What It's REALLY Like When You Move in With Your Significant Other

If you had asked me 10 years ago to move in with a BOY, (or anyone for that matter), I would have turned my head in the opposite direction and pretended to throw up. Super dramatic, I know, but that's just the charm of me! Sharing was never one of my strong suits and sharing a living space can mean a lot of new boundaries.

Growing-up in your parent's house, you should be used to certain rules: no walking around in the nude, no strange people over after a certain time, don't eat your little sister's lunch for school, etc. These rules also apply when you live with a friend. You gotta respect the boundaries.

However, when you get into a serious relationship and the two of you decided to take the step, it usually means moving in together.

Six years ago, We started dating again in February, got engaged in April, and moved in together in August. Things were moving so quickly, but we were both very happy so it didn’t matter! The first few weeks of living together were amazing; I was living with my best friend!

It was like being teenagers again, BUT having a sleepover every single night! Being that he is a man, I was in full control of the home decor. When you're living with someone who is just a friend, you may need to come to a decision together on how to decorate and this could cause some issues if the two of you are complete opposites. I lucked out with my man because he's pretty simple. As long as he has room for his 8 million suits, he's fine. When you live with your significant other, those rules may not apply as strictly otherwise.

But what is it REALLY like to live with your significant other? When you're living apart, you don't have a front row seat as to how 'messy' things can get. When we first moved in together, I tried to stay as "dainty" and "discreet" as possible. If you know me, you know that this would no easy feat. I made sure no embarrassing bodily functions slipped out, my tampons were out of sight, out of mind, dinner was made almost every night, and I stayed on top of our laundry so it wouldn't take over the apartment.

My fiance, (at the time -- happily married now), on the other hand, was all free-spirited and carefree, letting everything hang out.

Now, 5 almost 6 years later, I dare you to come to our home. It's like as if Animal House and a Nudest colony came together and created an ACTUAL reality show on married couples. Here are some things you can expect after you move in with your significant other:

Things are bound to get messy and that's totally OK. A home is meant to look like it's lived in, not like a movie set. If you go to bed and there are still dishes in the sink, no biggie. Trust me, they will still be there in the morning. Unless a stranger breaks in and decides to wash them for you.

Your significant other is going to get way too comfortable around you. I mean waaaay too comfortable. Little fact: my husband and I were NOT dating for a few years in which we both dated other people. I have never seen more "nakedness" in that time than I do now. The clothes are literally peeled off the moment he walks in the door after work and it stays that way until it's time for the gym. I can't complain though, he's not too bad to look at. Plus I too have grown accustomed to not wearing pants.

Those home-cooked meals I was bragging about earlier? Yeah, those are very far and few in-between now. It doesn't mean I do not care about my man nor want to cook for him. It just means that I'm working too, (because...bills) and sometimes ordering from the Italian Restuarant down the block and having them make our dinner AND bring it to us just makes more sense.

Farts. I'm sorry ladies, but men just find farting to be the funniest thing. They are literally little boys living in a grown man's body, (sorry for that horrible image....). At first, you may find it cute and laugh. I mean, unless you want to be single again, or have the money to rent out your own fart-free apartment, you have to just deal with it.

Laundry baskets are invisible to men. It's true! We have FOUR laundry baskets and for whatever reason, I'm the only one who seems to see them. Pick and chose your battles though. If him leaving his laundry next to the basket is the WORST thing in your relationship, then I'd say you're pretty lucky.

You may not realize it at first, but your weird habits will start to rub off on each other. One thing my husband and I share is our very colorful sense of humor. We say some pretty outlandish shit, but I think when it comes to being inappropriate, he definitely wins. He is known to take a song from the radio and turn it into his own creation. 9/10 times though, it's something that you wouldn't let your kids listen to. I now find myself doing the exact same thing whenever I'm alone. Maybe that's my bizarre way of telling myself I miss him...?

You'll be adopting a pet. Whether or not you see yourself with an animal, it'll happen. Austin was so against us bringing a pet into our home, so we compromised and I brought a pet into the home. Well, 4 years later he and Bailey are the best of friends!

This is a real relationship. It's not scripted and every day is completely different. But that's the fun of it. You're on this crazy adventure together and the number 1 tip I can give to you is it BE YOURSELF. Laugh at the small things, don't take each-other for granted, and remember to live in the moment.

So now, when I come home from work and my husband isn’t home, I’ll look around our apartment and even when it’s covered with his shit, I know that we wouldn’t have any of this if it wasn’t for him working as hard as he does. So ladies, next time you feel the need to yell at your man as soon as he walks in the door from work for leaving his dirty socks on the floor, don’t. Save it for his next boys night out and really reel into him!