I want to shout this from the rooftops! When I was first researching Natural Family Planning and Fertility Awareness Methods as a 21-year-old single, 99% of all blog posts I read were either targeted at married couples or newly engaged couples. And I didn’t fit into either of those categories. Because of that, I wasn’t sure if I should start charting or wait until I got engaged someday. As I read article upon article, I somehow learned about the book… Read more »

In April 2016, my first college roommate got engaged. The day after her boyfriend proposed, she woke up super cheerful and peppy, as I’m sure you can imagine. :) When I returned to our apartment after my 8 am class that morning, she hugged me and squealed, “I’m engaged! I’m ENGAGED! He and I are getting married!!” I loved watching my friend be on cloud nine throughout her engagement and especially as she and her husband said “I do” a… Read more »

The wait for the end of the Coronavirus is stressful. Can I get an amen? “How are you doing with the uncertainty of this time?” she asked me via FaceTime the other day. “Not well,” I admitted with a chuckle. “I wish I just knew when all this would end and life would go back to normal.” “How would knowing when it will end change what you’re currently doing?” she replied. I thought for a second. “I’d start a count-down,”… Read more »

Last week I saw a preview for the upcoming Bachelorette finale in which Hannah (the bachelorette) said “I’ve been waiting my whole life for my happy ending…” referring to her coming engagement. I disagree with Hannah. I don’t think marriage is my happy ending. Her statement got me thinking and I want to talk about this. In this post, I’m explaining why I disagree with this viewpoint, but I don’t want to bash Hannah in any way. I think this… Read more »

Growing up I’d always hear adults say that there comes a point in your life when wedding season comes around and all of your friends marry and start their own families. That point in my life is right now it seems. Or at least, the “wedding season” of my life has begun. Last year alone, I attended eight weddings. This phenomena of having so many people I know marrying all at once has made me feel all sorts of emotions…. Read more »

“Is it sinful to have a crush on a guy?” That is a common question a lot of my blog readers have asked me. My short answer is “No” and “…Maybe…” 1. It is not sinful to have a crush because it is natural to like people. So if you like a guy there is nothing inherently wrong with that. It’s normal. What you are feeling is completely natural. A lot of the girls who have asked me this question… Read more »

Back in February, I surveyed 150 singles. These were mainly people from the Joy Because Grace Newsletter or from the Blimey Cow Patreon Facebook Group. Today, I’m sharing the results from this survey. I hope you find these results as interesting as I do. Additionally, I hope that if you’re single, these results give you some encouragement and remind you that you are not alone in this singleness-journey.   (Note: Scattered throughout this post are links to articles that I… Read more »

Today I read an article that started off with the sentence “The reality that we humans cannot choose who we fall in love with is both a blessing and a curse, especially for the highly sensitive person” (source). Over Christmas break, I discovered that I’m what’s considered a highly sensitive person, so I’ve been researching that personality trait to learn more about it. I don’t know if the article quoted above is good or not. I didn’t read past the first… Read more »

When Bonnie told me her story, I immediately asked her if she would consider sharing it here on Joy Because Grace. I’ve had other guest bloggers share about writing letters to your future husband (you can read those here and here), but I thought it would be awesome for Bonnie to share why she firmly believes that you should NOT write to your future husband.  Without further ado, take it away, Bonnie! :) I want to give you a piece… Read more »

To all my friends who have never dated before, never gone on a date, and/or have never had a guy express interest in you, You are not a weirdo. You are not a loser. Nothing is wrong with you. Let me repeat that, loud and clear: nothing is wrong with you. Watch the Video Version of this Post Here The fact that you’ve never dated doesn’t mean you’re undesirable. I’m sure you know that, deep down inside of you. You… Read more »