Introduction

Here's the deal, I've dated a lot. It sucks dating so much that you literally feel like if you have to go to another awkward dinner you may pull your hair out but alas, I, like everyone else in this world, want to find a companion to go on adventures with, enjoy the finer things in life with and most importantly find a lifelong partner in.

Part of my desperation probably stems from the fact so many of my friends on Facebook are engaged or in serious long-term relationships they insist on flaunting. It's terrible, because suddenly I feel pressured to find someone simply because so many of my peers who I grew up with have already found someone.

I'm 23 but I feel like I'm 30 because apparently 23 is the new 30 and people get married really young nowadays. My parents were married in their late 20s, but here I am, desperate to at least find a suitable partner for the foreseeable future because our generation has collectively decided to get married younger.

I live in a world where meeting members of the opposite sex I find desirable is few and far between. For two and a half years I worked at Walmart where the most eligible bachelors I met had no teeth and looked like they had a serious hygiene problem. I was appalled by most of them simply because they resorted to chewing tobacco, which they insisted on spitting into a clear plastic bottle for me to quiver at as I handed them their change. When I finally quit Walmart I moved onto a women's clothing store where there were no eligible bachelors at all because no man sets foot into a women's clothing store unless they are buying something for their girlfriend or wife. School has plenty of eligible bachelors but they are mostly frat boys who drink so frequently that I often see them fall asleep at their desk, need I say more?

So here's the quandary I'm in, I am a 23 year old who's under immense amount of pressures to find a mate because, despite the fact my high school peers are only visible to me through Facebook, I am feeling the same peer pressure I experienced in high school, except this time it's to date and in turn get married. In addition to that, as is proven by the paragraph above I am really picky.  Not just anyone will make the cut, in fact, most people don't make the cut. I mean, I do live in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania where the mass majority of males drive a giant truck (which I firmly believe means they are trying to make up for some other incompetence they possess (i.e. a small penis)), wear flannel shirts that are cut at the sleeves and have those clicky clacky high heeled cowboy boots that sound like a woman's high heel.

Knowing all this, where does a girl go from here? Well, she enters the world of online dating because going straight to the source of her self-consciousness is exactly how she should go about this. I've been online dating for quite some time, probably a good three years. What have I gotten for those years spent messaging people? An emotionally abusive relationship, fifty million dates and countless weirdos. I spend so much time trying to weed out the ones who message constantly or the ones who refuse to take no for an answer (in your expression of disinterest that is), that I'm left with few people to choose from, most of whom possess those specific qualities I dislike.

This may be annoying to you, you may be saying "Natalie, just settle, you can't get everything you want," but you know what? I can. Everyone is entitled to be truly happy and to not settle, so why should I? Just because I am not the most confident? Just because I'm maybe not the prettiest girl in the world? Hell no. I will not give up, I will keep going and I will find my person. And in the meantime, I will write about all the mishaps in this blog, because I need somewhere to share my stories of embarrassment and disaster. So strap in, this will be fun!