Mustache Monday: John Axford

Hello, dear readers! We’re back! Life in general, in combination with a deadly dose of finals week, has managed to prevent posting this past month. But here we are, with a very special Mustache Monday. If you’re a returning reader, you may remember our mustache competition. This is the first of three special edition Mustache Mondays for the winners of the contest. And now back to our regularly scheduled mustache fun!

John Axford, well known baseball player.

John Axford, less known for his curious facial hair.

Of course, that’s not completely true. He’s pretty well known for the mustache as well. This chap was given the Mustached American award for 2011, despite the fact that he is actually Canadian. Where to start, where to start? This mustache deserves an award, nay, a medal, if only for its impressive symmetry. We would hazard a guess that achieving this sort of balance is a task requiring great skill. Regardless, this mustache was an ill-advised choice, as it resembles nothing so much as two chipmunk tails curled about his upper lip.

John Axford, the seventh man in our quest to find a decent mustache. Let’s see how he ranked:

Size: 2/5

Originality: 3/5

Style: 1/5

Overall: 6/15

If we were in charge of the American Mustache Institute, someone else would have been named Mustached American of the Year. We’re just not sure who that someone would be.

Cheers,

Becca and Kelley

"It's like having a pet for your face!"

Mustache Monday: An Off Week

Between Becca's car breaking down and Kelley being home through this evening, we didn't have much time to write a Mustache Monday post. Please accept this comical mustache-related picture as our sincere apology. Also, know that there is a pretty special guest-blogger working on a piece for us, and it will more than make up for this hiccup!

Mustache Monday: No Shave November

Let's take a minute to pay tribute to the phenomenon known as No Shave November.

*silence as we pay tribute*

Ok, now that we have done that, let's explore:

What is No Shave November? Mass agreement on the part of men everywhere to refrain from using their razors for the entire calendar month of November, generally resulting in hobo beards.

Benefits:

• We get to see who the real men are, meaning men who can grow a full beard.

• The month of November takes less effort on the part of men compared to other months since they don't have to wake up early to shave their faces.

• Scruff can be nice. We are big believers in the 5 o'clock shadow.

Atrocities:

• Men look like creepers. When their beard hair gets too long, regular nice men become indistinguishable from the creepers, so don't be surprised if women avoid you during this month. We are trying to protect ourselves (see: The 4 Steps to Saying No to a Creeper and/or Stalker).

• General unkemptness.

• Food gets caught in the beards towards the end of the month. Considering Thanksgiving, this is a problem, though I'm not sure the men agree.

We are no advocating for or against No Shave November, but for a thoughtful analysis of the situation. Weigh the facts. Toggle with the opinions. Embrace the conundrum. And let us know what you think!

We will say this: It could result in some pretty great mustaches!

Cheers,
Becca and Kelley

I'm shaving it for later...

The 4 Steps to Saying No to a Creeper and/or Stalker

*Guest post by Jennie Cohn*

These four steps came about while I was having girl talk in the suite with Jasmine about community college. We were sharing experiences of people creeping on us, and not understanding why they felt the need to do so. I came up with the following 4 steps off the top of my head, but they are definitely based on real experiences!

Step 1: RECOGNIZE! Recognize the awkward and/or creepy feeling he is sending your way. Recognize the bad vibes coming from this dude.

Step 2: SEEK HELP! Call in assistance to take you away from the situation. If there are firemen, policemen, coworkers, brothers-in-law, friends, ask them for help! Call in others if they are around to help you move away from the awkward situation.

Step 3: BE FIRM! You just gotta be firm and lay down the law. Say, “You’re all up in my personal space and I don’t like this, so you need to step off.” Be firm and honest, but not in a mean way.

Steve Durgin suggests using a phrase similar to the following: “You know, I don’t know if you’re aware, but you’re creepin’”

Step 4: GET PHYSICAL! This is the last step. It’s a last resort. This is not really plausible in real life unless they’re threatening your life. If they are threatening your life, get kung fu, get ninja on him. Tell them, “Step off or I will karate chop you!” Use physical self-defense to deter their creeping.

Furthermore, if he’s at your window stalking up on you, you gotta close your blinds. If you don’t have blinds, run out of your house and go to target and get yoself some blinds! Grab a wrench to protect yourself, and call 911. If 911 doesn’t answer, call me.

If you don’t have a wrench, Allenha Holden suggests hairspray. Caleb Gore adds that it might be a good idea to couple that with a lighter.

I would just like to say to all of the readers: sometimes the creepers don’t know they’re creepin’. In these cases, just lay down the law. And if you tell them and they don’t get it, then you REALLY need to call in backup. You just gotta be honest. If someone says to you, like they did to me, “I thought about you the entire time I was incarcerated, and my goal over the semester was to make you my girlfriend,” then you just need to tell them, “No. I don’t like you that way and I’m gonna call 911. You’re creepin and I don’t wanna go there.”

Cautious of Creepers,

Jennie Cohn

Mustache Monday: Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan, known as a WWF wrestler and TV personality.

Hulk Hogan, also infamous for his ridiculous facial hair.

Talk about a handlebar mustache! Pretty much the only good thing to be said about this 'stache is that it is very symmetrical. Otherwise it just looks like he forgot how to grow a beard. Usually there is supposed to be some hair on the chin too, Mr. Hogan! I mean, this is a great technique if he was trying to show off his chin, but we doubt that was his motive. He could name a signature wrestling move after this baby: Handlebar Hulk.

Hulk Hogan, the sixth man in our quest to find a decent mustache. Let's see how he ranked:

Size: 4/5
Style: 1/5
Originality: 3/5
Overall: Out of a possible 15, Hogan scored a middle-of-the-road 8 points.

Hopefully we never see one like this in real life 'cause it's just downright creepy!

Cheers,
Becca and Kelley

"You can tell he's creepy 'cause he's got long hair" -a friend. 

Update: Mustache Monday Contest Winners

Thank you all for your participation in our very first Purity, not Puritanism contest! We had many impressive entries for our Mustache Monday competition last week, but could only have 3 winners. Congratulations to Storm*, Lindsey, and Kaitlyn! The three of you can message either Kelley or I on facebook with your top choice for a Mustache Monday contender.

The correct answers were: John Avery Whitaker, King Triton, Mr. James Pringle, Snidley Whiplash, Jafar, Captain Hook, and Cogsworth.

Cheers,
Becca and Kelley

*Storm's computer did not let her post her answers, but Becca supervised her attempting to submit her answers, all of which were 100% correct. 

Mustache Monday: Caravaggio

Caravaggio, well known as an Italian artist of old.

Caravaggio, less known for his expansive facial growth.

Can we talk about the eyebrows? Granted, this is a self portrait, so maybe he just had a flawed mirror, but they loop all the way down to the level of his ear! We don't know whether to be impressed or depressed by this train wreck. Who knew there could be something worse than the unibrow in the way of eyebrow grooming? But let's take the eyebrows off the table for a moment. After all, this is MUSTACHE Monday. The mustache itself isn't terrible, except that it perpetuates his "I'm a moody artist" look. It actually has a nice shape to it, and is trimmed nicely. The mustache could be compared to a friendly, fuzzy caterpillar hanging out on his upper lip. That's cool, right? It also provides a parallel between the eyebrows and the 'stache. (We know, we said we wouldn't go there, but it was inevitable).

Caravaggio, the fifth man in our search for a decent mustache. Let's see how he fared:

Size: 2/5
Originality: 2/5
Style: 3/5
Out of a possible 15, Caravaggio scored a mere 7. Not too impressive.

It's a good thing we weren't evaluating the eyebrows!

Cheers,
Becca and Kelley

I mustache you a question...

Well, hello

Here I am, exploring a negative thought pattern. We mentioned in our first post the idea that having a boyfriend is part of the sanctification process; let’s look a bit deeper at that idea.

I have a very strange memory. I can remember reams of facts about plenty of random topics, but not the faces of people I met yesterday. So if anyone ever sat me down and said, “Kelley, one day, if you’re really a Christian, you’ll have a boyfriend,” I have no memory of it. But I’ve picked it up somewhere, and since I’m not the only one, I’m trying to figure out where it comes from.

This is how it works, at least in my case. A girl likes a guy, they hang out, flirt, suddenly they’re dating. If we’re friends, I generally hear something along these lines: “I got my relationship with God right and all of a sudden I had a boyfriend.” This condensing is unhealthy. Would you drink condensed milk instead of regular milk? I didn’t think so.

Here’s the message that single girls often hear: “If you were right with God, you’d have a boyfriend, too.” This isn’t what our friends are trying to say, and if it is, find new friends. The process they’ve been through is incredibly more complex and intense than a single sentence (I’m fairly certain), and they’re probably not aware of the erroneous inferences drawn by others.

Nerd reference: boyfriends and girlfriends are not a level two sword you get when you find all the secret seashells. God’s not sitting in Seashell Mansion with a checklist—I found patience under the rock, and kindness in the hidden treasure chest, so once I get devotion time from the maze I win a boyfriend!

Frankly, it’s a dead end for singles to mess around with this idea. We can’t earn anything real in life. We’re not promised what we want. The gifts are given. Maybe God plans for me to have a romantic relationship. Maybe that gift will be given to me and to whoever. Maybe I’ll get the gift of being permanently single, and I’m not being sarcastic. There are wonderful things about being single. It’s not sour grapes or a consolation prize. Maybe I’ll be any number of things.

I guess this is what so disturbs me. This type of thinking is a limitation of God’s power. Idiotic as it seems to me when I catch myself thinking in this way, I become afraid that I’m displeasing God, that I’m stagnant in my walk with him, because I don’t have a boyfriend.

Life is too open to fret myself in a circle about whether or not I’m “right” with God because I’m single. Dating is not a mandatory step towards holiness. Does God work through dating, engagements, marriage? Of course he does. But he also works through famine and fire and gain and loss and joy and an infinite number of things. God is not limited by our relationship statuses. Let’s stop pretending that he is.

Cheers,
Kelley

"Thirst is no measure of His faithfulness; He withholds no good thing from us."

Mustache Monday: Cartoon Characters

Can You Name Cartoon Characters With Mustaches?

We bring you, on this crisp fall day, a quiz! The stakes are high, as the first 3 correct commentors to identify all 7 of the pictures will get the chance to nominate a future contender for Mustache Monday.

Rules:
-You must identify all 7 mustache owners correctly. We will only post the comments once the first 3 people respond correctly so others cannot cheat off your answers.
- All submissions must be turned in by Sunday, the 23rd to receive consideration.
- If you win, the person you suggest for Mustache Monday must be a public figure and must be REAL. Also, they must have a mustache.

Let the games begin!!

1.

2.



3.


4.


5.


6.


7.

Happy guessing!

Cheers,
Becca and Kelley

"It's a pub quiz! Using your mobile is cheating!"

Mustache Monday: Ambrose Burnside

Ambrose Burnside, famous for killing lots of people in the Civil War.

Ambrose Burnside, probably equally famous for his ridiculous facial hair.

We assume Mr. Burnside was a hunter because it looks like he attached his kills to his face. It’s very impressive how his mustache runs into his actual hair. Or maybe he is just trying to make up for the lack of actual hair with the overabundance of ‘stache. He should just shave it off so he can fashion it into a stylish toupee. He would need quite the mustache cup to keep this growth from getting into his tea (if you don’t know what a mustache cup is, look it up…every mustache enthusiast should know about it.) We believe this is where the author of batman came up with the idea for the bat signal, both because of the shape and the size. We mean really, you could see this thing from outer space.

Ambrose Burnside, fourth man in our quest to find a decent mustache. Let’s see how he ranked:

Size: 5/5

Originality: 3/5

Style: 0/5

Out of a possible 15, Burnside scored 8 points. Clearly not a winner, but not quite a loser either.

We give him props for confidence.

Cheers,

Becca and Kelley

Side Note: Sideburns were named after this man. Cool, right?

The Pain of Singleness

Being single can be painful.

I won't pretend that's not true. Don't get me wrong, there is a deep sense of fulfillment that comes with being able to devote all of my time and attention to the roles God has called me to, but the sobering fact remains: I would rather work alongside someone than alone.

For this season of my life, I have been called to work in God's kingdom as a single woman. Two things accompany that:

As a single woman, I have freedom beyond what I would have if I were in a relationship. By this, I mean freedom  of time and commitment, and freedom to dedicate myself wholeheartedly to my involvements. I love having the liberty to devote myself so completely to something.

Secondly, I recognize that this season could very well last for the rest of my life. I have not felt expressly called to singleness, but I also have not received the promise of a husband. No verse states, "Seek and ye shall find a spouse," and that's alright.

However, recognizing all of this does not change the emotions and longings that accompany singleness. It is painful to see people who get to experience the unique joy of having a tangible partner in their work for Christ, knowing that I have never and might never experience that. I long to be able to share my passions with someone who I know both loves the Lord and cares deeply for me. I long to rejoice with someone about their own passions and come alongside them as they seek to follow Christ. There is an element of that in every good friendship, but a relationship brings a unique intimacy to this dynamic. Part of my longing for relationships also stems from the desire to engage in the adventure and challenge of learning to be so mutually dependent, whereas at this stage of my life I am so accustomed to being self-sufficient. I yearn to be fully vulnerable and authentic with someone I am in a trusting relationship with.

Now, there are many counter arguments to what I have said, assurances of my worth and fulfillment in Christ. However, automatically listing off these rationalities, as we can tend to do, may end up diminishing the legitimacy of the of the emotions I feel. For example, if I am feeling particularly alone, I may say, "I don't feel as though I will ever be married." And though this may be dramatic on my part, if someone responds by saying, "Don't say that! Of course you will," then I end up feeling shot down and as though I wasn't heard. Furthermore, that person is not speaking truth into my life because, unless God gave them a vision He didn't give me, they don't have any guarantee of what will happen in my future.

And we all fall into these traps, of trying to encourage someone without having the best words with which to do so. But I urge you, as I urge myself, to think and to listen first, to then be able to speak more effectively into the situation.

So, although most of the time I am content with singleness and being present with where I currently am in life, there are times when the pain of singleness hits. I praise God that He walks with me through these moments, showing me His love and His plan for me, and it's by His grace that I can use this pain towards gaining a better understanding of myself and the world around me.

Cheers,
Becca

"Not my will, but Yours be done."

Mustache Monday: Paul Grotelueschen

This week, we had the rare opportunity to interview a fellow Trinity-goer, Paul Grotelueschen, about his illustrious mustache. His facial hair is revered on campus, and makes Paul a sought after attendee at school events because of the automatic class added by his luxurious 'stache. Read on, and be amazed. 

Purity, Not Puritanism (PNP): What prompted you grow a mustache?                       

Paul Grotelueschen (PG): I’ve always wanted one, and finally was able to grow one. So I did, kinda. That was really it. And it’s something different, too. In high school I grew out a mullet. I didn’t cut my hair for 2 years, then when I did I kept a rat tail. The mustache is the next stage in my seeking to do something different.

PNP: There’s a rumor that you use hair-enhancing drugs (specifically Rogaine) on your mustache. Can you confirm or deny this rumor?

PG: I deny this, actually. I have never used any hair growth products.

PNP: Have you ever dyed it?

PG: I have dyed it twice -- jet black both times. Also, the mustache wax I use is colored so it gives it a bit darker tint that it’s actual unadulterated state.

PNP: Does it help with the ladies?

PG: Well, for the 50 and older group, yes. I have received infinite comments on my mustache from that demographic. But my girlfriend likes it, so whatever works for her.

PNP: Who is your mustache hero?

PG: This mustache is pretty much modeled after the Agatha Christie character, Hercule Poirot. I am also a big fan of Aaron Rogers’ handlebar mustache.

PNP: What is your idealized mustache, or what shape do you hope to achieve with your ‘stache?

PG: With this mustache, my goal is Rollie Fingers. That’s when the mustache curls a full circle on the ends.

Seems like Paul is close to reaching his goal. We commend him for his mustache boldness. Press on, good Christian soldier. Press on. 

Cheers,

Becca and Kelley

"I understand facial hair, but when it becomes an art..."

Unmuddying the Waters; or Definitions

Picture this:

A friend walks up to you and says, "Hey, I've been talking to this guy lately."

Possible interpretations include:

• I have been speaking with a boy.
• I have been flirting outrageously with a boy, hoping he will get the idea.
• I'm on the brink of entering into a serious, committed relationship with this boy.
• I married this boy three months ago and I thought you should know about it.

What is at the root of this variety of interpretations? We argue that the answer is definition confusion.

What, really, is the meaning of the word "talking" in this context? Clearly we can debate about this 'til the cows come home, but how can we know, by the end of the conversation, which meaning it held? How can we minimize the problem?

We have noticed that when two people in conversation are using different definitions for the same terms, problems occur. We may or may not have gotten into tiff because of this yesterday (we're all good now), where Kelley used a word with a specific meaning, which Becca interpreted with a different specific meaning. We were both getting frustrated until we stepped back and defined terms. In the end, we weren't actually talking about the same concept, but we were both using the same word to convey that concept.

The second way that definition confusion can arise is when people use different words to talk about the same concept. For example, in the above example "talking" could be a synonym for "starting a relationship." People can end up talking circles around each other, never realizing that they are actually talking about the same idea.

We propose three things:

• Clarify your terms. Even if you think your meaning is clear, it can be helpful to state exactly what you mean.

• Provide context when talking to people. Chances are, the more background you provide, the better understood you will be.

• Keep in mind the context that others are providing when you talk to them. Try to understand the whole movie, not just the snapshot.

So, when describing your upcoming relationship with a boy, you might say, "Hey, I have been talking to this guy lately, and I really like him. I think he is going to ask me out soon, and I am excited to see where this goes." If we all take the time to explain ourselves more fully, we will sidestep many of the miscommunications (and tiffs!) that arise from definition confusion.

Cheers,

Becca and Kelley

"I like you."

"Ok, but do you like me, or do you LIKE me?!"

Mustache Monday: George Clooney

George Clooney, famous for a myriad of things (for example: ER, Ocean's Eleven-Thirteen, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?)

George Clooney, less famous for sporting this mustache.

When looking at this photo, both of our thoughts were, "That mustache is decent..." This is a great refreshment after the last few weeks. We were a little discouraged by LaBeouf's molestache. But hail! A silver fox proudly embracing his salt and pepper stache. The hair is evenly trimmed and the mustache is well defined. The ratio of eyebrow to 'stache to mane is very well balanced. While a little long for our taste, Mr. Clooney is allowed some wiggle room because of the overall grandeur of this facial hair.

George Clooney, the third contender in the quest for the perfect mustache. Let's see how he ranked:

Originality: 3/5

Size: 4/5

Style: 4/5

Overall: Out of a possible 15, Clooney scored an impressive 11.

We do not think we have found the perfect mustache, but we are getting closer.

Cheers,

Becca and Kelley

"If we kiss fire, we'll burn our mustaches off!"

The Fine Art of Compliments

Over our several years, we’ve heard our fair share of awkward guy to girl compliments*:

“Yeah, you’ve got those child-bearing hips.”

“You’re really tall, that makes me jealous.”

“Hey girl, hey!”

With all these awkward compliments, it’s become hard for girls to distinguish sincerity from general creepiness. Due to this fact, we’ve also heard our fair share of ridiculous interpretations.

“He complimented feature X so he must not like feature Y.”

“He told me I looked pretty today, so he must really like me!”

Sometimes girls can even add a sexual interpretation that the boy never intended, or put a negative spin on neutral remarks.

After hearing some of our creepy guy stories, a male friend of ours remarked that guys are often intimidated by the way girls analyze compliments. He pointed out that what may seem creepy to a girl might by uncertainty or nervousness on the guy’s part.

We can see where the imbalance has occurred.
Girls can be very cruel to guys they don’t like, which prompts guys to be more reticent about expressing what they truly mean. And sometimes girls can just twist what guys say so that we have a good story to tell our friends.

But some guys are, in fact, creepy. And even nice guys can be unaware of the effect of an offhand remark or compliment, which prompts girls to be more guarded and suspicious of compliments in general.

Obviously not all guys have the eloquence of Mr. Darcy, and girls need to have realistic expectations for their men. Similarly, we girls say awkward things ourselves sometimes, and it’s best to be charitable and credible when interpreting the compliments we receive.

There is work to be done on both sides. Girls should, in the words of our friend, “take a step back and chill out,” while guys could often benefit from thinking twice about their intentions and wording.

Let’s give and take compliments with grace. But if he asks you to get him a matching cloak so you can make magic together*, he’s probably a creep.

*All the compliments found in this post are real-life examples from the lives of the authors and their friends.

Cheers,

Becca and Kelley

“Your face is good.”

Mustache Monday: Shia Labeouf

Shia Labeouf, famous for Even Stevens, Transformers, and Disturbia.

Shia Labeouf, about to become infamous for the above picture.

Can we agree that it looks like a 3 year old took finger paint to his face? Emphatic yes. He may be trying to create artistic symmetry by mirroring the shape of his mustache with the ovalness of his mouth in this picture, but we're not buying it! The hair on Mr. Labeouf's mustache grows way past the corners of his mouth -- a big no-no in mustache etiquette -- and then connects with the chin growth, which we frown upon. The split of his mustache is clearly off center. Talk about distutrbia!! [Insert walrus joke]. And although it has nothing to do with his mustache, the expression on his face in this picture makes us fear for his sanity.

Shia Labeouf, the second contender in our quest to find a decent mustache. Let's see how he ranked:

Originality: 2/5
Size: 4/5
Style: 0/5
Overall: Out of a possible 15, Labeouf scored a shockingly impressive 6 (only because of the size).

And another failed attempt.

Cheers,
Becca and Kelley

Thanks to our good pals Arielle Trantham and Caleb Moore for their help this week.

The Bermuda Triangle

Ah yes. It’s that time of year again, ladies! Christian women’s conference time! And any Christian women’s conference worth its outrageous advance shipment of Kleenex remains firmly fixed within the three-sided Bermuda Triangle of women’s conference topics…

1. All the Single Ladies! This conference focuses on the state of singleness (a state here defined as “just about to meet Mr. Right”). At this conference you, the young Christian single woman, will learn all about how it’s okay that you’re single, since the married women will reserve judgment for at least six more months, how young Christian women shouldn’t be single forever, and how God will bring you a husband if you clap your hands. All this and more, weakly supported by Psalm 37:4!
2. Submit Yourself! Not just for married women, this conference can prepare single women for the relationships they had better begin in the next six months. Hear wise married women talk about submitting to their husbands over the thirty years of their marriages. And even though most of the audience is single…it will definitely come in handy some day, because Christian woman shouldn’t be single forever
3. Self-Esteem! Let’s not fool ourselves, ladies. When we’ve passed the six month deadline and they’ve run out of married speakers, we all turn back to the first love of Christian women everywhere: positive self-esteem. Usually these events include formal attire and the unnecessary presence of pleasant and attentive men (pointless one night crush complimentary with purchase of conference ticket). After the icebreaker we chat about how we really are beautiful on the outside and the inside, and maybe God’s plan for us is singleness…for the foreseeable next three months. Then again, maybe not. That pleasant waiter is smiling in my direction! It’s meant to be!

While hyperbole is funny, women’s conferences can provide support and encouragement. But they can also become vehicles of popular Christian perspectives, instead of Christ’s truth. First off, we seriously doubt that King David was comforting one of his daughters about her singleness when he wrote what is now Psalm 37:4:“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (NIV) And if there is a verse in the Bible that promises husbands to Christian girls who wish hard enough, we’ve yet to come across it.

Far be it from us to claim all knowledge of submission in marriage, but it is much harder to submit to God. So let’s start with the hard stuff, submitting to God first. Especially those of us who don’t have husbands! Then if God’s plan does include a spouse, appropriate submission will be that much more natural.

Self-esteem. What can we say about self-esteem? Often, boosting self-esteem resembles a drug habit. We put on an unflattering garment, so and so doesn’t look at us, we forget our makeup. So we chant to ourselves that we’re beautiful on the inside and out, inside and out, until we manage to silence our feelings of inadequacy for now. Then we live the same cycles out again. Let’s be radical. Self-esteem is a symptom of sin. The purpose of following Christ is not to feel happy with yourself the way you are. Think about it. Self-esteem, the esteeming of self. In Christ, self-esteem should be completely wiped out of existence. Realistically, we’re not there. But as we grow in relationship with Christ, we come nearer to it. Obviously we do not cease to take care of ourselves, but we move towards dependence on God for our identity.

So here’s to deep, varied Christian conferences that deal with being follower of Christ first, and a woman second. That teach truth instead of opinion, and help us move towards a truer way of living instead of an ephemeral solution.

Cheers,

Becca and Kelley

“You know what they say: no life without wife!”

Mustache Monday: Cary Elwes

Cary Elwes, famous for playing Westley in The Princess Bride and Robin Hood in Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Cary Elwes, less famous for his rubbish mustache.

There are so many things wrong with this facial hair...we don't even know if you can call it hair; more like a growth. He should be arrested for cruelty to animals. Since when have toupees for faces been widely marketed? And paired with that mutated offspring of a goatee and a beard, we begin to question Elwes' sanity and the quality of his mirror. And razor. Since he's clearly on set, perhaps we should cut him some slack, but his agent deserves to be sacked. Promptly. For his next birthday, we plan to send him a tasteful nose hair trimmer, since the growth seems to be originating there. Shudder.

Cary Elwes, the first contender in our quest to find a man with a decent mustache. Let's see how he ranked:

Originality--2/5

Size--2/5

Style--2/5

Overall--out of a possible 15, Elwes scored a mere 6.

This doesn't look promising, but it will be entertaining.

Cheers,

Becca and Kelley

We'd All Like to Date Matthew McConaugh-HOT, But...

In the spirit of research, we took to surveying girls about their views of relationships. For the purpose of honesty and transparency, we promised the girls anonymity as they answered the questions, but they know who they are, and we give them mad props for voicing their opinions!


We asked a few girls what the purpose of dating was and most had a healthy perspective, saying such things as:


- "to determine eligibility for marriage,...and to build the relationship on which marriage stands. To get to know a fella!"
- "A relationship where you can serve and glorify God together in a romantic way."
- "To get to know someone further that you feel has the potential to be your future spouse." 


The difficulty comes in translating these ideals into real-life situations. When we think of a man who will be suitable for marriage, we can tend to create these long lists of expectations in our minds. 


"My guy will be 6 and a half feet tall..."
"My hubby will have great wavy hair..."
"My boy will drive a corvette..."
"My man will be as funny as Steve Martin in Father of the Bride..." 


And though this may seem a bit exaggerated, we have known girls (ahem, ourselves included!) whose lists contain very specific requirements. And while this may be a good tool in the struggle towards discovering what a healthy relationship could eventually look like, it might be somewhat limiting as we can tend to measure a man against our list to see if he has potential. 


As I (Becca) was talking to my mother yesterday, she told me that perhaps when I woke up from my nap my prince would be standing there waiting for me, and as much as I wish my mother was a prophetess, the likelihood of that happening is very slim. Where can we go to find a man who will fit the bill set out by these standards? Better yet, should we even have these standards at all?


We are not here to knock down the idea of making a list of what you would like in a man. Indeed, this gives you a better picture of the kind of man that eventually might become your spouse. However, do not be afraid to amend the list. Instead of thinking of the list as a measuring stick, look at it as a guide to help identify potential. So what is he doesn't meet all 63 items on the list? Or what if he does have every quality on your list, then what? 


What matters is this: do you feel God's calling on this relationship? 


If not, then do not be afraid to say no. We know a girl who said yes to a boy because he met her list of standards, but the relationship still fell apart. What do you say to her? In Christian community, there's this misconception that just because both people involved in a relationship are Christian, it must mean it will work out. But there is something so empowering and edifying about being able to assert yourself in saying no when you are certain that it is not what God is calling you to.

So make lists of qualities you'd like in a man (and no, "six pack" doesn't count as a legitimate quality!), but be prepared to change them, add to them, or remove items from the list. At the end of the day, make sure you are giving over these hopes to the Lord, for He is sovereign above our desires and knows how (and if) they will be fulfilled.

Cheers,
Becca and Kelley

P.S. - "It’s like the word 'single' means 'find someone.' " 
Once more, a shout out to the girls who bravely voiced their opinions for us. :)

 

Welcome to the 21st Century

Friends and loved ones (and no, we do not mean our nonexistent boyfriends),

Greetings.

We bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people:

It's okay to be single.

Read it again. Drink it in.

IT'S OKAY TO BE SINGLE!

As two single women active in a Christian community, we've felt the pressure to date anyone with legs and an Adam's apple. At times, we feel we are receiving mixed messages from society, peers, and mentors:

1. Be strong, independent women, because men will only drag you down,

or

2. Finding a boyfriend is part of the sanctification process.

Both of these are false.

So as two single women active in a Christian community, we're working towards a healthy balance: content with singleness, yet prepared for the relationships God may bring into our lives (romantic or otherwise).

In this blog, we will explore common falsehoods about romance, cultural stereotypes that prevent healthy relationships, and the true essence of purity.

We'll also have plenty of fun--chick flick reviews, mustache Mondays, et. cetera--because relationships are funny business.

Join us in our journey. Take the road less traveled. Dare to dream. Read our blog.

It'll be fantastic...or at least amusing. So grab your t.v. dinners and stay tuned!

Cheers,

Becca and Kelley

"The only difference between dating and courtship is that if you date, you have a boyfriend. If you court, you have a beau. Who even has beaux anymore?" -A friend