Love and Marriage

So there is plenty of news to go 'round, but the biggest news I have received is the impending marriage of my best friend from back home, and I couldn't be happier for her. Amie and I have been friends since 3rd grade (except for our stupidity in 8th grade) and I love her like she was my sister. I'm so glad she's found the person who makes her the happiest she's ever been in her life. I'm looking forward to next April and her wedding more than I ever imagined I would be, and I can't wait to see her when I go home for spring break.

Now that Amie is officially engaged, the list of my friends who are getting married has grown to epic proportions:

Cortney, Laura, Amanda, Trista, Amie and several others that I don't know very well.

And of course there's Brooke, who just got married on March 1st, and my countless other friends who are already married. When I was engaged in high school, I never thought I'd be one of the last of my friends to get married, but here I am.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy for all of my friends. I'm absolutely thrilled that they have found wonderful people and that they're happy.

Up here in New England, you don't get married until your 30s, and even then it's rare. People up here tend to just live together for the rest of their lives without getting married. I think that a lot of men here are scared by the prospect of marriage, at least of marriage in their 20s.

I know I shouldn't put all of my stock in this, but I was watching Tyra today and there was a relationship expert taking questions from audience members and people at home. One of the things the expert said was to NEVER bring up marriage if you're the woman, that it should be something that the man brings up.

Unlike anyone in New England, my family expects me to be getting married soon and, to be honest, I always assumed I'd be either married or engaged by this point.

Wish me luck!