You will never win if you never begin. — Helen Rowland

Read to the End. Where I find romance in marriage.

Stepped Out. I think these are my wedding shoes.  Or these.  Too many choices.

Powerful. Jessica Yellen on how to stop asking for permission.

Home Goods. This no-mess honey dispenser is my new go-to housewarming gift.  My old go-to was a chic match striker.

Vigilance. Skin cancer, why it’s a big deal and what it’s like to be diagnosed.

Printed. Leopard midi-skirts: Every NYC blogger has one. Plus-size? This one’s for you.

Pivot. Is investing in relationships, the key to being happier at work?

Hunting. For a good poreless primer. This e.l.f one is highly recommended, but do you have a favorite?

Bumbled. Real equality is when we elect a female slob.

Smitten. Deb Perelman talks about her days in the kitchen. Trust me, you need her original cookbook and her newest one.

Supported. Interventions: What it’s really like from the inside of trying to help.

In one month, I will be Kyle’s wife.

It feels a little strange to say that out loud.

For a long time, I didn’t think I would marry.  I was happy with my solitude.  No one was reliant on me, and I was reliant on no one.  My decisions were my own.  My failures put no one else in jeopardy, and I found the freedom to change my life at will intoxicating.

I don’t talk much about my relationship beyond surface things.  Kyle asked me a long time ago to keep our lives off the Internet to whatever extent I could.  So while our relationship is very much a part of my story, that story is not solely mine to tell, and I do my best to respect that.

There are plenty of cruel rumors circulating about our engagement.  Sometimes they even make their way into the comments on this site.  And it’s tough when something that is so precious to you is maligned for the entertainment of others.  But when you live your life on the Internet, even to a small extent, you open yourself up to that.  It’s unavoidable.

Sometimes what works inside a relationship isn’t visible to others, and it doesn’t always need to be.  But if you’re looking for love, I hope that all of you are lucky enough to find someone who truly sees you.  I hope you find someone who makes you laugh, even when life gets dark.  Someone who will see you through the ugliest year of your life and still want to have more years with you.  Someone who you want to take care of, and love, and be tethered to, because at some point, without noticing, you become a we, instead of an I.

{this post contains affiliate links that may generate commission for the author; the beach photo is from my friend @gurrity, the world’s best traveler}