Tuesday, November 27, 2012

things i'm glad i learned when we were dating

pat and i have been sharing a nest for almost 3 years. some of you may remember when we moved in together i told him it was temporary. i am still not quite sure what i meant by that, but thanks to all my friends for just going with it. and while a small piece of me would love to have been in a situation where we dated, got engaged, and then moved in together, time was not on our side. and neither was the cost of living in chicago.

so over the last three years i have learned ALL OF THE THINGS. about being a good roommate, a good girlfriend, a good friend; about when to quietly throw beers in the freezer because his team is losing, when to admit this new recipe was a complete flop, and when to just march into the bedroom, put on your nightgown and turn on law and order: svu if a fight is a brewing, and you don't have the energy for it.

here are few other little things i am glad i know before going into a marriage:

1. boys like to put garbage next to the garbage can. or near it. and stack receipts on their nightstand. and that to them is throwing it away. except it isn't throwing it away. it's clutter. and clutter belongs inside a trash bag that is inside a trashcan.
2. they also like to line up empty beer bottles on the kitchen counter and then throw them away all at once. why? i don't know, but if you find out please tell me.
3. even when you explicitly tell a boy "do not eat all the leftover pizza, i would like a piece when i get home" he will still eat the leftover pizza. because boys love pizza. but so do girls. so when it comes to pizza, it's a dog eat dog world.
4. whoever cooks doesn't have to clean up the kitchen. just have this as an unspoken rule.
5. there are some chores that bring me happiness. let me do those chores. and the chores that i hate? well consider yourself a lucky woman when he LOVES to do those. this is one of many reasons why i know we were meant to be.
6. plan your meals at the start of the week.
7. if you desperately need alone time, just turn on teen mom, bad girls club, or real housewives of anywhere. he will leave the room/zone out and stop talking to you in less than 5 minutes, i promise.
8. if you only have one bathroom, don't lock the door when you are showering in the morning. i promise i won't rip back the shower curtain and scare you to death. (......or will i?)
9. hide in the apartment and scare each other. it's just so much fun. also ask me what a "happy meal" is. it's even more fun.
10.  if he has a 2 year old issue of sports illustrated, just let it sit on the tv stand. it's there so he can read it in a moments notice and relive his team's superbowl win. it's not worth the fight and honestly, i get it.