasn't supposed to graduate in December, because all the plans had been made. My schedule was chosen, classes were paid for, and everything was lined up. BUT God had other plans. As of right now I will be finishing nursing school in May of 2013 like I originally planned. And I'm ok with that, because its what God clearly showed me I'm supposed to be doing. He's going to use me right here in Lynchburg, and then I'll start off my career and the rest of my life on May 11, of 2013.

I'm excited to see who God is going to bring into my life in this next year. Which people will walk in, and which people will walk out of my life. The relationships I have right now with people, will they grow? Will they remain as they are? Will they turn into something more? I don't know, but He does. More importantly I'm excited to see how my relationship with Christ will grow and change.

I don't know what the future holds... but I know Who holds MY future.