I recently went to a friend’s 30th birthday. Christina was happy, making plans for the future, and freshly single after breaking up with her long-term boyfriend. She could have been depressed at the thought of being alone on her birthday, but instead she seemed relieved that she finally found the courage to break up with him after feeling rather blah about him and their whole relationship for the past while. Doug was a nice enough guy, but when it all boiled down, he just wasn’t right for her and she knew it. Christina wasn’t ready to give up hope in finding the real Mr. Right by settling for a Mr. Okay for Now.

Pink is not one of my favorite colors but I happen to see a lot of it now that I have a baby girl. The large majority of the clothes she has received as gifts are pink. A little bit of pink now and then is fine, but I like to dress her in other colors too and find the lack of non-pink clothes for young girls to be disparaging.

He thinks he’s showing you love by buying you flowers. You think flowers are better left in the garden and just want him to help you fix the kitchen sink. In love language terms, he may as well be speaking Swahili to you. While his efforts at romance are admirable, he’s wasting his money on gifts while he really should be engaging in acts of service. One of the most useful wedding presents I received is the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. While the book’s Christian overtones may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the book is filled with real examples of couples with problems and practical advice on how to make sure you and your partner are communicating effectively.

Theresa leads a pretty normal life (some may even say boring) — she is married, has a baby daughter and a dog. She started writing about her thoughts and observations on life on her personal blog, LuvBuv. Shortly thereafter, she was asked to blog about relationships, family, and well-being for the HealthyPlace community.