Hello there!
A quick introduction of myself: My name is Riley Leavitt and I am 20 years old. This is my 4th semester up here at BYU-Idaho and I am absolutely loving it! I still don't have a major but I am leaning towards child development or sociology. If I could, I would study criminology because I am a huge Criminal Minds fan and I love reading books that touch on that topic. However, I don't think I actually want to make that my career. I was born and raised in a small town in Eastern Oregon called La Grande with 4 of my other siblings. Alexa, Zoey, Max and Eli. I fall between Max and Eli. All of my siblings are single except for my oldest sister, Alexa. She is married with 3 children. My parents were separated for as long as I could remember, but I have had great relationships with them both and they have been wonderful parents. However, back in December of 2018, my mom passed away after a long battle with various health issues and so now it's just me, my siblings and my Dad. My oldest sister and I are the only active members of the church currently, and although my Dad does have a testimony, he rarely attends church. We aren't your typical member family but I think that is why I'm at the point I am today and a big reason I wanted to take this Family Relations class. I want to learn how I can create a better environment for my own family in the future as well as how to strengthen my family now.
I started this blog not only for my class, but also to give my insights on the topics we discuss to those who are "older" single adults. Some context: I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I attend Brigham Young University Idaho here in Rexburg. Among members of my church, there's an unspoken expectation that you're married by 23, and if not then you'll be single for the rest of your life. Even at age 23, you're considered to be reaching the line of being "older" and need to act fast. And I hate this. I have had roommates who are 23 and graduating and still haven't found someone but are content with themselves and are doing their own thing until it's their time to meet someone. I've also had 2 roommates leave after their first semester and get married at 18 to the first person they met. Everyone's story is different and everyone's time to meet someone and get married is different. In fact it really isn't even up to them. Sure, we can do certain things to put ourselves in a better position to meet people (attend church activities, meet new groups of friends, talk to classmates and peers on campus, etc.) but it truly is up to Heavenly Father and the plan He has for each of us.
Being single is hard, and being single at an "older" age is hard because I know that wanting a husband and a family is such a righteous desire. And I know some questions you may have: Why am I still single? When will I meet someone? Why haven't I met someone? Why isn't it easy for me like it is my roommates, friends, etc? Do I need to change? The list goes on and on. I think my main goal for this blog is to share my insights from class discussions and how it can apply to you and how you can do your part to prepare yourself for eternal marriage and a family. Why prepare if you aren't even seeing someone? Because in doing that you can truly find yourself and what you want from your marriage and Heavenly Father will see those efforts and bless you.
My siblings with my oldest sister's family.
My dad and all of my siblings.
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