Posts tagged love
Moving In Together For The First Time

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.

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY to when we were tiny babies in high school. TIME FLIES!!

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...Michael cleaning my spills

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?

 

Weekly Workouts + Pitstop in Connecticut and Brooklyn

I hope everyone had a cheerful Memorial Day weekend! I got back to Philadelphia today and had a very fun, all-over-the-place weekend. Before I share my weekend travels, I wanted to share all of the fun classes I did last week, thanks to Class Pass. If you haven't heard of class pass, it is a service that you can subscribe to monthly and attend unlimited group fitness classes at the studios and gyms that are partnered with class pass. There are SO many studios that I can have access to with class pass, so it is really fun to try new classes every week. So here is what I did last week:

Monday - rest; tired from the weekend and pooped after work

Tuesday - 45 minute rowing class at RowZone - LOVED this!! The class included intervals on the rower and strength intervals off the rower.

Wednesday - Bikram Yoga - PHEWWW I can't believe I made it through the 90 minute class. Not sure I'll be back, but had to try. 60 minutes would be plenty for me. I enjoyed the heat, but the excessive sweating was a little ridiculous.

Thursday - 60 minute cycle at Body Cycle Studio - this was a fun class and a really nice little cycle studio! Going to try my best to audition to teach here...

Friday - rest; work and then traveled to Allentown after work!

Saturday - watched the CrossFit East regionals while I ate chicken fingers and fries (hardest workout all week?)

Sunday - 3-4 mile run/walk + probably 2 more miles of walking (didn't track anything) around Prospect Park in Brooklyn with Michael. The weather was in the low 70's and we just wanted to be outside all day. Plus the amount of dogs in the park made it worth it (I'm a tad obsessed.)

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Today - bussed back to Philly, schlepped to get some groceries at Whole Foods and helped my roomie build a bed so that was enough moving around for me! Just relaxing and enjoying the day off :)

I love variety and the variety that class pass allows makes me really excited to workout. I am also trying to run more during the summer before the northern cold weather takes over in only a few months (yikes, not ready.)

Anyway, this weekend was a blast. I got to Michael's place in Allentown around 6 p.m. on Friday. He made steak and rice and we downed a bottle of wine - we were sleeping by 10:30 (we're crazy partiers, I know.)

Saturday morning we left by 7:30 to head up to Hartford, CT to watch the CrossFit East superregionals! CrossFit isn't really my thing, but I definitely like to learn about and respect every form of fitness. Plus, watching the athletes is really fun and exhausting in itself! It was also fun to see a new city even though we only saw a small part of downtown.

Downtown Hartford

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Our original plan was to camp in Connecticut Saturday night and go hiking on Sunday morning, but literally every camp site was booked. We clearly do well at planning ahead! Luckily, the wonderful people, Steve & Diana, that I lived with last summer in Brooklyn were home for the weekend and generously offered for us to stop by and stay the night!

Pretty NYC Skyline

 

 

It ended up working out perfectly because New York was on the way home, and I had not seen them since last summer! We had a lot of fun catching up on Saturday night. On Sunday, Michael and I got up early to grab coffee and enjoy the beautiful day.

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I had plans to take Michael to Smorgasburg. We got on the L train to Williamsburg, where I remember the food festival being last year (it happens every weekend on Saturdays and Sundays from April-November.) We got there and I realized that on Sundays it is at a totally different park! Go me. We stayed in Williamsburg for a delicious lunch anyway and got to enjoy walking around without the crazy masses of people.

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We picked up some craft beer on the way back to Steve & Diana's house to enjoy while everyone prepared for a big BBQ. More food! Steve is a chef and made killer ribs and chicken on the grill, and Diana's potato salad is amazing. They make sure everyone is well fed!

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IMG_2928 (1) We hit the road after dinner to go back to Allentown. I'm really happy that I live so close to New York now because Steve and Diana really feel like family away from home in Florida. I'm never one for making plans and I think that this weekend just reminded me how much more fun traveling is when you don't really have a set plan. We had no idea we would be stopping in Brooklyn but so glad we did! It's all just an adventure, right?

The weekend was well spent, but I'm ready to get back to work tomorrow to keep learning new things. Have a wonderful Monday night and Tuesday morning.

- Rach

 

 

On To The Next One...

Happy Sunday and Mother's Day to all the momma's out there. I am currently sitting at my gate waiting to board my flight to Philly! It still hasn't hit me that I'm moving. It feels just like it did last summer when I flew to NYC for the summer, I just feel like I am coming back. It's a strange but great feeling. This past week went by WAY fast. I thought I would graduate and have all this time during my week off, and it went by in the blink of an eye. Now it's May 10 and I start my job Tuesday morning. CRAZYYY!!! I cannot wait, and I am beyond thankful for this new opportunity.

I spent the last few days with close friends and family. Friday night, my sister and I went to Blu sushi downtown with my dad and treated ourselves to amazing ice cream from Daddy Dee's. The place has been there for 41 years! P.S. if you're from SW Florida, it's just as good as Loveboat Ice Cream.

Downtown Ft. Myers

IMG_2750Last night was a great last night in Ft. Myers. I spent it with close friends and family at Tarpon Pointe Marina for a little party for my mom's 50th birthday. We enjoyed lots of mini cheeseburgers and champagne. Gotta live a little!!

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Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset[Shoes are BCBG, Shorts are JCrew]

Okay, getting ready to board...

Can't wait to take tons of new pictures and write all about my new home in Philadelphia! I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

-Rach

Where does the time go???