The Pro-Life Fetus Cemetery

Every year at my university (maybe even every semester, I can't remember) the pro-life student organization creates what is basically a "fetus cemetery" smack dab in the middle of campus for a few days. The grass is adorned with numerous tiny pink and blue crosses, with a sign that reads "3315 human lives are ended by abortion EVERY DAY in the US alone. 1 grave marker = 10 of these lives" Finally, after so many years of this sickening display, someone vandalized it. And I would love to high-five whoever did it. I'm all for free speech. But when free speech sets out to disturb others and offend women, it's not okay. Also, I'm not one for shoving beliefs down others' throats. There are women on this campus that have had abortions, that had to go through the pain and suffering of making that decision and following through with it. And now, when they walk to class, they are faced with the memories of it. They are faced with someone who doesn't know in the slightest what they went through telling them they're a terrible person for what they did. And that's not cool.
Now, I am, by no means "pro-abortion," but I consider myself pro-choice and pro-woman. Always have. A woman has the right to decide what they feel is best for themselves and for their unborn child. Typically, women who get abortions aren't getting them because they WANT to. They get them because they feel as though that's their only option. To them, an abortion is better than birthing a child they cannot take care of due to their current situation. And as for adoption? Many of those children end up in foster care with abusive families. I know this isn't always the case. And I am against women who are capable of raising and loving a child getting abortions for selfish reasons. But to many women, having an abortion better to not even bring a child into an unstable and unsafe situation than have them suffer.
I realize I'm rambling. But that stupid fetus cemetery really set me off.

Dating a Musician

Let's be honest- What girl between the ages of 13 and 27 hasn't dreamed of dating a musician? Constant serenades, free concerts, the envy of every other girl around... sounds great, right? Yes, there are definitely plenty of perks. Like the out-of-the-blue audio message of an adorable cover of a 50s love song that only your ears have heard him sing. Or having a soundtrack to literally anything you do together. Going on a road trip? Laying in bed? Having sex? He has the perfect songs picked for any occasion. Or how about the perfectly written texts and love letters, the goofy made up songs sang just to see a smile on my face, and we can't forget that when he speaks his voice sounds like butter, or the ocean, or rain, or whatever other analogies can be made for describing the voice of an angel.

But I'm sure I'm not the first to say that sometimes it can absolutely suck. You all probably know how hard it can be to make plans with any man. But making plans with a musician boyfriend is, in actuality, more like making plans with 4 men (or more if we count management and producers). Between gigs, practice, studio time, and just random jam sessions in a basement that doesn't get cellphone service that were only supposed to last an hour but last five instead, it's sometimes a near impossible and exhausting task to set up a date night. I've learned to memorize my boyfriend's schedule better than he does. Once I actually reminded him about a gig he had completely forgotten about. I know to always check the band's website for any upcoming shows before even mentioning any plans. And even when plans are made, I know in the back of my mind there's a good chance they'll get bumped. I also know that 8pm plans will more than likely turn into midnight plans. It just happens. And even though I'm used to it, I can't say it doesn't annoy me sometimes.

And as for being the envy of every other girl around? Sometimes it's more of being envious of every other girl around. It's hard to not get jealous occasionally. I trust my boyfriend 100%, and I know he would never do anything to hurt me, but it does bother me to see a drunk girl at the bar who can't even remember the name of his band try to make a move. I just always have to remind myself that I'm the one going home with his sexy (and definitely sweaty) self after his shows.

Then there's tour. I guess I can't technically complain about tour because I have yet to be dating him while he's gone for an extended period of time (the one he was on when we first started talking doesn't count. At that point in time he wasn't yet real in my eyes). But I'm preparing myself for tour. I'm prepared for gaps in communication and constantly missing him... as well as him missing out on important (and not-so-important) things happening in my life. I already know he'll be gone for my graduation. And he'll most likely be gone on our anniversary. He'll be gone when bands we both love are in town (but as far as that goes I just make up in my mind that some day we'll be going to those shows for free and we'll be best friends with the band). I already know tour is going to suck.

Despite all the crap that comes along with dating a musician, it's totally worth it. Because this man makes me happier than anyone else I've ever met. He's also helped me become a relatively patient person (believe it or not). With him, the bumps along the way aren't so bad. Because I'm important to him. Although I don't think I'll ever really come before the band, the band and I are on the same level. He cares about us in different ways, but he cares. We get each other, we understand what has to be done to keep this relationship working. We flow together. We're kinda like a set of playground swings. Every once and a while we get a little out of sync, but we're still always next to each other. And when we line up juuuust right, it's the coolest and best feeling in the world.

A Tinder Love Story

I'll be straight up- I met my boyfriend on Tinder. When we first started talking, he was on the road with his band, touring cross-country. Our back-and-forth started off pretty casual- light conversations, innocent games of 20 Questions, and goofy Snapchats. The more we got to know each other though, the more I considered actually being with this person. My interest was growing, and I could tell his was too. I obviously proceeded with caution, but the more we talked the more invested I became. After about two months of texting and never actually talking, we finally FaceTimed. And that solidified it for me- I had to meet this man.

We had always joked about me jumping on a plane to fly to whatever new city he was in to meet. Suddenly that didn't sound so crazy anymore. We're from the same city, but he had a few weeks left on tour... and I was becoming impatient. So, I got on a plane and flew to Indianapolis to meet my "tinder guy." The weekend was like a fairytale... If fairytales were set in a hotel room with not only Prince Charming but 4 other dudes.  And a mom. But that's besides the point. I spent three wonderful days in Indianapolis. In that time I fell head over heels for this man. Two weeks later his tour ended, and we were both finally back in the same city. 

It's been almost eight months now, and things have never been better. I found the love of my life on Tinder, and I'm not afraid to admit it. Now I'm not saying everyone should fly to a strange city by themselves to meet someone they met on a dating app... but hey, it worked for me. TGIT (Thank God for Tinder)!