In a pickle? Colonel Brandon is ready to lend an ear and share his wisdom. Write to him at o8sis@wfaa.com.

Relationship journalist and radio host Amy Spencer is the girl to go to when people want to know how the whole love thing works.

Ten years after graduating from Taylor High School in Katy, Texas, Tina Lee Naro learned some surprising things about her former classmates. One committed atheist became a Mormon. A tightly wound "business school" type became a laid-back bartender at a Montana ski resort. And a formerly hirsute friend is now completely bald. Naro, now a consultant in New York City, learned all these things not in person, but on the social networking site Facebook — enough that she now plans to skip her 10-year reunion this September.

The last-minute doubt before a wedding is one of the most enduring themes in movies and literature, and here it is again in "Made of Honor," a tale of a man's 11th-hour profession of love for his best friend. But such real life situations are hardly the stuff of the funny movies, those close to them say. When pre-wedding drama happens, lots of people stand to get hurt, even if things work out in the end.

Author Barbara Bérot knows how dramatic love can be. Her debut novel, When Europa Rode the Bull, is an erotic tale of betrayal and loss.

When Melissa Jenkins received her college diploma last year, she was ready to get on with life — and move in with her parents. The 23-year-old from North Reading, Mass., was saddled with student loans from her years at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire and felt she had no solid career prospects.

Diana Jenkins was happy to welcome her daughter back home after college — as long as there were rules.

Forget Facebook, MySpace or any other online hangout that boasts tens or hundreds of millions of people. For Teresa Munoz, Athlinks (population: 34,000) is the place to be. She uses the community devoted to competitive running, swimming and biking events to find training partners and get advice, including information about her first Ironman triathlon.

When John Council bought his 1929 French eclectic house on Gaston Avenue, the inside was trashed. The hedges in the front yard were so tall you couldn't see the residence from the street. It smelled like "dirty diapers" inside, he says, but none of that mattered. "Ever since I was a teenager," says Mr. Council, "I've loved taking objects that are ugly and making them beautiful." After looking at "100 houses," Mr. Council and his fiancée, Karen Greene, a state district judge, walked in and knew it was perfect. They closed on the house in April 2003 and married in October.

Tricia Nixon was risqué in a sleeveless gown at her Rose Garden wedding. Luci Baines Johnson, at age 19 a fresh convert to Catholicism, opted for a church ceremony but had a White House reception with a 13-tier cake. On May 10, Jenna Bush will do it her way: privately in a casual ceremony on the family's Texas ranch, telling Vogue she'll wear beaded Oscar de la Renta.

Dating diva Jacqui Malouf knows about love connections. The comedienne and author of Booty Food was in Dallas last week to promote a speed dating extravaganza in partnership with 8minuteDating and Penguin Wines.

We're the YouTube Generation, living in the YouTube Era, in a YouTube World. And now we apparently have a YouTube Divorce.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Kathryn Robinson had The Talk with her boyfriend this week.

The process of dating someone is packed with joys and plentiful "love-drug" moments. But in between the hand-holding and dreamy bouts of staring at each other, there are some not-as-easy experiences.

You've probably been through high school science, so we'll assume you know who Pavlov was. He was the guy with the dogs and the bells who trained dogs to want food when he rang a bell, bringing to light the notion that animals can be trained to react a certain way when placed in certain situations.

Science is confirming what most women know: When given the choice for a mate, men go for good looks.

Take a quick skip through the "romance" section of any bookstore and in between the themes of "I think I'm broken now" and "Where the hell is the love I want?"

When your calling card is "the world's most romantic man," you've got some big boots to fill.

An unprecedented study of sex and seniors finds that many older people are surprisingly frisky – willing to do, and talk about, intimate acts that would make their grandchildren blush.

We need to rethink last week's plan to cure bad flirting with practice. We still think it's a good idea, but we've learned it may only be a good idea on paper.

If I were 24-years-old, smart, beautiful, successful, energetic, and a woman…I know exactly who I’d be. I don’t have any real desire to swap genders, but when you see someone you admire so greatly, you can at least see the smallest desirability in the proposition. One of my dear friends, Karlee, has got the stuff. She is quite simply, a surprise. At her young age she is already years ahead of her peer group in terms of a healthy understanding of herself, the people she affects and the larger world around her. The thing I love most about Karlee is her zest for life and her ability to embrace it and take chances.

Besides all the other things I am in my life – mom, wife, writer, teacher – I am also now a widow.

A cousin of mine met her husband when he sauntered over to her in a bar 20-odd years ago and informed her that the ice she was chewing on was a sure sign of sexual frustration, something he thought he could help her with.

Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton were a picture-perfect couple as they campaigned in Iowa last month.

It's confession time. Not like every week isn't a confession, but this is real confession, like only between you and us. Here goes: We here at The Hookup are bad flirts.

So opposites attract, huh? How many people have actually found that to be true? You're probably better off seeking a partner with similar interests, be it English literature, the great outdoors, or late-night partying. So here's a guide to hooking up with someone you can relate to in North Texas.

For every possible relationship stage, from nonexistent to stuck-together-like-glue, writers have created reams of pages full of advice, admonishments, consolations, gimmicks, gab-fests, testimonials and therapies.

For years, Toinetta Jones played the dating game by her mom's strict rule. "Mom always told me, 'Don't you ever bring a white man home,'" recalled Jones, echoing an edict issued by many Southern black mothers.

A friend recently went on a blindish date. I say "blindish" because she and the guy had talked once or twice, but this was their first face-to-face meeting. It was also their first face-to-face in-depth conversation.

You have probably felt it, even if it didn’t have a name. Call it intuition, a hunch, a nagging suspicion. You’ve seen that guy and thought to yourself, “man, he’s good looking, but I don’t see him with a woman. Is he…no, surely he isn’t…well maybe…you know what, I think he might be gay!”

After exhaustively compiling a list of the 237 reasons why people have sex, researchers found that young men and women get intimate for mostly the same motivations.

Date night is often movie night because some of the best smooch-a-thons are to be had on your date's couch with a DVD and a bowl of popcorn.

You always carry a torch for your first. Have you ever heard that saying? We have, and to our annoyance, we've discovered that it's mostly true.

Traveling alone to Seattle for a music-inspired vacation several summers ago, Amy Abern, 49, wasn't thinking about meeting someone. But the weather was warm and there was something in the air.

Getting dumped is one of life's inevitabilities, missed only by the lucky or the homebound.

We're coming up for air from the Harry Potter cave to talk a bit about alone time and how it can make or break your relationship.

In a few days Brian and I will celebrate 12 years together. As I write this column at my desk, I am looking at one of the first pictures we took as a couple. It was a candid shot taken at the apartment I shared in college with a couple of my girlfriends. I thought I was the luckiest guy in the world. I still do.

Although plenty of psychotherapists make their livings helping people think about the past, as a culture, we tend to have an "onward and upward," "look to the future" kind of mentality.

People say the darnedest things. And by "people" we mean "male strangers."

Once upon a time, when I was wilder, younger and living in Austin, I decided to dye my hair. Purple. I also had about 10 piercings and a couple of tattoos.

Get the weather. Get a picture. Get a date – this instant. To add to the growing list of things you can do with your cell phone, now hear this: If you are feeling a little lonely or at loose ends, a growing number of cell phone services offer a chance to see if true love is just around the corner. Yes, sometimes the very one on which you are standing.

This is me flirting with you. This is me batting my eyelashes, smiling pretty and posing suggestively in your general direction – all in an effort to get your attention. I'm not sure as yet what I want to do with your attention once I get it; therefore I reserve the right to give it back at any time. This is also me not caring about your girlfriend. It's summertime, you're here, I'm here. You've got attention to give, and I want it. So this is me flirting with you. Hi!

Is there anything I can do to show the man I am interested that he can trust me not to hurt him with intimate details he is sharing? He states he is afraid to take down his wall he has built up between us? Plus I know he has another female friend that he talks to quite often in addition to me. He states we are both "friends" and that he is not in a position to allow himself to be vulnerable at this time. Any suggestions?

DMN

Men talk just as much as women, says the study.

Many people believe women talk more than men - a lot more. But a new study printed in the journal disputes that.

When asked, I think it is our obligation to be honest tempered with tenderness. Don’t butcher your friend with brutal honesty. But if they are asking, you can’t be afraid to tell them the truth.

Ever since Alexander Graham Bell said in his first telephone transmission, "Watson, come here; I want you," technology and romance have been intertwined.

Brides have swarmed to July 7 – 7/7/07 – hoping a triple-7 anniversary will bring a little extra luck to their union. That's transformed a normally sleepy Saturday in July into the biggest day of the year for an assortment of small businesses – florists, formal attire retailers, bakeries – that cater to the wedding trade.

The percentage of Americans who consider children "very important" to a successful marriage has dropped sharply since 1990, and more now cite the sharing of household chores as pivotal, according to a sweeping new survey.

Let's play a game. It's called "Seriously, What Is That." The rules are pretty simple. We describe a few dating conundrums that have ticked us off and made us ask "Seriously, what is that?" And then you provide an answer. Here we go:

This is going to be really blunt, but I don't care. Most of the guys at my school right now, all want sex. Or something along the lines of sex. Personally, I'm not ready. I know I'm not. And I know that they want it. I've even been dumped lately because I was "too innocent" because i wouldn't give it to them.

While there are many phases of dating, there is one phase that I always find the hardest and most frustrating.

As the wedding nears, certain questions keeping coming my way. Here, then, are answers to the top 10 questions facing us.

As a former "vice president of romance" for Dallas-based Match.com, Trish McDermott has seen her fair share of successes and failures in the dating world.

Last week's condom comment set off a firestorm of feedback, most of which centered on responsibility and self-protection and the like. For the record, women carrying condoms is still weird. But not weird enough to overlook the risk of herpes. Duh. So that's that.

I just typed "bride" into the search engine on Amazon.com and got 132,398 results.

It's a question that often prompts a boastful answer or a bashful one: How many sex partners have you had? Now the federal government says it has authoritative statistics, documenting that men are far more likely to play the field than women.

This column is for you and the closeted metrosexual in your life. Print this out and take it to him. If he has ever wondered why straight women are so drawn to “gay dudes” or why the words “he’s so hot, I’ll bet he’s gay” ever comes out of your lips, then he needs to read this.

My question is: Am I wasting my time and fooling myself that I have a future with this man? My girlfriends and kids (which, my kids just love him to death) say that I just need to be patient until he gets his kids out of school.

Last night, I couldn't sleep. It was the first night since the night of our engagement that I had a hard time sleeping. Why? I think it’s the fact that I began making a list of the things left to do for the wedding before I went to bed. Whose idea was it to plan a wedding in less than four months anyway? Oh yeah, me

Kerensa Vest is a longtime Dallasite, a graduate of SMU and a relationship and profile coach for Irving-based True.com. Vest met her husband on a blind date, and the two of them built the site together in 2003. It has 16 million members. Vest shared some online dating tips.

Sheila Levatino is a licensed marriage and family therapist. She sees many women in her practice that struggle maintaining friendships after marriage and children. Levatino warns that the loss of social relationships has a dramatic impact on a woman’s health and happiness. “We are social creatures. Those who have a variety of positive relationships live longer and happier lives. Friendships help us keep on track – they are also fun. Fun and humor are sustaining in life.”

A few weeks back, we waxed psychotic on why a married man should wear his wedding band to signify his lack of availability. We're not going back on that. But we did realize that there's more to it.

Most 20-something and 30-something single women know all about “Googling” when it comes to dating.

This Friday we get the keys to our new home! It’s not actually new, but it is to us. We decided to start our lease this Friday to give us some time to slowly move furniture in and to begin decorating.

You've fallen in love with Mr. or Mrs. Right. You've talked about kids, a home and how you'll spend the holidays. But have you had a financial first date?

If your guy had issues with his last girlfriend, chances are he'll have a version of those same issues with you.

I like him. He doesn’t like me. He likes me. I don’t like him. And so, it goes back and forth.

Just like anything, whether it be your career, your faith, your friendships or your relationship with your significant other, it’s important to keep learning. Learn about one another; learn about the opposite sex in general. Just keep learning. Things change over time, so evolve with time.

Amy Vanderoef, co-host of WFAA's Good Morning Texas , was crowned as Miss Connecticut in 2001.

"I'm moving to Houston." As the words left his mouth, I felt the major bummer coming on. I liked this guy a lot and long-distance sounded awful. I didn't see how it was going to work.

Something has happened in the ten years since my husband slipped a wedding ring on my finger. It’s not earth shattering, mind you, but it is a noticeable shift. It’s impossible to miss. Go to any jewelry Web site or store and look at wedding sets and you’ll see it. Where has the gold gold gone?

If you're a woman, chances are there is a man in your life who steadfastly refuses to go to the doctor.

Two North Texas baby boomers in their 50s said a few key listed likes and interests posted on an online site was all it took for them to find true love. They are part of the fastest-growing segment of users on Dallas-based Match.com, an Internet dating service.

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Younger men are great. We love younger men.

After breaking off an eight year relationship, I soon came to realize something new had popped up in the dating scene, and I was behind on the trend — texting.

Now don’t get me wrong there are plenty of differences between straight and gay men, the obvious being the latter’s preference for “outies” not “inies.” But at our core we are still guys and a lot of times we think like our straight brethren.

Are you worn out? Are you a workaholic? Are you trapped in an exhausting daily routine? Today’s column is all about relaxation.

The dynamics of a first date can be tricky: Should one person offer to pick the other up, or is that unsafe? Should you meet for a full dinner? At a bar? How long should the date last?

When my heart began racing at the sight of a sheet of paper, I knew I was in trouble. I was standing in an aisle at Hobby Lobby and suddenly spotted some holiday-themed scrapbook paper that looked like a 1950s children's book. How perfect for the album I'm making about each of our kids' Christmases!

Any clue as to why men can just break up with someone, and then just vanish?

Rules, rules, rules… so much of wedding planning is all about rules. Who made them up anyway? As someone who likes to do things her own way, all the rules of wedding planning have really started to get to me.

Do you enjoy striking up a conversation with a complete stranger? Now there's a way to meet the driver sitting in the next car over while you're both stuck in traffic. All it takes is a cell phone, a little curiosity and—perhaps—a little cooperation from the driver you're hoping to meet.

Since we all know how ranty the HookUp can get, let us first condense our weekend so that everyone is on the same page before we get on our soapbox.

Enter you. Behold the straight female friend. You may not know it, but you play one of the most vital roles in your gay friend’s coming out process.

I’ve recently noticed that there is a major arch-nemesis hovering over not only mine, but most of my single friends’ dating life — unfortunately, it’s ourselves. As if there aren’t enough road blocks while traveling on the singles’ road, it appears we enjoy psyching ourselves out of relationships.

I was trapped. What I want to know is why the subject of kids ALWAYS has to come up when moms are around?

The wedding weekend started off with a bang:  Two tornadoes in Fort Worth.