Truth # 1: The age of 24 is both too young and too old for marriage

In 18 days at the tender age of 23, I will be getting married.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not one who likes to rush in to things. In fact, I had my whole life planned out. I would get married at the age of 26 after dating three men in one year. The third would be the love of my life, but of course things did not turn out that way.

Where I am currently living, people get married young all of the time. They get married at the age of 18 at the earliest, so getting married at the age of almost 24 (I will be 24 like 23 days after I get married!) is in fact pushing the over the hill category.  If it was up to Braden though, we would have been married at 22.

But a monkey wrench got thrown into that plan when he called my mother and asked: Can I marry your daughter?

And after shrieking in disbelief for a few minutes she answered: you’re too young.

That was a little over a year ago, and I just graduated from college with a BA in English, and a dinky internship/research job on the side. He worked at a ski resort part-time while still going to UVU for graphic design.

So, in essence, we were too young because we didn’t have any money and we didn’t have “careers.” But here we are a year later, engaged, still career-less and getting married . . .

In church they say don’t let money be a reason for you to not get married because the Lord will work out a plan for those who are faithful to his commandments to make it through.

My mother was reminded of this, but she was also reminded of our age.

Apparently Braden tells me that the national average for people to get married in the U.S. is 26, and my friend Jenna tells me that about 3% of women don’t get married ever while a majority of men do.

But about 5 months ago at church, the bishop’s wife told the relief society that we shouldn’t worry about getting married so young, but to find ourselves first. In that instant, a defiant young woman challenged: Men can wait all they want, but our EGGS will dry up soon . . . (yes, I know, weirdest comment to make in church in the world . . . )

So, needless to say, the truth is that getting married at the age of 24 is too young if you don’t have monies and too old because you’ll shrivel up. Well, here’s lookin’ up!