Really!?

I have to say, it's interesting being like the only single gal at these kind of aforementioned church functions. By now there's little that people do/say that's offensive, I'm pretty used to it. But good grief I have been asked if I have a man/kids quite a lot in the last few weeks! I found it to be rather amusing.

During the first day of camp there was a gal from one of the other wards that was sharing our tent platform at camp, I'd met her once before and didn't know her well. She'd brought her 3 year old girl to camp for the day. We're sitting there and out of the blue she asks "Do you have kids?"

"Um...No...."


"Really!?"

I cannot emphasize how high the last syllable of "Really!?" went up as she said that, it was so funny. At least to me.

"Really!? You don't have any kids?"

Why did she not believe me the first time? I really wanted to be a smart aleck and say "Yeah I'm pretty sure I haven't pushed a watermelon out of my body, but let me check."

Later that same day she started again:

"So, are you married?"

"Um...No..."

"Really!?"

"Um...yeah...No..."

"Really!? You've never been married before?"

"Nope..."

"Really!?"

As if I would forget that I was married now or in the past. I'm not on a soap with amnesia!
Couldn't she see I wasn't wearing a wedding ring...or any rings at all?

I think the conversation would have continued, but we were interrupted. Why did she think this was her business? I don't know. It was all very funny. People crack me up sometimes.

The next day someone asked where my little girl was- they thought the aforementioned woman's little girl was mine! That gal isn't old but is older then you would think would have a three year old so they thought she was mine (I had played with her for awhile).

Um...Nope...not mine.

And this woman asking me about the little girl was surprised to find out that I was not married/no kids, though thankfully she didn't say "Really!?"

She said it was surprising that I didn't have children because she thought I was good with children...a very nice compliment considering she doesn't know me well either. She went on to say that she didn't see very many people like me in the church, so it was surprising to her. I wanted to argue with that but opted not to. There are a lot of girls like me. There are many singles in the church these days, whether they be never marrieds, divorced or widowed. I know quite a few wonderful gals in their thirties who have never married. I wanted to tell this woman that in my travels I meet quite a few gals who would make a wonderful wife for someone.

Both before and after trek, when people found out that I was going or had gone, they would ask "Oh, were you one of the Ma's?" I have been asked that quite a lot lately.

Um...No. Photographer. Not Ma.

Did they think about what they were saying as it came out of their mouth? What did they think? That I was a single Ma on the trip? They knew I wasn't married, who did they think would be my corresponding "Pa"?

My wonderful unmarried friend did tell me that last year she was asked to be a Ma for their trek...and they got some single guy to be the Pa. Well now it's not kosher to pair up two unmarried people on these things so the stake roped another single girl to join in to offset things. Apparently that made things kosher. They joked that they were the polygamous handcart family!

I have to say that when I heard they were planning trek I thought, "They can't ask me to be a Ma! Yes!" Being single does have its perks every now and then. I still got roped in though, so the joke was on me.

Right now I'm writing to you from good ol' SF and I can't escape it here either. My aunt's down from Alaska and as I'm fixing salad she says "Well I have to ask, Liz...are there any nice boys in PA?" Rather awkward but I handled it with a bit of grace. "Just Amish ones," I said.

Well, just because some boy is nice doesn't mean I want to marry them or them me...

I was able to joke around with her but wouldn't ya think she'd hear it through the grapevine if I had any options? My dad talks to her all the time.

I also recall all the people who said "Maybe your future husband is in PA!" first thing when they found out I was moving. They practically jumped up and down with excitement. It was almost as if they thought that that had never crossed my mind! Trust me, it had...though I never really felt like that was going to be the case...and it's been three years here people. So far I win. I don't know where he is, but so far he's not here. And I've been looking.

I have to say that I'm pretty careful what I ask people- I don't want to say the wrong thing. I know what it's like to get crap from people. Like how I don't bug people about when they're going to have a baby- I assume one will come when it's supposed to. I also assume that they get enough crap from other people, they don't need it from me. 

I try to take people's crap as a backwards compliment...they want me to be happy and to have blessings that they enjoy. It just doesn't always come out right.

Well, in amidst the recent wedding announcements from girls back home that were either little children when I was in YW or who I visited in the hospital when they were born (both true stories!), there is a ray of hope...my aforementioned "polygamist" friend is getting married- and to a really nice guy who is a good member of the church to boot. She's a couple years older then I am and a very sweet girl, so I'm pretty excited for her.

Someday I'll be able to answer "Yes!" to those kind of questions, but in the meantime I'm just trying to do what I'm supposed to do- school and my callings. I'm happy and having fun. And I want the same for you, too.

Really.