No Shave November

For the past 6 years my hubby has lived by a strict grooming code. First at BYU (thanks to the honor code), then during his LDS mission, and then BYU again. For these 6 years he has maintained a clean-shaven appearance, shaving multiple times a week to achieve this. I think the idea behind the rule of clean-shavenness is to maintain personal hygiene, professionalism, and a neat appearance. Now I'm not saying that bearded men are automatically sloppy, dirty, and unprofessional--some men can pull off beards--but for whatever reason, the honor code has enforced this shaving standard. In fact, men can't take tests at the BYU Testing Center with even a hint of a 5 o'clock shadow.

So, Marc has never really grown his beard out. He's let it grow during hunting/fishing/camping trips, partly out of necessity and mostly because its a standing competition among his brothers to see who has the best beard.

That is all about to change.

Welcome to No Shave November! Week One:

Marc and his med school buddies claim that No Shave November is their way of supporting Prostate Cancer Awareness month....but I think we all know the truth. They just want to prove their manliness. They're even going to award the guy with the "Best Beard" at the end of the month. And just to make things fair, they're also planning on giving out a "Nice Try" Award.  

I've never seen him past this stage of scruffiness because he usually shaves each week for church. I honestly like the scruff, I think it looks nice on him, but I don't love the way it feels. Hopefully that changes as the pokey whiskers become a softer beard.  Bring on the ruggedness!