Hi, again, star avatar,
Hey katy
I have been working recently with attachment to romance, useless romantic fantasy, and the adding of romantic stories/energy onto situations. Something has shifted, there seems to be the willingness to want to eliminate the attachment, and that seems to be a big step. But progress is slooooooooowwwww

Yes, I totally agree. The gratification of a good partnership has a challenge in it --- physical "congress" aspects aside even ;) --- because there can be aversion to aloneness-unplugness, lack of sati, when there's also attachment to partnership/romance/romantic fantasy. (This is not a veiled suggestion that we social species go it alone as practitioners, just more in the study of what am i? What notions move me to take actions and how?)
When I see "something has shifted" after I've turned my attention and intention to a notion and/or gratification I'm now sort of accustomed to seeing a process that takes a good year to unfold.
Anyway, this is also one reason I like the fetter model; I like the "actionables", the behavioural aspects that one can clearly trust for themselves have changed or not.
At the Abidhamma study this summer (which will be offered for four days at both the Bhavana Society and at Chuang Yen Monastery in 2014, I think), I think I recall correctly that Bhikkhu Bodhi mentioned that many of the Buddha's students stopped at sotapanna. It's easy to see why-- mind gets easier, fetters can seem like "oh, maybe tomorrow, life is good! I'm a pretty nice person..."
However, we also live in a great time to see the effects of unchecked/unstudied sense-gratification. Anyway, it's
ehipassiko (see for oneself). I'm certainly addressing myself foremost here.