"Traditional Values" in 2015

2015.  It's weird to think I will turn 24 this year.  It is weird to think Kim Kardashian wants another child and it's weird to think that more new species of animals will be discovered this year. It's weird marriage equality isn't a constitutional right yet.  It's weird to think about my childhood and think that thongs were something skanky and now if you want to wear yoga pants you practically have to wear one.  It's weird to think yoga pants are an acceptable pair of bottoms to places other than yoga.  2015.

I am traditional and I am a feminist.  Many don't understand how the two can coincide but I believe they do quite well if that is the person's true heart.  I believe women should be given equal opportunities in the workforce and they certainly should be paid the same.  Women should have equal access to birth control options and abortion if that is what their heart desires and neither location nor income should have a factor in accessibility.  Women should be recognized as valuable members in our Armed Services and women should be able to work and put her career first if that is what she desires.

But I am also traditional, and this is where I have problems as a 23 year old in 2015.  While I believe men and women are equal, I believe they (in broad, very general, always an exception kind of terms) are very different and are often better in certain areas than the other gender.  The two compliment each other beautifully.  They have complimented each other for thousands of years.  I believe the man going to work and providing financially and the woman running the household and not having to work is complementary and awesome.  Obviously this isn't the '50s anymore.  Obviously, the idea of a "Stay at home mom" is nearly a thing of the past.  But I believe in that structure and the success it brought.  When I am asked about if I am excited for my future, I always respond "yes, yes, yes!!!"  I cannot wait to be a wife and a mom.

I am a weird 23 year old.  I don't blend with my peers.  Most 23 year olds might be starting out on a somewhat serious relationship, might have ideas about what they may want in their future- but I am set.  My boyfriend and I have been together for 2 years and 6 months.  We know that we want each other for our future.  We know we want kids together and have even discussed very in depth about how we will parent.  I cannot wait to plan a wedding (hopefully a ring in the next couple years!!) and plan a home and plan a family.  Some individuals love to smoke pot, I love to bake muffins.  Some individuals love to go to raves, I love to quilt.  Some love to tag and do graffitti, I love to glass etch.  I'm a natural homemaker.  Cleaning, cooking, sewing, crafting- If I could live my life and make a career of being a wife and mom- that would be the dream.

Above is an example of a fun Sunday afternoon activity.  Some watch football and drink beer, I make homemade vanilla extract.
Step 1:  Get Vodka (cheap is fine- you just need alcohol), 6-8 vanilla beans, and a small glass bottle.

Step 2: Cut the beans down the center to expose oils- you can cut in half to make them fit in bottle better.

Step 3: Completely submerge the beans in Vodka and shake.

Step 4: Store in cool, dark area for 8 weeks, shaking bottle once to twice a week

Step 5: Enjoy the best vanilla you will evvvver bake with.  Ever.  Seriously.

Learning how to do things like this make me excited.  Don't get me wrong, driving on up to Vegas sounds like a blast too... but Vanilla?  Seriously?!  Awesome!!

My boyfriend loves every fiber of me and accepts that I make a great girlfriend and I will make a fantastic wife- but my craftiness, my nerdiness, and my weird hobbies make it hard for me to relate to women my age.  For a young woman with traditional values and appreciations, 2015 and the future will be a challenge.