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I’ve not really been able to keep up with Link Love on Fridays like I’ve wanted to, especially through the month of March. March came in like a lion for me. I was buried under work–blah blah blah excuse excuse–so I didn’t get around to sharing all of the link love I have with you. Luckily, I keep track of all of the posts that tickle my fancy and intrigue me, and now that things have settled down, I want to catch you up with all the posts that have caught my wondering eye. [Note: all writing links will be on Copywrite1985; all movie links will be on 2blu2btru’s Reviews, and; an in case you missed it mega post will be posted shortly!]

The first big chunk of posts are posts about love and relationships–the topics that make up the bulk of this blog. Whether  you are contemplating marriage, engagement or dating, or ruminating on frenemies, family, and how you feel about your own skin, the blogs have been buzzing about relationships.

I always make sure to point out, there’s nothing wrong with being single. In fact, for some of us, there’s everything right with being single. If you’re like the person characterized in Jaclyn Rae’s “Lost,” you may need to take some time off from dating to reevaluate yourself. Maybe you need to learn self-acceptance, something Molly discusses on “Feeling Nosy (A Quick Note on Self-Acceptance).” Once you’ve done that, you can occupy yourself while “Waiting.” In the meantime, learn “How to Value Your Vagina” via Kiss-N-Tell Chantell.  But what if you feel like you’ve been waiting too long? You need to read Zakiyamellanin’s post “So What Do You Do If You’ve Missed All the Deadlines for When You’re Supposed to be Engaged, Married With Children Or At Least Have a Prospect?”

Just because you’re single doesn’t mean you have to date any and every man that asks you out. You will eventually come to the conclusion that when it comes to men, some simply deserve you. Which ones? Read “You Don’t Deserve Me…” to find out. A man should know that to take you off the market isn’t an inexpensive endeavor. Sepia Brown tells you what that means in “Sticker Shock.”

Here’s the thing, though. You don’t want to be one of those people who can’t let go of someone because they are comfortable and familiar to you. That’s exactly the case Love in the A contemplates in “The Guy and the Ex He Can’t Get Over.” Jinnette expresses longing for someone other than her current partner in the poem “The More Things Change.” Indeed, it seems hard to forget some of the milestones you make together. Crystal at Das Bloggen relates to this in her post “My First ‘I Love You’.”

Why are we still questioning the state of Black love? istilldon’tgetit asserts “Black Love is Not Dead.” Furthermore, in case is was a concern of ours, asserts “Monogamy Matters”

Apparently, it really is the start of the wedding season. Ashy to Classy, a favorite blog of mine, asserts you can turn a garden tool into a housewive-in theory. Love Prints Relationship Coaching poses the question “Are You Ready for Engagement?” If you answered yes to that question, congrats…just don’t spend more time thinking about the wedding than the marriage, asserts Deborah J. Thompson. That’s hard to do when you spend all day looking at pictures like these on Sharon Elizabeth’s photography blog. It may be helpful, at this point, to ask “What Makes a Relationship Work?” This is exactly what Jobo asks her sister and brother-in-law. One of the things that it takes, according to Jaclyn Rae, is “A Selfless Heart.” Morgan continues her Profile of a Pastor’s Wife with another key component: prayer.

Once you get the marriage going, the next thing on everyone’s mind is “when are you two going to have children?” If you’re Kiss-N-Tell Chantell, you may be “Facing the Ugly Truth: Motherhood Isn’t for Everyone.” Istilldon’tgetit weighs in on the Abortion debate with “Pro-Life AND Pro-Choice? Yes. Absolutely.” But if you’ve decided to have a little bundle of joy, justmarriedgirl’s coming to terms with her “HUGE Baby Bump” may interest you. You may also enjoy reading JeLisa’s posts “I Guess Babies Heed Eviction Notices” and “The Day Baby Made Three.”

The end of any relationship is hard, but especially the end of a marriage. Just hearing about the divorce of one of her husband’s friends sends Miss Mitten into a tailspin in “Cray Cray Land. Table for One.”  Backonmyown ruminates the end of her message in the post “We Made Too Many Wrong Mistakes.”

High school. No matter how you try to shake the high school hierarchy and social construct, it exists in our everyday lives. It can be found on our jobs, such as is chronicled in “High School Confidential“. Sepia warns herself of the pitfalls of youth, among other things, in “A Letter to Young Sepia.” But the most lasting part of high school could be the Frenemy. Hindsight Notes recently allowed readers to share their experiences with Frenemies. How do you know if a friend is a true friend or not? Zakiyamellanin explains the difference in “Buzzards or Buddies?” blogger Necole claims “A Friend is Nothing But a Known Enemy.”

Aside from relationships with others, I’m also tuning in more to important areas in your relationship with yourself–namely health and fitness. I’ve been reading a number of quality posts on health from bloggers like Natasha over at Domestica. Her advice? “Don’t Sabotage Your Efforts! Drink More Water.” She also asserts that making healthy choices gets easier in her post “The Fight.” The discussion of diet can get a little ridiculous. Abby makes fun of it in “How I Got Thin.” If you’re interested in some good eats, I found two recipies for homemade goodies to share: Homemade Bagels and Homemade Ravioli (which I definitely want to try).

Exercise and fitness is also an important component of being in a good relationship with self, one I’ve been reading up on lately. Talking about fitness can be very straightforward and factual, introspective, or even fun. Here’s the best from WordPress bloggers: Jobo had an enlightening experience in a spin class that she catalogues in “Crystalize it. A fuzzy goal isn’t a goal.” Teacher Goes Back to School shares some inspiring images from the Curvy Yoga movement in one of her “In Case You Missed It” posts. Speaking of yoga, Down Dog Blog always has something to add to my own practice. I can’t do a Downward Facing Tree, but this post about it brought home the philosophical meaning behind it. Another post of interest on DDB is “Yin Yoga Home Practice.” If you don’t know what yin yoga is, read this; it may be what you’re looking to add to your practice (wish I’d found it BEFORE I got hurt). Chris LoCurto compares his compressed marathon training schedule to a leadership model in “Dang this Hurts!” Carly & Melissa share an inspiring running quote in “Gazelles.” Speaking of running, Kristy shares some “Advice for Newbie Runners” (advice I should have heard and heeded myself ;-)) “News That Christians Should Read” included the inspiring words of Bethany Hamilton, the lady surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack. Rounding out the inspiration, Jess at Eat.Drink.Breathe.Sweat has a guest post, “Diary of a Spin Class,” and Clare celebrates completing her first marathon on “I’m a Marathoner.”

Blogger Ace ties it all together in “Healthy Life, Happy Life.”

Life, that all encompassing thing that we all experience. It is full of philosophical wonderings and questionings, some comical and others completely serious. One thing that can get us down is mornings–specifically Monday mornings. Dara gives us some tips on “How to Have a Smart Start to the Week and Lose Those Monday Blues.” Zakiyamellanin gives a few tips of her own in “The Morning Rush!” Haley at Green Plate Dinners serves up a Motivational Monday post on “Creating New Boundaries.”

Even as Jamie asks “Am I Ready to Grow Up?”, Grown Up For Real shares her “Top Ten Grown Up Reminders.” Of course, nothing gets you to question your life like a birthday, as Dan does in “The Annual Existential Crisis (Birthday).” Istilldon’tgetit raises the question of blogging identity in her post “I’m not a black blogger?” Two bloggers tackle the fear of reaching their full potential, one in a new job/position and one in general. Jobo recounts job stresses in “Big Rocks (no, not that kind)” and Sepia contemplates going after her dreams in “Fear of Flying.”

The funny, irreverent posts are the fewest and farthest between, but some of the most enjoyable. Sheologian give a new spin on the “do you know who you look like?” game with “Fair is Fair.” Big Sheep contemplates the Spring Cleaning Ritual in “The Springtime Guide to Decrapification.” Janna bemoans being left holding the bag in “I Smell a Rat.” But by far the funniest thing I’ve read has to be “Things I Carry in My Pocket for the Sole Purpose of Confusing the Police in the Event of My Untimely Death” by The Good Gatsby.

Lastly, once again in a class all her own, Justmarriedgirl’s “Fifteen Items or Less.”

I have more, but I’m tired, you’re tired, and you need time to savor all of this goodness.