Single Girl's Guide to Decorating

He wandered out of the living room, into the bedroom that held nothing more than a closet, which was already full of clothes, a few boxes and a rug that he figured probably cost the equivalent of a year's rent for him. 

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"I'm expecting a sofa bed to be delivered today. I want to take my time picking out a real bed."

Waiting for Nick

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By Castelaa - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8957842

best tips on how to pimp out your bachelorette pad

MY DOMAINE

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"Mama, Dad," Katie called out from the bedroom. "Come here. You've got to get a load of this!"

"My bed," Freddie explained to her puzzled parents. "It just came yesterday."

It was, if she said so herself, utterly fabulous. 

The spacious room had allowed her to indulge in king-size, and she'd chosen a head and foot board of iron, painted a soft green, like copper patina-ted over time. The rods curved in a graceful semicircle, and were accented by metal flowers and small exotic birds in flight.

"Wow" was all Brandon could say with his mouth full of the scorned rabbit food.

"Great, isn't it?" Lovingly Freddie ran her fingers over the bars, and along the ivory-toned lace of the spread she'd chosen.

"Like sleeping in a fairy tale," Natasha murmured.

"Exactly." Freddie beamed. If anyone would understand and appreciate the sentiment, she knew it would be her mother.

Waiting for Nick

When Life imitates Art

"Look at them, Daddy. Aren't they wonderful?"

She walked to them, feeling the music. And when her father put her hand in Brady's, it was steady and sure.

"Kate." As her father had, Brody lifted her hand to his lips. "I'll make her happy," he said to Spence, then looked into Kate's eyes. "You make me happy."

"You look pretty." Forgetting himself Jack bounced in his new shoes. 

His voice carried through the church. "You look really pretty. Mom."

Her heart, already full, overflowed. 

She bent to him, kissed his cheek. "I love you, Jack. You're mine now," she told him, then straightened, met Brady's eyes. "And so are you."

She passed her bouquet to her sister, took Jack's hand in her free one.

And married them both.

Considering Kate

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Groom’s touching vows to bride’s daughter go viral

"Boutonniere-whitesuit" by David Ball - Own work. 

Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

A wedding video is going viral, and not because of a cleverly choreographed bridal party dance or a flower girl throwing a tantrum. The part of the video that stole the show is the groom Brian Scott’s vows to his bride Whitney Kay’s young daughter, Brielle. 

He said, “I promise to always hold your hand and skip with you down the street and bring comfort to your life. I vow to make you say your prayers before you eat. I promise to read you stories at night, to always tuck you in real tight. I vow to show you how a man should treat a woman in my relationship with your mother. And above all else, I vow to protect you, care for you, and love you forever.”

Not surprisingly, there was not a dry eye in the house. 

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ground rules for dating a single dad

Freddie played with the edge of her blanket. "Will you come and see me when I'm not sick?"
"I think I might." She leaned over to make a grab and came up with a mewing kitten. "And to see Lucy and Desi."
"And Daddy."
Cautious, Natasha scratched the kitten's ears. "Yes, I suppose."
"You like him, don't you?"
"Yes. He's a very good teacher."
"He likes you, too." Freddie didn't add that she had seen her father kiss Natasha at the foot of her bed just the night before, when they'd thought she was asleep. Watching them had given her a funny feeling in her stomach. But after a minute it had been a good funny feeling. "Will you marry him and come and live with us?"
"Well, is that a proposal?" Natasha managed to smile. "I think it's nice that you'd want me to, but I'm only friends with your daddy. Like I'm friends with you."
"If you came to live with us, we'd still be friends."
The child, Natasha reflected, was as clever as her father.

Taming Natasha

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Great news: You just met a wonderful guy! ... Yes, you’re dating a divorced dad, and he’s a tricky species, indeed. Whatever rules you’ve applied to dating in the past, just throw them out the window. Because when it comes to having a relationship with a man who has kids, you’ll need to follow a whole new set of guidelines.

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"And you've done everything you can to give him a happy and normal life. Don't you see how much I admire that? How much I respect it?"
Flustered, he stared at her. He'd never thought of parenting as admirable. "It's what I'm supposed to do.
Thinking of him first, that's how it has to be. It's not just you and me, Kate. If it were… but it's not. A change like this—a life-altering one—he has to be in on it."
"And who's saying differently?" she demanded.
"Well, damn it. I can't just go tell him I'm getting married, just like that. I need to talk to him about it, prepare him. So do you. That's the kind of thing you'd be taking on. He needs to be as sure of you as he is of me."
"For heaven's sake, O'Connell, don't you think I've taken all of that into account? You've known me for months now. You ought to be able to give me more credit."
"It's not a matter of—"
"It was Jack who asked me to marry you in the first place."
Brody stared into her flushed and furious face, then held up his hands. "I have to sit down." He backed up, dropped down on a flattened stump. Because the dog was shoving the rope into his lap, Brody tossed it. "What did you just say?"
"Am I speaking English?" she demanded. "Jack proposed to me yesterday. Apparently he doesn't have as much trouble making up his mind as his father. He asked me to marry you, both of you. And I've never had a lovelier offer."

 

Considering Kate

Ballerina Irina Dvorovenko: ‘All Artists Are Very Vulnerable’

 

“All ballet dancers, all artists, are very vulnerable,” Dvorovenko said. “There are so many insecurities because it’s a huge responsibility and you’re dealing with discipline, routine and pain. From an early age, you have to learn how to control yourself. And have tremendous inner strength.”

 

“The ballet world is pretty hidden,” Dvorovenko continued. 

 “We dedicate our life to it. The audience sees beauty, grace, glamour, lightness, passion. Behind the curtain it’s a very difficult routine and strict discipline.”

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