Not done with being the girlfriend.

When you reach a certain age, have been with a fine male specimen for a number of years and everybody loves the two of you together you get asked the inevitable question of when are you getting married, or is he the one.  Well yes he is the one but I am NOT getting married anytime soon and for that matter I don't want to get engaged anytime soon, I'm not done being the girlfriend. Believe or not this is not the only thing on girls minds when they meet a fella and its definitely not on mine.

Now I'm not against marriage I love it, but its something I look forward to, a part of life that I am yet to reach.  Not due to age, maturity or men, purely because I like being a girlfriend.  Its fun, free and comes with daily benefits and pleasures. Beyond this if I get married now, or in the next few years, then it would already be done, I would be a wife, the anticipation and excitement of the big day would be gone, and the next question would be kids............. um get away from me!  To me becoming a fiancé now would be like someone giving me my Christmas presents now, sure I would be happy, who doesn't love presents but its not the right time and when the time scale is not yearly but life, well its just way to early. 

Why do people think that if you are in a committed relationship that your clock is ticking, am I a bomb?  Will our love die if we don't "put a ring on it"  does everybody just want to come to the party?  Whatever it is I wish I would stop getting asked, its awkward and no one ever seems to like the answer "I don't want to yet," its like they don't believe me, is it cause I'm a girl?  There are so many things to come first, in my life.  Travel, travel, travel, more schnauzers and yup more travel.  I feel secure so why don't people older then me let me be.  Why must our relationships fit us into a time slot of life and how far along we are, especially when so many marriages fail.   Why the big push? 

All I know is I'm happy, I'm loved we plan to get fat together when where old and that's all I/you need to know.