Years ago a friend of mine frequently wore a t-shirt that had one of those retro comic strip characters - a woman right out of Mary Worth, maybe - holding her hand up to her mouth to stifle a scream. The thought bubble next to her head said, "Oh my God! I forgot to have children!"

When someone finally identifies a geographic area that they really like – where you feel comfortable and happy, where you could see yourself wanting to stay a while – it makes sense that you might start thinking about the possibility of buying vs. renting. But what if the place where you live (Alexandria, VA) happens to be included on the list of America's 5 Most Overpriced Suburbs? Obviously you’re not the only person who wants to live where you live, and real estate prices reflect that.

When it comes to relationships, what I learned from my mother was largely unspoken. I’m not the only one who feels this way. I have two sisters (one is two years older than me, the other three years younger), and I asked them not long ago if they remembered receiving any advice about men and relationships. The response was unanimous – our mother just isn't one to give unsolicited advice.

Don’t you love when you read something that actually makes you stop and think? I like this feeling because I read a lot of different stuff, in all kinds of different places, and I’ve mastered the art of skimming. So it’s generally impossible to spend a lot of time reading something – whether it’s a news article or blog post – slowly, in its entirety.

I’m a firm believer that women can be just as happy when they’re single as when they’re dating or in a relationship, but it’s also okay to admit when you're ready to meet someone. You want attention; you want to laugh; you want to feel like someone really wants to be around you. At these times you might ask yourself, "What are some fun things I can do to entertain myself and also meet new people?"

It's an easy parallel to draw especially since many times the two situations intertwine: trying-to-conceive bears many similarities to trying-to-partner. In both cases, we believe the timing is within our control until we discover that life has its own timetable. We can put in hours and hours of hope and hard work and have nothing to show for it on the other end. It may be the thing we want most, but the only aspect of our life that is completely out of reach. Both situations can move like a roller coaster once the tame ride picks up steam after the first twist or drop.