// Last (Wo)Man Standing //

This last weekend, my little sister got married. I am so happy for her. The guy she married is the bomb diggity and the wedding was awesome. Despite the torrential downpour of rain, everything was beautiful and couldn't have been more perfect. My mum made a traditional English fruitcake, organized for a Scottish bagpiper to come and play some songs, and also pinned Bridget with our family tartan. After visiting England and Scotland (find that trip here) last year, it was really special to us to honor our heritage.  

Here are some pictures from the wedding snapped on my iPhone and a couple from my camera. 

 (from wedding dinner the night before)

(the funniest sisters that ever lived) 

(these babes waiting for the couple to come outside) 

(anth and bridge walking outside)

(cutest naked cake ever)

(Scottish bagpipes)

(always the bridesmaid, never the bride) 

(Bridget and her bridesmaids)

Now that Bridget is married, that means I'm the last one to find "the one" in my family. Yikes. At the reception, I got a lot of "you're next" comments. And while that is true, it won't be happening next year. (You're welcome Mom and Dad for not having pay for three weddings in three years.)  I still can't seem to get to the second date part of dating. 

Last month I went on what I thought was an awesome date. I got set up by a friend and am super thankful for having gone on a date that actually went well! Conversation was great, food was great, and the guy was cute. He seemed to be having a good time too. So after the date I sent him a PDT (post date text) to tell him thanks for the great time and we should do it again sometime. I thought that was a good enough indicator that I wanted to go out again. I consulted with one of my guy friends about the date and he said if I hadn't heard from him by a specific date that same week, I should text him and ask about a project he was working on. So, by the date I was given I hadn't heard from him, so I text the guy. I asked about the project. The guy responded and asked me questions and the conversation was totally normal and fine. Again, his response to the text messages seemed like he was interested. Even with all the right indicators of him being interested, I still didn't hear from him again. I kind of felt bummed about it for awhile. But then I thought, you know what? At least I know that I can still go on fun dates! And that I can still have chemistry with someone. So I'm ready for another date with someone. If it leads somewhere, great! If it doesn't, that's fine too.

While I am the last Buckner to get married, I'm just going to take my sweet time. It stresses me out from time to time, I'm not going to let it get me down. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'd rather be happily single than miserably married. My sister Bridget found someone who loves her to death, Sarah found someone who makes her happy, and Nick found someone perfect for him. The odds that I'll find someone are in my favor. So until then, I'll keep you all updated with the fun, the weird, and the disastrous dates I go on. 

Crazy Cat Lady in the Making

In the fast paced world of the 21st century, online dating seems to be solution. People don't meet others the old school way. Girls don't lock eyes with a cute guy in class who then asks for your name. People don't meet at parties and laugh awkwardly around the punch bowl. Instead, everyone is glued to a phone, checking IG, updating Facebook status', or tweeting.  So how do people meet others today?  Online. But therein lies the problem.

Online seems to be the way to go. It's so simple to "meet" someone with the same likes and interests. All it takes is paying some money, answering a few simple questions,  and waiting for a result: meeting somebody. I am the first to admit it. I'm on a few of these sites myself.  As I am the last in my family to meet "the One". I'm the one standing alone in family pictures. I hear the clock ticking and the count down is on.

"Hi, I'm liz. I like working out and eating Mexican food."

Is that really all someone online needs to know about me? No. There is much more to me than liking Mexican food. Humans are much more complex than what they are online. We get to hide behind a facade, an ideal image of ourself that we like to project in the hope of reeling someone in.  If my time on dating websites has taught me anything, it has taught me that not everyone is who he appears to be online. 

I have come up with five non negotiables as a result of my experience with online dating. It makes weeding out the creepy scumbags easier and narrows the search to the real gems.  The reason for the five non negotiable is to make sure that I  stay true to myself and don't give away something of value for something that is convenient. 

My Five Non-Negotiables 

1. Respects me/his parents. In my own experience I've learned that how a man treats his family is probably how he is going to treat me. If he respects his parents, he will respect me. The relationship he has with his parents/family is an insight into how I can expect my relationship to be. I want to be in a loving, respectful relationship. It's a no brainer, right?

2. Spiritual, but not crazy (like someone who tells me he's received a revelation and we're going to Colorado City to start a new colony.)  The kind of spirituality I want is someone who shows that he is serious about his religion and his relationship with God.  I'm LDS, so I want someone who honors his priesthood and not just on Sundays. I  need someone who will be able to lead and be an example to our children. But it has to be balanced. Yes, he might be a worthy priesthood holder, but if he sits around all day and only read scriptures... well... we're gonna have a long talk. This leads me into my next non negotiable.

3. Hard working/ambitious. I need a man who will be able to provide for me and future family. I am totally for both of us working, but if I'm the only one working while my husband plays video games in the basement of his mom's house and can't hold down a job, we're going to have a problem. We live in a world where too many guys seem to be still in their teens. They don't have any ambition or focus. They have been coddled to the point where working a hard job is something they just don't do. My parents have taught me the importance of having a job. To pay bills. I don't need to marry a doctor or a lawyer. Status doesn't mean anything to me. What matters to me is having a job, getting up and going to work, and being committed to making it work. 

4. Honesty. Yeah, it seems simple. But if a guy is willing to tell a small lie, it's an indicator that he is  more likely to lie about something bigger. Honesty is sometimes hard to hear, but I'd much rather hear the truth than lied to. The truth always comes out in the end.

5. Sense of humor. I need someone who can laugh. Even during hard times. Life is not always roses and butterflies and it's nice to have someone to help see the light at the end of the tunnel when life gets rough. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to marry the class clown, but someone who can keep me laughing will have my heart. 

Online dating has proved to me the importance of friendship. Love can't be forced.  Love forms over time.  A few common interests won't make a marriage work.   What goes in is what goes out. What I want is to meet someone the old fashioned way. But until that happens, I'll keep keepin' on. Trying my luck on the inter web but never giving up on my non-negotiables. If I can't have all of those, then one day I'll have a nice house and a few cats. 

// According to IG //

My life according to IG in the month of June has been fun! I cut off 8 inches of hair. Gave Sarah an awesome baby shower. Caught up with old friends over lunch. Attended a wedding. Spent time with my awesome cousin. Got to hang out with my nephew several times. ANNND my sister got engaged to a pretty cool dude. Not pictured: Seven Peaks and a night of fireworks. 

Not only has June been a busy social month, I've also been working my butt off at work. Sleep has been an unknown thing to me. So I had the last 4 days off in a row and I spent them all sleeping in and being lazy around the house. It was wonderful!  

This weekend I'm going on a date. It's a semi blind date because I had a friend say, this is Tom (I changed the name to keep it annonymous) and I want to set you up. Tell me if you think he is cute! So I said yes to the date, although I can't tell from his pictures if he's cute or not... Guess I'll find out on Saturday. I will update my fans later next week on how it goes. 

In the mean time, have an amazing time celebrating 'Murica! Don't blow up houses or burn anything down. You know what? Maybe just stay inside where it's safe.