Retrospective

One thing that this time of year always brings is nostalgia. I think back on my life where I was last year, year before, etc.
The other night I got to thinking about the past boyfriends in my life. Thought back to my life in high school when I'd flirt with all the cute boys and flaunt my cheerleader skirt everywhere. How I thought I was well-loved because I went to three different proms and three different homecomings. I dated for fun and the boys I dated were as silly as I was.

Then on to college where I went through my exploration stage. I dated a puerto rican who is now a lawyer, then a hippie ex-marine who is now a printmaker, a marriage-and-family therapist who is now married and a therapist, a jerky drop-out boy who i nearly married, and another hippie boy with strong principles and he was also a rapper. True story. I changed a lot through college, as we all tend to do, but it makes me giggle to think back on the boys I dated and what my dad must've thought. I remember when he met the hippie - with the long hair and earrings, what his reaction was. "why did i send my daughter off to college to meet boys like this?!" That boyfriend helped me develop the person I wanted to be, and was actually pivotal in my change from little girl to somewhat older girl. Actually, all the boys I've dated have helped me develop into who I am today (shriveled sense of a person. ha.)

After college I went on to only date boys named Mark. I'm serious. I had short-lived relationships with other boys, but the only ones that ever stuck were Marks.

Here are some interesting facts about them.
Mark #1: for all intents and purposes, he was my "missionary". I wrote him during the mission and we went through several bouts of dating as we both changed and developed, during college and after. He liked trials bikes and dirt bikes. He even taught me how to ride his dirt bike up Green Canyon in Logan, UT.

Mark(c) #2: This boy was another missionary story. Only not my missionary, Jay's missionary buddy. While Jay and Heather were canoodling, I think they wanted to spread the love, so they hooked us up. For a period of like 3 years or something we dated and broke up and re-dated. Marc liked road biking and worked at a bike shop.

Mark #3: my current bf. TH. There is nothing mission related, unless we're talking about our tendency to do things related to Romania. And he teaches me Romanian. Che Fach. Or something. Mark likes mountain biking. Our first date was mountain biking in the foothills of Virginia.

Does anyone else notice a pattern here? Marks and bikes. Is this my fate? Or do I feel some weird gravitational pull towards Marks and bike-lovers? Does anyone else have experience in this?