Stacey Becker

You don’t have time for bullshit, and the friends you make in your 30s don’t, either.

Your future partner: If you find the one and fall in love in your 20s, what will have to look forward to in your 30s besides children, work, and taxes?

He seems more and more attractive the more you get to know him. His personality explodes into his looks.

A man you date likes to dream. The man you’re meant to marry is already the man he wants to be.

First, it started taking flash photography of my very messy bedroom, judging my slobbish tendencies and giving me a literal view of my own failures to maintain an orderly Feng Shui master bedroom where anything romantic could take place.

He looked me straight in the eye just a few weeks ago and said, “I love you,” so how could he change his mind so quickly?

Remind yourself of your personal worth.

He knows your entire history and accepts you for it—even the braces, feathered bangs, and bad skin.

Timing is everything and his time is right now with you.

You secretly hate everyone he dates.

He shows up for you, even when you don’t ask him to.

He’s your biggest fan.

You have several disaster online dating stories at the ready for entertainment purposes.

Forget the engagement rings, the weddings and the grand events of romanticized love that occur before getting married. The real test of true love begins later, when that first kid arrives.

The next time that text comes in late night screaming your lonely ex’s desires to rekindle, do something else instead.

Your rent / mortgage, taxes and utility bills could pay for a small foreign island.

Unfortunately, you may not know that you’re in a bad relationship until you’re not in it anymore. Or you may be too afraid to do something about it. Either way, it’s important to recognize if you accidentally find yourself involved in one of the following.

During one of my first online dating experiences, a guy who had contacted me found out that I was a lawyer, emailed, “I don’t date lawyers,” and disappeared. I tried questioning why this was and even pleaded with him to reconsider. I never got a response.