Confessions of a Dreamer...

Remember when we were kids and we played make-believe or read a fairytale? There was always a prince and a princess...and the classic "Happily Ever After".

Well, in the real world, "Happily Ever After" simply doesn't exist. Life isn't easy, and it definitely isn't full of princes and princesses. I used to be a dreamer, and in a lot of ways I still am. But, over the past few years, I've come to realize that life isn't about living out this fantastical plan that you invent for yourself. I remember saying when I was a teenager that I could see myself getting married right out college and having my first child by 25.

For those of you who know me, that certainly has not happened! I haven't even had a serious relationship that I could say was anywhere close to marriage. I used to be ashamed of that fact. I went around for a few years thinking that something was fundamentally wrong with me like I had some sort of anti-men repellant on me. Now, I laugh when I think about the times I thought I was the problem when in reality the problem was that I wasn't ready spiritually/emotionally/mentally/physically for a relationship of that magnitude.

I guess my vision of a great relationship came from my parents. They were high school sweethearts and loved each other very much. Was their relationship perfect? No, of course it wasn't. If you can show me a perfect relationship, then I'll show you someone who is faking it. Perfect doesn't exist, and there's nothing wrong with that!

I've learned that what matters most is that you find someone you can see yourself with for the rest of your life. Through my own personal experiences and those of my close friends, I've seen enough to know that the vision I've had in my head of the "perfect" guy is not what's meant to be. God has shown me several important things about myself in the past two years that have really given me a lot to ponder.

So, now, at this point in my life, I'm ready to embrace who I am and I like the person I've become. And at the end of the day, that's what matters right now. One day I'll find my "Prince Charming" (haha), but until then I'm going to live my life to the fullest and treasure each day with the ones I love. To those of you who are in my life, I love you all and you'll never know just how grateful I am to have each one of you in my life. :)