"We did it!": Single mom Emily Maynard gets a husband/stepdad!

Gorgeouses! Good morning! Did you watch the finale of The Bachelorette last night?

I got home late from my parents' cottage and my PVR ran out of space half an hour before the end of the finale?!? So, of course, I ended up staying up until the wee hours of the morning watching the later airing. I needed to know who (as they like to say on the show) won Emily's heart!

Ohhh, that is so bad. I know. I probably shouldn't be admitting that I'm extremely overtired today, and missed yoga this morning, because I was up late watching The Bachelorette (shhh, do NOT tell my yoga teacher). But I was pretty emotionally invested in the show. I really liked Emily Maynard, 26 (and I didn't think I would when I first heard she was returning to the show after her failed relationship with Bachelor Brad Womack). And I really liked her now-fiance Jef Holm, 27! You could tell, to borrow their own words, that they "got" each other.

I liked Arie Luyendyk, 30, too, though. He and Emily had a great chemistry, no doubt. (Ohh, it was painful to watch him concoct that love potion, when we knew Emily was coming to give him the shock of his life and send him home, wasn't it, Gorgeouses?!) But this final show solidified the perfection that is Jef.

In the end, after an excruciatingly long delayed response (10 whole seconds!) to Jef's eloquent-as-ever proposal, Emily said YES. And she, Jef and little Ricky, 7, walked off into the sunset — a big ole Neil Lane diamond on Emily's finger — and Emily said: "We did it!" And I think, and hope, she did.

Emily's daughter Ricky, 7, was respectably kept out of the show for the most part, throughout the season. We got to see some loving exchanges between her and her mom, and Jeff was finally able to show what an awesome dad he'll be when they finally met and played together in front of the cameras at Emily's rented villa in Curacao (solidifying Emily's love, and knocking Arie right out of the park).

Throughout the season, Emily made clear that she was not only looking for a husband, but first-and-foremost a father figure for her daughter. Indeed, if Jef hadn't passed the Ricky-test, Emily told us, it would have been the end. Emily was also conscious of how she portrayed herself as a mom. She defended her daughter against the evil Kalon (whom we now have to watch on Bachelor Pad, egad!), she didn't accept the Fantasy suite invitations, etc., etc. It was all quite a respectful, and tasteful, portrayal of single motherhood....

DISCUSS: What did you think of this season of the Bachelorette, Gorgeouses? And the portrayal of single motherhood and the quest for loooove? And what do you think of Emily's final choice? AND do you think Shawn should be the next Bachelor? I could get into that! So many questions!

LOVE!
xo Haley-O

Love!
xo Haley-O