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FOR LOVE OR PEANUT BUTTER

I Was Ready For A European Holiday Proposal — My Boyfriend Was Not

Perhaps we should establish the rules of engagement

Kelly Shanley
Slackjaw
Published in
9 min readNov 20, 2024

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Photo by The Now Time on Unsplash / FLOPB Art by Kelly Shanley

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After spending a decade on the dating apps in LA without so much as one boyfriend to show for it, growing so bitter and jaded that I couldn’t stand my own company, learning through life coaching and journaling how to unlearn said bitter and jaded beliefs, and finally setting my self on a course of abundance in love rather than scarcity, I did it: I found my man. The one I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. The one who said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. (Eek!) It only took 35 years! Naturally, once we lived together in peace and perfect harmony for a year or so, I began to wonder… When are we getting engaged?

I’ve always wanted to get married. Not in that crazed, obsessive, I’ve been planning every detail of my wedding since I was a kid kind of way, but in the very fortunate (and sadly rare) I grew up with parents who were happily married and I want that too someday kind of way. Ok fine I may have planned two details of my future wedding; I wanted a Tahoe summer wedding and an ice cream sundae bar. There, you caught me.

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Kelly Shanley
Kelly Shanley

Written by Kelly Shanley

LA based writer/podcaster/comedian/mountain girl at heart. Outdoor lover, world traveler, loud laugher. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kelly-shanley

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