Is Happily Ever After A Fairy Tale?

So I have had an interesting week with the women in my life. On Friday, I went to see Made of Honor with one of my very best friends, who happens to be almost 15 years older than I am and has been married for more than 20 years-giving her an interesting perspective on love, marriage, and the next step in her life as the empty nest is moving toward her in clear view. So this movie was romantic and there were passionate kisses, and there was PATRICK DEMPSEY. If you do not love him, please don't tell me because there is really no reason not to - and don't give me the "he is looking a little weathered around the eyes" bit, because Holy Shit, that makes him even more beautiful than his teenage geeky Can't Buy Me Love days! Anyhow, our conversation afterwards was whether or not love could remain passionate and fresh and all of the things that these movies portray and my friend said emphatically No. But I want to disagree, I want love to be passionate and fresh and funny and important. I want to be in love and giddy and all of those obnoxious things with every fiber of my being every day and beyond my daughter, I want it to be the most important thing in my life. I want to disagree so badly and yet I am not living that kind of love and neither is anyone I know. In fact, there are more women talking about having dirty sex with men who are not their husbands than there are who are even talking about their own husbands. I had dinner tonight with my two best friends, girls I have known since middle school. I cannot even tell you how awry that conversation went, and then hair bands started to play and two of us laughed about the memories that music conjured up. I am not unhappy, but I know women who are and what the hell is so hard about marriage and relationships? Do women want too much? And why can we not have it all?