Moving in with your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife for the first time can be all kinds of scary, intimidating & exciting – ALL the feels. If you know me or if you’ve been following along with this blog for a while, you probably know that Michael and I have been together for about four years now and one of those years we did the long distance thing. By an act of some miracle, we both graduated (a year apart) and were able to find jobs in the same STATE. This was a big deal. I still remember the feeling of when I got the phone call that I got the job – it’s like one of those feelings that you want to bottle up and feel forever.  Michael had been already working for a good six months when I moved up to Philadelphia and for the summer it was kind of like we were still long distance because Michael’s job is located in Emmaus, PA, an hour away from Center City Philly. It was still tough. I started to get used to only seeing him on the weekends, and that’s no good. We were sick and tired of all the traveling and commuting. We both knew that the only way we could make it work and make it REALLY work is if we got our first place together when his lease was up in July.

I wasn’t sure that I wanted to move outside of Center City just yet or if I was ready to move in with him. I actually never felt ready, to be honest. I like my alone time. Sometimes I’m selfish and messy, and I like not wearing pants or a bra at home. He assured me that last one was not an issue.

So we got a place together that’s about a 30 minute train ride to work for me and an hour drive to work for Michael. He’s a trooper. I love living with him. I always have my best friend around to make me laugh when I’m down, help me reach the things in the cabinet that I can't, call me out on my bull shit and push me to work harder to reach my goals.

It’s not all fun and games, though. There’s definitely been some adapting, compromising and learning. And there still is, it’s only been 4 months! So if you’re planning to move in with your significant other, here is some food for thought that helped me. I also reached out to a few of my blogger friends in similar boats for their perspective!  I like to call it the three C’s and a P! (Communicate, Compromise, Clean & Plan)

Communicate

This is the biggy. If one or the other likes something a certain way, state your opinions and talk through it. Communicating about everything will save you so many stupid little arguments! Does it really matter who emptied the dishwasher one extra time or who forgot to take the trash out? You can't let little things get to you if you don't say anything. 

Only worry about things that actually matter. Don't get into an argument if someone forgets to unload the dishwasher. It's not worth it. "Choose your battles" couldn't be more true! - Erin Druga of thealmondeater.com

For me it was about learning how to live with the other person's habits, while being polite (trying to, most of the time) if I want him to do something around the house. Serious team work! - Jess Dang of hellotofit.com

Compromise

You're not the only one that matters. I was so used to doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted throughout college and when we were so far apart for so long, so when we moved in together I learned that I need to be considerate of what Michael wants to do too. This is an ongoing work in progress for me but it's become a lot easier since we've moved in together. I'm not as stubborn when he asks me nicely to put my laundry basket in the place where it belongs. Hey, small progress is still progress! The long distance actually made our relationship a lot stronger. I think if we were able to get through that, we can pretty much get through anything. 

I just moved in with my fiance of four and a half  years this past June. It's been going great so far! We even spent a year in a long distance relationship before moving in together. It's been a wild ride but definitely worth it. Honestly, I think the distance brought us closer together and made us cherish our time with each other even more. It strengthened us. - Kaylin Gilkey of enticinghealthyeating.com

We had to learn to be flexible and respect each other's schedules. As a morning person, I'd be up at 5 a.m. to go to the gym and he'd sleep in until 7 a.m., so I changed my routine to get ready in the bathroom to not wake him up. On the other end, he had to learn that I needed to be in bed at 10pm. It was a matter of finding a balance in our conflicting schedules. - Emily Ruth Weir of emilyruthweir.com

You have to be quiet if you're going to bed later or getting up earlier. This was such an adjustment since my schedule is all over the place sometimes. It's just like having a roommate so you have to figure out all those weirds details - only the stakes are higher so the ups and downs are sometimes a little more intense. - Amanda Dewitt of semihealthyblog.com

Clean

I mean, this is pretty straightforward. Don’t be a slob, college is over. Or maybe it isn’t, but if you live together in college that’s some serious dedication and you probably know more than I do. I'm still working on cleaning up my own messes...

Plan Dates & Weekend Getaways

Keep it fresh! Don't get stuck just hanging at home watching Netflix every weekend. Explore, get out of your routine and make time to do something special with each other every week. Even though we live together, I still get so excited to go out for a nice dinner or travel to a new place together. We're both crazy busy during the week and hardly see each other, so it's so nice to have a night or weekend to catch up, relax and reset. 

Plan date nights. My boyfriend and I love to have little picnics inside our apartment as "date night." We dress up, make a fun meal, and enjoy a night in! We also like doing small little things for each other. - Alexa Peduzzi of fooduzzi.com

So, moral of the story is to remember the three C's and a P when you move in together! In all seriousness, though, if you are in a serious relationship, moving in together & long distance alike are the ultimate tests to if it really works. There's a lot to get used to, but overall it's such an exciting step in a relationship. 

We have learned so much about each other. I would highly recommend living with a significant other before getting married to be sure that you are able to physically live with them as a full packaged deal. - Kirsten Platto of ladyandtheroutine.com

XO- Rach

If you live with your S.O., what's the biggest thing you've learned?

It's about to get a little personal here. I've been wanting to write/vent/share about this for a while but it just never seemed like the right opportunity. I wrote this about two months ago and want to finally share since I am graduating this week, and well, why not? I figured there must be some other people in the same boat! My boyfriend Michael and I have been together for a long time. He is my best friend. If there's one person that knows me probably better than myself (besides my mother,) it is him. We met when I was a Freshman in high school and he was a sophomore. WOAH. Yeah, I know, a long time ago. We dated for a year in high school, and then things got a little rocky when I became quite selfish and Michael went to college. The stars aligned and we found our way back to each other at a Halloween party during my freshman year of college. So romantic!

But on the real, we've grown up together and it's been absolutely the best.

Michael graduated from UF last year and we both knew things were going to get a little difficult for a while because I still had a year left of school, but we both remained positive. Here's the thing: although we lean on each other a lot, we are both totally individual & determined in our own ways. One of the main reasons I look up to him is his intense crazy drive to be a better person every single day. I think that he sees the same in me. He pushes and challenges me (seriously more than anyone else!) every day to think outside the box and to achieve my goals. I'm such a firm believer that everyone has a "person" out there that is going to make them a better person. For me, that's a huge part of having a healthy relationship.

Anyway, Michael graduated last year and landed an internship in Los Angeles. And then I got my first big internship in New York City. Opposite sides of the country. OY. Yes, it was hard. But I can't even sit here and attempt to complain about it because I realized how lucky we were to be in the situations we were in. We needed that for ourselves to grow personally and professionally. I had some of the absolute best times last summer. It was crazy fun when we visited each other and it made spending time together that much more special. I get a lot of satisfaction out of supporting his career and I know he feels the same about me. If you are in a long distance relationship or have been in one, can you relate?

After his internship he moved back to our hometown for a while for work. This was a nice change because instead of 2,700 miles away from each other we were only a four-hour drive away from each other! This quickly changed when Michael accepted a position in Emmaus, PA. So there we were again, this time about 1,000 miles away.

It felt a lot trickier this past semester because I was in the position of looking for a career and as much as I knew I wanted to live in the same city as Michael, I also needed to find a job that's a great fit for me. I never wanted to settle. I had a very hard time with that because there was this feeling of uncertainty constantly over my head (just like every other college senior!) I knew that as much as I was keeping an open mind, our relationship has become a really important factor. One thing that I highly value is balance in life. Right now, I can't visualize my life in balance without my best friend.

(**I wrote this next paragraph two months ago) So for now, I'm not really sure where I will be in the next six months or maybe even the next year or two, but I know that whatever happens, the big things always work out. That phrase has gotten me through some of my hardest moments in life and I know it will continue to do so. (**This ended up being SO TRUE IT'S SCARY.)

I will be moving to Philadelphia in the next couple weeks to start my career and I feel so thankful that I get to take a big step in my professional life and live in the same state as my best friend again. I feel relieved and very motivated.

Okay enough with my annoying bragging, gushing and blah blah blah!

I'm going to leave you with some tips for long distance relationships if you are in the same boat. I am in no way a relationship expert here (I am 21 people!) However, I know that in the past year even being so far apart, we have shared some really happy times in our relationship so I think that counts for something. Not to mention, I feel like long distance has actually made our relationship stronger.

1. Plan trips together. Save up, budget & scope out places you both have never been before. Traveling together is so important! It keeps your relationship fun and you get to learn new things and explore together. Have an ongoing bucket list of places that you want to go and it always gives you something to look forward to. It doesn't have to be an extravagant vacation in any way. Some of my best memories are from road-tripping and camping together or visiting new places when we visit each other.

2. Plan at least three nights a week to talk on the phone. This probably sounds crazy, but it's necessary. We are both SO busy and most of the time we didn't talk as much as this and it's something I wish I would have been a lot more consistent with. It's fun catching up if you haven't spoken in a couple days. This is so important for keeping a steady line of communication. You shouldn't have to miss out on things on each other's daily lives. It's the little things that matter.

3. Skype dates. Real dates. Over Skype. Cook the same recipe together virtually, crack open the same bottle of wine and just hang out. Trust me it's wacky but it's so much fun! Just don't do this when your roommates are home :)

4. Snail mail. Surprise letters and little gifts go a long way. At least in my book. Michael even told me he was going to miss having a 'pen pal'. I'm happy it's almost over, but I loved opening his clever letters.

5. Trust. That is all. Be true to each other, don't hold things back and say what's on your mind.

Always remember that if it's meant to be, it will be. Oh yeah, and the big things always work out. And props to you if you stuck with me and made it through this lengthy post :)

- Rach

Hi! I am annoyed I haven't posted in a about a week because I made a goal to myself to keep up to about three posts a week, but the past week and a half has just been CRAZY. I've been occupied with trying to finish these last couple classes of undergrad (where the HECK has the time gone?!) and just trying to enjoy the time I have left here because I am only in Gainesville for one more week and a half. And it is so bittersweet.

Today was the last day of classes. I actually didn't have any classes today. Just one yesterday and it was an exam that I probably didn't do so hot on (I KNOW I didn't do so hot on.) Anyway, the past week was awesome and unfortunately I don't even have pictures to share. What kind of blogger am I? I promise I am trying to get better at this. Michael came to visit and stayed for the week! He was here on work because his company (Men's Health Magazine) was able to use locations around UF's campus for an outdoor video shoot. Go Gators! I will be sharing those videos when they're released! Our week was busy and fun as I still had class and work and he had to work, but we fit in a lot! And we were very well fed...

The weekend consisted of a lot of brunches and a lot of beer!! We squeezed in brunch at Mi Apa, Peach Valley Cafe and The Flying Biscuit. Saturday morning we dropped in at Crossfit Lead for yoga with the beautiful YoginiLei (Leila) and a class that nothing but kicked my ass. It's a great gym, great coach and awesome atmosphere but I'm literally still sore. I'm not a crossfitter at all, don't think I ever will be, but it's always fun to try new things.The workout was a super hard partner workout and my least favorite exercise was a run carrying a kettle bell on my shoulder (torture.) Favorite exercise was the overhead walking lunges - those are more my speed ;).

After what felt like burning a million calories, we ate a huge brunch and then went to the Hogtown Craft Beer Fest, which was so much fun. There was 300 beers to sample, food trucks and it was a beautiful day. It was nice to disconnect for a little bit and spend time with Michael and his parents since I've only seen them a handful of times in the past year. Luckily that's all about to change...

As each day goes by it kind of hits me a little more that my time at UF is almost over and as much as I get sad thinking about it, I also get really excited for what's next. I accepted a job at an advertising agency in Philadelphia and could not be more excited and ready for this new adventure. I can't wait to write all about it! I feel so thankful for all of the opportunities that have come my way and it is still so surreal that I am moving and starting a real job up NORTH. Who am I? Why do I still feel 16 years old sometimes?? What is winter even like? Will I survive?

So that's kind of life lately! I hope to have more workouts, recipes and other healthy content up on here shortly when things slow down a little bit in the next week.

What are your post-grad plans? 

Is everyone ready for graduation?