D: Divorce. I didn't even see this one coming!!!

I am in shock!

I just found out that NBA baller Charlie Bell and his wife Kenya are getting divorced!!! This really hit me hard because these are people who are around my age and two people that I actually went to college with. Yeah, I know I shouldn't be shocked when two celebrities split, but this is different. Charlie Bell was one on the beloved Flintstones from the Michigan State basketball team. He's one of us, one of the regular folk, always such a nice guy. And Kenya, was a girl from the D. Smart, beautiful and down to earth. Or at least she seemed to be back in the day. They were as close as the perfect couple as you can get in the world of celebrity. Or at least I thought.

While I didn't know Charlie and Kenya personally, I do remember bumping into them on the campus of Michigan State University. They seemed so happy each time I saw them together. And on the few occasions that I saw Charlie out at a campus party or out with his boys, no matter how many girls tried to turn his head, it was clear that his heart was already spoken for. That's why I can't believe that their fairy tale romance is over.

Then again, lots of marriages fail. Some of my closest friends have had failed marriages. Some of my family members had failed marriages. Even my parents marriage, after 31 years, sadly failed. It's a sobering stat, but it's an unfortunate truth.

In recent months, several celebrity couples who seemed like they would be together forever have called it quits. Heidi Klum and Seal; Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Laine; Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli; Arnold Schwarzeneggar and Maria Shriver; Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher; Katy Perry and Russell Brand. And who can forget about Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. While we all knew the Kardashian nuptials were probably doomed, no one would have envisioned the sham would have lasted only 72 days.

The common theme in all of these unions is each couple gave the image of unbridled bliss. And I am sure they were all very happy at the time. But unfortunately if people get together for the wrong reasons, no matter how happy they appear on the red carpet, in the media or even on Facebook, they will not last. The more couples try to convince everyone of their happiness, the more unhappy and unstable the relationship usually is. Being happy doesn't require a lot of convincing, it just is. People can only keep up an image for so long and when the honeymoon phase is over, usually the marriage will be too.

I sometimes get frustrated because I am woman of a certain age and unmarried, but maybe that's not such a bad thing. In this day and age, maybe being single and waiting for the right situation is the way to go. But at the end of the day, I still believe in marriage! And I always will.

B: Bridesmaids, Blessings, Birthday

I was having a lackluster day and I decided to just chill out and watch some feel good t.v. Much to my surprise, the blockbuster comedy Bridesmaids came on one of my premium cable channels. I love that movie because it says it all. For someone who is of a certain age, single, childless, and not where I want to be professionally, I can totally relate to the storyline.

To recap the plot, this is the story of another woman of a certain age who has to deal with the fact that she is not where she thought would be in this stage of her life. She is standing up in her best friend's wedding where she is forced to play second fiddle to another woman competing to be her best friend's new best friend. After a series of hysterical events, the woman comes to terms with being single, being unemployed and being happy to be who she is at this point of her life. And after that realization, she realizes to just enjoy the journey and look forward to the rest of the ride that life has to offer.

This week is my birthday. It is not a milestone birthday and it's one that I'm determined to stay happy that I am it's another one that I'm blessed to hopefully see. Being single, childless and working at a job that is not my career, I learned that I have a choice on how to view this particular stage in life. I can be mad at myself or at God because I don't have that husband, children and white picket fence that I have envisioned for myself. Or I can thank God for the place I am in life and look forward to all the blessings that are yet to come. I don't have those things yet. How I am choosing happiness is: I am choosing the latter. I still feel like that 17-year-old girl with alot of hopes and dreams ahead of her and I am sure she is proud of the 30-something woman I have become. (a lady never tells her real age :)) While I still believe in the fairy tale, I am thankful for all the blessings and lessons that I have experienced so far in life. And most of all, I am thankful for the people I do have in my life.

A couple of years ago, I went through a pretty tramatic breakup and I went to restaurant with my best friend where I met an amazing waiter. He told me that things happen for a reason, things don't happen before its time and God never makes mistakes. I totally agree. While I never saw the waiter again, I still remember those words and I still have hope that I will have everything that God has in store for me. I also remember that blessings aren't necessarily denied, just because they are delayed.