What I'm Looking For

It's never good to have a list - that's something I've been told more than once and with great vehemence. If you've got a list, you could miss out on an amazing man, just because he isn't what you thought you were looking for.

I get that, I really do. But I also know this: marriage is hard enough as it is. You've got to know what your deal-breakers are so you don't end up in a relationship that's harder than it needs to be. And you have to have standards! I've learned that the hard way.

Here's the important stuff - things I think of when I imagine the man I will someday marry:
First and foremost, he will have a strong testimony of the gospel, especially the Atonement. He'll have to understand and appreciate that I am the person I am because of what I've done and been through.

He'll have a current temple recommend and honor his priesthood. He'll be dependable and mature but have a good sense of humor. He'll treat his mother with love and respect. He'll want children, and he'll be willing to make Roo and her family a part of our lives.

Finally, he'll accept that this is the body I've got, and this is what it's supposed to look like. I've had these hips since I was eleven years old. They're not going to get any smaller. Even at my thinnest, I had ... I believe the vernacular is a "ghetto booty." I'm okay with that. He will be too.

The less important things - a few ideas I've had floating around in my head:

I'd like him to be a few years older than me (but no more than 6 or 7 years older). I like a man who can tell a good story. And I can't imagine liking a man who doesn't like baseball. And while I'm not looking for a guy who's made horrible life choices, I think that life experience is important. It teaches patience and maturity.

I prefer an interesting face to one that is classically handsome.

My husband will love Roo. That's a deal-breaker. If he doesn't dig the level of openness in Roo's adoption, he's gone.