Confession... Six months ago my dating life was stale. In preparation for a semi-permanent move to Georgia, I was living with my friends (a married couple), pinching pennies and spending most nights alone with Oscar. In the blink of an eye I went from “Sex and the City” to “Three’s Company,” leaving little fodder for my column. Confession... I renewed my subscription to Match.com. Being the thrifty gal I am, I decided the purpose of my renewal would be two fold: 1. Prowl the surrounding Read more [...]

They say women grow up to marry a man like their father. If this is true, then I’m destined to marry a tall, hardworking, beard-growing, outdoor-loving hunter and handy man with a thing for John Wayne movies, reruns of “The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross” and homemade beef jerky. For years I’ve fought the urge to believe this adage — not because my father isn’t an exemplary role model of a husband, but one can only wake up to the smell of beef drying in the oven for so long. However, Read more [...]

I’m sick of shaving my legs. Frankly, I’m tired of removing all errant hairs from my body on a monthly, weekly or sometimes daily basis. It’s exhausting, not to mention expensive. Have you seen the price of razors? How about the cost of a magnifying mirror — you can’t get a good one for under $30. And please don’t get me started on the multiple pairs of tweezers I’m basically forced to keep on me at all times (I recommend at least one pair in the bathroom, purse and car — for those Read more [...]

Growing up in the information age I always had a means of finding answers. If Ask Jeeves couldn’t tell me in 1996, it probably wasn’t worth knowing. Today, with smart phones and the wonder of Google, there’s immediacy to unanswered questions. Why on Earth would I go another minute debating the year Sam Cooke died when I could just look it up on my iPhone? There is a particular set of questions, however, that seems to go unanswered in this information-abundant world: those pertaining love. Read more [...]

Each year my older sister, younger brother and yours truly come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas to rekindle our family roots, celebrate in our overly illuminated home, eat and drink too much, recount stories of our childhood and suffer uncontrollable laughing fits. Recently, my parents decided we would start a new “dining out” holiday tradition. Until we all had significant others, we would dine out at a fine restaurant for our holiday extravaganzas. It has proved a wonderful tradition. Read more [...]

In a relationship that’s on the road to longevity, meeting the family is a big deal. It’s the turning point of any relationship, a testament to your commitment, and the level of the relationship that tells us we are serious … or downright insane. Between my older sister and me, we’ve had plenty of awkward and uncomfortable family interactions with guys throughout the years. I recall my sister inviting a date to dinner and our family quickly learned that his favorite — and only— hobby Read more [...]

Women often dread being the only single girl as much as we dread trying on bikinis in a dressing room. We have to squeeze into feminine ideals that leave us bursting at the seams with frustration, disappointment and sometimes even embarrassment. I often find myself to be the perpetual single gal. I courageously attend get-togethers as the third, fifth or seventh wheel while my friends and their beloved boyfriends discuss cutesy date plans or romantic getaways. During these moments, I’m usually Read more [...]