Serial dater. Love struck. "You move way too fast." "Slow down" "How many more boyfriends are you going to have?" "What number is this?"

I have heard it all from my friends and my family. People tell me that I need to not give so much to people in relationships, and that I need to "focus on myself" but the truth is, is that I love hard. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I am not ashamed to admit that. Yes, that means I have experienced heartbreak in multiple ways from multiple people. However, that does not mean that I will ever stop giving my all.

When I date, I date with a purpose. I date to find a potential life partner, not just to have someone there. If we are together I see you as being someone I might want to spend my life with, so of course I am going to give our relationship my everything. My grandparents always tell me that I "don't need to rush" anything, and that I will "find someone when the time is right". While I agree with that, I feel like dating and learning what I like and do not like in a partner is important to ensure that when I find someone I know they are the right one.

I wear my heart on my sleeve, always. Dating is something I do take seriously, and in today's world that leads to a lot of heartbreak and dead end roads. People in my generation do not see dating as something to be taken seriously anymore. It is all about hooking up and one night stands, or someone to fill your time. If I truly want to be with you, I make it very clear what I want to happen. Some find that "crazy" or "too much", but personally I feel that more people should be more forthcoming with what they want out of a relationship. If you are not ready for someone to take you seriously, let that be known. I will not apologize for it. I will not apologize for showing you I care for you and letting you know that I want to be with you.

Pretty much from the get-go I am a whirlwind of a woman. I do get attached, I do want to talk about the hard stuff, your family, your friends, what you love, what you're passionate about, I do want to discuss where you see yourself in five years, the type of family you want, if you want one at all, etc. All of the big questions that no one asks because it is too much for a new relationship, I want answers to. I have plans for myself and for where I want to be, and I want to make sure that if something does work out, we could work together toward our goals in life. And I am not sorry about it. I am not sorry for wanting to get to know you on a deeper level.

I have had my fair share of heartbreak. I have given my all to people and they cannot reciprocate those feelings and emotions back to me. I do not regret any of it, and I am not sorry for it. I am thankful for all of it. Sometimes I wonder why I put myself in these situations. I wonder why I give so much to people even though I know in my heart that they will not give me what I need. I ask myself these questions, but then I remember that that is who I am. I am a woman who loves deep and is not ashamed to show people that. While it hurts when things end, I know that God has someone out there for me waiting and willing to accept all I have to offer. I don't know who it is, but I won't ever if I don't give people chances.

The life lessons I have learned and the self discovery journey I have travelled on has been a blessing in disguise. Not only do I learn things I like and dislike in a partner, I learn about myself as well. So when people say I need to "focus on me", my response is that I am focused on me. I am doing this for me, I am dating to find someone for me and to learn things about me. It is for me.

I will never apologize for loving someone deeply. I will never apologize for making someone happy, and for giving someone my everything. I have a heart full of love and I am openly willing to share that with others.

The way I see it, you just have to keep kissing frogs until you find your prince.