My Better Halves

I have two younger siblings. Their names are Maria and Michael. Maria is a junior in high school, and Michael is a sophomore. These two mean the world to me, and I honestly have no idea where I would be in life without them. I can honestly say that I have never met other siblings that are as close as we are.

My sister Maria and I work together. I am a cashier, and she is a bagger. You are not suppose to have a conversation with the baggers or other cashiers if you are with a customer, but Maria and I are ALWAYS talking. And so far, we haven't had any complaints from the customers. We just always hear "are you girls always this nice to each other?" And we would just look at each other, smile, and say yeah. Maria has always been my best friend, and I have always been hers. Of course we have our moments, but we are always able to look pass them and move on.

My brother and I are about four years apart, so there is kind of a big age difference between us. But that has never stopped us from hanging out together! Mike is always one of the most fun people to be around and he never fails to make you laugh so hard that your stomach hurts. He is about 6'1, so he is pretty big for a 15 year old, and whenever a guy tries hitting on me, he likes to start something like he's some a big tough guy. But deep down, Mike is really just a big teddy bear. And if you know him well enough, he has no problem admitting it.

Us three have been through a lot together these past few years, and we have helped each other become better, and stronger people. A brother or sister is one of the best things you can have in your life, because they are a part of you. So if you have a sibling, no matter how old or young there, let them know how much they mean to you, and think about what your life would be like if you didn't have them to count on. I know I would have absolutely nothing.

Five Ways to Know You Are Dating a Real Man

I am honestly running out of things to talk about when it comes to relationships. But I ended up coming across this, and thought, and ehhh why not.. so ladies, here is how you know you are dating a real man!

• A real man values more than just your looks.

Is every compliment from him about a different body part? It doesn't matter how creative he can be, if a guy's sole focus is on how you look, or 'talking dirty,' see it as a red flag. A real man will value your personality, your kindness, your intelligence, and who you are as a person, in general. The things he makes you feel good about will be things that you control, not just results of getting lucky in the gene pool.

• A real man will never be intimidated by your motivation.

A man who has goals for himself, will want to be with a woman who has goals for her own life, too. He will never feel intimidated or threatened by a woman who goes after what she wants. He will want to be part of a power couple, rather than a dictatorship. Be mindful of anyone who tries to keep you from pursuing your dreams.

• A real man will have more interests than just you.

I don't mean this in a negative way. You should, of course, be a priority in his life -- but he needs to have a life as well. Interests, friends, hobbies, aspirations. If a man works his entire life around you, it's another red flag -- relationships should be a great part of your life, but not encompass your whole life.

•  A real man will give you answers.

No matter how awkward or uncomfortable a situation is, a real man will approach it, and you, with respect. I have always felt that a mark of a man is how he handles conflict, criticism, and less-than-ideal situations. A man will not dance around answers or make excuses. If there is something you two need to talk about, he will talk about it.

• A real man will trust you.

As long as you haven't betrayed his trust, a man will NOT be paranoid, or snoop around invading your privacy to make sure you're not doing anything bad. He will have confidence in your relationship. A boy will project his own insecurities onto you, and like termites in a house, will eat away at the foundation of what you've built.

 Information was received from huffingtonpost.com

And of course, next week I will be posting how you know you are dating a real lady.

Pros and Cons of Open Relationships

I never really understood the point of having an "open relationship". I mean, why not stay single then? I thought that it would be interesting to find out what the advantages and disadvantages are, so enjoy!


PROS-

• You Get to Be With Other People-

In an open relationship you get to experience every opportunity that comes your way, you get to act on your desires and you never go home feeling that pang of regret. It gives you a far greater amount of freedom. If you have ever been in a relationship and have looked at someone else who has caught your eye, then you will know that it can sometimes be frustrating not to be able to act on it. Even worse is when you’re out on your own and someone you are incredibly attracted to starts to chat you up and actually starts making moves on you… before you have to say ‘sorry I’m in a relationship’.

• More Varied Sex-

One of the important reasons is the sex. Plain and simple. It means you get more varied and exciting sex and with more people.

• You Don’t Get Bored-

Because you are getting a more varied sex life and seeing more people, this means that when you’re with your partner you feel more excitement and more freshness. This can help to prevent things from settling into that ‘familiar’ territory and keep things exciting a lot longer.

CONS-

• There Is Guilt-

Of course the idea is that there is no guilt, because technically you can do what you like. However for the vast majority of us it’s very difficult not to feel guilty when we are sleeping with someone who is not our partner – or when we are telling our partner how much they mean to us and we remember what we were doing last night.

• There’s Jealousy

You may or may not feel guilty and everyone is different in this regard. However there is a big chance that you are going to feel jealous when you see your partner with another person, or when you hear them talking about them. You’ll wonder whether maybe they had a better time with them, you’ll worry that they might leave you, and you’ll hate the idea of sharing. This is human nature whether or not you have any interest in a long term relationship.

• Diseases and Pregnancies

 And then of course there is the slight problem of STI’s and pregnancy scares. While it is possible to be safe in an open relationship and to take safe sex seriously, no form of contraceptive is 100% effective and there is always the chance that something could go wrong. Of course this is dramatically increased if you have multiple sexual partners meaning that you could easily end up in trouble. And of course the idea of an accidental pregnancy is much worse when it isn’t with the partner that you want to spend the rest of your life with anyway.

Information by: Colleen Crawford

I still say you should be single if you are doing things like this...