I always had guy friends. From elementary school to college, I was friends with boys. We were just friends. I don't think any of them even gave one thought about dating me. There were no kisses. I don't think I even hugged all of them. When I met my husband, who has a jealous streak, he never believed all these guys from my past were just friends. In fact, I told him about one friend from college, and how he and I would play Monopoly all night. My husband thought Monopoly was code for sex. There was no sex. Just Monopoly.

My husband -- and actually many of the people in my family I later learned -- believe that men are only friends with women if they're interested in them romantically. Obviously, none of them met my guy friends. Still, I respected my husband's feelings. I didn't give up any of my friends. But I would never hang out with them alone as I once did, nor do I share secrets or private matters with them anymore. My husband became my best friend, and my relationships with my guy friends changed. They started to get married, too, and they also pulled back. And our spouses started to fulfill our need to philosophize, ponder the future, and play Monopoly all night. That's just fine by all of us. Now, I'm wondering if men and women -- after a certain point in life anyway -- truly can be just friends. What do you think? Can men and women be just friends?

You'll never guess what I'm doing tonight? I will be wrapping holiday gifts. I know what you're thinking. Halloween was less than a week ago, so how could this girl be thinking about Christmas and the holidays already. Last year, between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30, my husband and I planned a wedding and a vow renewal in two different countries. We were playing tour guide to relatives and friends -- and then the holidays just snuck up on us. We were totally unprepared and bought everyone's gift in the three days before Christmas. It was a nightmare.

Besides feeling tons of pressure as relatives started to stop by bearing their own gifts for us, we ended up spending way more than we would have if we had time to scout out the best prices. We also would have been able to give more thought to the gifts we chose for each person. That's why I vowed that I would do things differently this year. I would get a head start. And I've done just that.

Here's my advice on how to tackle the gift giving -

1. Make a list and check it twice. Determine who you'd like to give a holiday gift and exactly what you might like to get for each person. Then figure out who merits a holiday card or homemade cookies. Colleagues and work contacts, for instance, might just need a card or cookies, which will cut down on your gift budget.

2. Surf the Internet. Look at Web sites of the stores where you're thinking about shopping. See how the prices differ for the gifts that interest you. Sometimes, you can find a better price for one item over another. If you start shopping early, you can also wait to see if the item goes on sale. Also, pay attention to the sites themselves because some of them offer better prices than you'll find in the actual store.

3. Go to outlets and discount stores. There, you can see if you can find any of the items on your list at better prices and you're almost certain to find great stocking stuffers.

4. Make holiday shopping your mission. Dedicate one or two days to purchase the items on your list. You might be able to cross off many things, and then you'll have less to worry about as Thanksgiving and Christmas arrive.

5. Wrap gifts as your bring them into the house. There is nothing more annoying than having to wrap piles and piles of presents the night before your holiday event. If you wrap them as you get them, you'll just have to display them or add lovely ribbons in the days before the holiday.

6. Enjoy the shopping. If you beat the crowds to the mall, you'll feel less stressed, find better prices, and enjoy the experience more. I know I find myself already in the Christmas spirit, and I literally just took the witch from Halloween off my front door.

Wordless Wednesday Honeymoon

The New York City skyline is the perfect backdrop for a romantic kiss with your husband or wife. © Photo courtesy of the Gerenini family

Having lived just outside of Manhattan in New Jersey for virtually all my life, I often take the city that never sleeps for granted. But showing New York to my husband, who is a native of Italy, has given me a new perspective. I grew up near the greatest city in the world. And it's the perfect place for a romantic evening or a full-fledged honeymoon. This time of year -- when New York begins to get dressed up for the holidays -- is the best time to visit.

In the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you can ice skate at Rockefeller Center, take in the beautifully designed, festive windows in the stores on Fifth Avenue, go to a show (The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall never disappoints), and smooch under the tree at Rockefeller Center. Taking a photo under the lights in Times Square and a cozy carriage ride at Central Park are also delightful for couples. Just about everywhere you turn, you can find a different restaurant serving a different kind of cuisine that will stun you with its deliciousness. (For authentic Italian dishes, including to-die-for-pizza, head to Naples 45 near Grand Central Station.) Only take the yellow cabs that are sanctioned by the city, look at the prices on menus and hotels before committing to anything, and be aware of your surroundings and where your money is at all times. It's a major metropolis, after all.

Still, it's always been my favorite time of year in New York -- even if us New Jerseyans have to battle traffic to get there. Whether it's your first honeymoon or tenth, you'll be more than satisfied with taking a bite out of the Big Apple. And one look at the skyline should be enough to inspire the love.

More Wordless Wednesday Photos from Other Bloggers

One way to decide if you and your husband or wife are ready to try to have a baby is to babysit for other people's children. My husband and I come from big Italian families. We are blessed with three nieces, a nephew, and lots of little cousins, who range in age from 1 to 18. We spend much of our time with them and have a good idea of what parenthood will be like from birth to the teenage years.

Whenever I get the chance to babysit or weigh in on issues affecting one of the teens in our life, I consider it an opportunity to flex my parenting muscles. It gives me a glimpse at what life might be like for me if and when my husband and I become parents. Granted, the real thing will be very different. When you're babysitting, you can send little Johnny home when he starts crying, vomiting, or acting up. You can't do that when little Johnny is your kid.

Still, I recommend babysitting and seeing what it's like to be responsible for a child and rear him or her, even if for just an hour or two. You might get pushed to your limit. You might fall in love. You might decide to try to have a baby.