Friends first!!

My brother is inspiration for this entry. He is sad lately because he does not have a girlfriend. He says he wants a girlfriend, not a "female friend".

I've talked with him about this and I even gave him my relationship story, but I'm not sure if he actually listened to his sister. (You who have siblings can relate!)

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, my most recent relationship lasted 3 months. It really was a "wake-up" relationship. I learned SO much about relationships from just 3 months!

From our very first date, we started dating exclusively. We met on May 24.
My grandfather's 85th birthday was on August 1. I took him to my grandfather's birthday. He met my ENTIRE dad's side of the family. I only knew a few basic things about him: his name, birthday, where he lived, all his brother's names, and where he worked. There's more and it gets better! After a mere 2 months, he told me "I love you". Because I didn't know him, I did not say it. Shoot, I wasn't even sure if I liked him!

I learned that you MUST be friends with someone before any romance starts. If you get "hot and heavy" early on in the relationship, it will end just as quickly.

Being friends with someone first is great because there is no pressure. You do not have to act like somone you're not. You can be yourself and the other person can be themself. If you BOTH have feelings for each other, then you can make the jump to boyfriend/girlfriend status. If one has feelings but the other does not, stay friends! Friendship is not a bad thing; everyone needs friends.