Once when I saw how hurt my children had become due to his lack of interaction with them. Before that, you are encouraged to date, but not exclusively. Much better to marry in the faith if possible.
And there is NO taking them off to wear a sleeveless shirt, cute sun dress or regular, girl-length shorts in the summer. I am the wife of a general surgeon in his mid 50s. An important is doing this together. I agree, girls, it can be a challenge to find time together. If you can't, then it's best to move on. Nothing beats a face to face talk. Within a cultural group marriage is hard. We have been married 2 decades in a new city away from family and friends and I am this close pinches fingers to starting a local Facebook Club for people like us. Life is too short. Forget what anyone else says or expects of you.
Unless you convert she won't marry you, plain and simple. I also have an MPH degree, and am currently working and trying to support us while he's in school. Tell her that you want your relationship with her, and her relationship with your children together to be separate from her religion with her god. If she can accept me for who I am and what I believe, knowing that I'll never give her the eternal family she wants, then maybe we'll be ok. And believe me, I can relate to many of the things you talk about in your blog. There is NO guarantee that marrying a returned missionary RM in the temple equates with love and happiness. You might want to determine your level of willingness to put up with his demanding work schedule and to communicate with him about your needs and concerns. They will teach the boys that masturbation is evil, which will cause most boys to lie about it and feel deep shame and guilt. Yet, this life is hard on the whole family.
It may not seem like a big deal now, but eventually it will probably surface that at best, the church impacts and influences her behavior in almost every area, at worst, it dictates it. I met my wife at the age of She literally showed up at my apartment one night, wholly unexpected. My spouse and I are best friends first and I think that's what really makes it work. Its was written in shorthand so its hard to read. He is in a way to become a Ex mormon. I love talking religion with him and I have never pressured him to change his habits or anything else about him. If you are an atheist or a non-believer, then let your date know, and politely decline the invitation.