So our little Mormon Bachelor, Chris Barbour has finished his first round of dating with 11 AMAZING women:) - 12 originally but you may have noticed Kent had to step in to fill the shoes of one lovely lady that couldn't make it last minute. Round 2 dates will start airing next week and we will be announcing a contest from tomorrow until then to guess who he brings on for a 2nd, but for today I wanted to indulge a little since The Mormon Bachelor/ette has been a huge part of my life for the past 2 years.
When the beautiful
Aubrey Messick became the first
Mormon Bachelorette it was an answer to her prayers and mine. I was almost 30 years old and had really struggled to find Mr. Right. I was so focused on the fact that I wasn't dating that I was miserable until we started TMB. Putting so much work into helping other people find love helped me feel like I was making a difference and sharing the
LDS Church standards of dating (modest dress, no smoking/drinking, no sex before marriage, etc.) at the same time which I hadn't been able to do in a big way since my mission in 2002 to
Wellington, New Zealand. It was the best - one of my best friends in the world Aubrey found the man of her dreams and they started an eternal family. Others joined us along the way and several of them are married now too. It has been the biggest blessing of my life and not to be a spoiler but I believe that our Mormon Bachelor now has also found true love:).
Many people have asked me since our 1st season with Aubrey why I don't put myself in the position as The Mormon Bachelorette. My usual response is "because I don't know anyone that can run this thing while I go on 22 dates!" but now I have a better excuse ... I'M ENGAGED!!!
Yes, it is true - you can find true Mormon love at the ripe old age of 32. I was 31 actually when
Seth Schurtz came into my life - a blind date - and swept me off my feet. We both talk about how crazy this journey has been - Seth is 31 and also LDS and has been in the military for the past 6 years which has kept him out of the typical LDS single's scene. I couldn't believe he had stayed single for so long even though I always hated it when people would say "I can't believe you are still single!" But he was so handsome and smart and kind and a gentleman. I truly felt blessed that he and I found a connection and 5 months later made it official.
Yesterday morning he picked me up in a limo which had scattered rose petals inside and a box with a beautiful ring in it. He helped me inside the car and sweetly asked me to be his eternal companion. Of course I said YES and we were on our way to some mysterious location that turned out to be an airfield in San Diego. I thought maybe he was going to fly us somewhere (Seth works as an F-18 pilot in the
Marine Corps) but he sat in the backseat with me and we took a
helicopter ride all around San Diego. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done! You can even see sharks in the water
really close to shore from up there - creepy. It was so romantic. I feel so blessed and excited to spend the rest of my life with this amazing man and grateful that I can tell people that I can't be the next Mormon Bachelorette because I have found the man of my dreams:). We are getting married in the
Los Angeles Temple on September 29th and will live in sunny San Diego while he serves our country (which makes me so proud:).
Here are some pictures of our wonderful day yesterday - I hope you enjoy them and know that true Mormon love can come to those who wait:).