Popping the Question!

Dear Michelle Valentine,
I have been in a steady relationship with my guy for nearly 2 years now. I am completely in love with him, and I know he loves me, but I've reached the point of "where do we go now?". He hates talking about it, and he does everything to avoid the conversation and changes the topic whenever I bring it up. I love him, and want to marry him (complete with the house, 2.5 kids, and the pet dog). I dream of our life together in the future, but he just seems to avoid the whole marriage thing. Christmas is coming soon, and he seems completely uninterested when I mention about engagement rings and unique marriage proposals. I get so hurt when he just shrugs it all off. Should I just tell him, "let's go pick out an engagement ring", and if he doesn't want to, give him an ultimatum? Like, by Christmas? Or what about New Year's Eve? Please help.

Marissa, Orlando

Dear Marissa,
So you are completely in love with a man who continually avoids your feelings, wishes, and desires? And he shrugs off notions of your vision of your future life together? The concern is not if he loves you, but how much does he love you. . . enough to be happy for now, or enough to consider you his lifemate? Maybe you need to reconsider this man as having as your future mate. When there is one person in a relationship who desires more (which is a normal feeling after 2 years of a steady relationship), it should be a time of reflection of where to go next. On the other hand, though, could you be just getting too pushy on him, thus scaring him away from the whole thing? "Demanding" he pick out a ring for you, and "demanding" an ultimatum date just may be a bit harsh for him. He could love you tremendously, and maybe he does wish to marry you, but he may see your current actions as a glimpse of the future (life with a pushy wife). I suggest you have a nice, slow, intimate conversation with him over a wonderful candlelit dinner, and talk to each other as adults who love each other and see from that meeting where you should go. Hopefully, he will tell you he loves you, wants to marry you, was planning to give you an engagement ring at Christmas. . . and all that other good stuff! Please let me know what happened!

Amore till next week