We have officially moved in, and have spent exactly ONE month since co-habitation commenced. We’ve done the arduous move-in process, unpacked a million boxes, and had to decide where things should go. Shockingly, in the 15 months we have dated, we’ve yet to have a real disagreement. And even more surprisingly, one month in and we are still without any major conflicts. It was almost too easy, and we’ve enjoyed the past month more than we thought humanly possible.

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HOWEVER…

When you live in close quarters, you discover even that much more about your significant other. Here are the things we have learned about each other since moving in.

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Things I’ve learned about Scott

1. The kid eats. A LOT, and all of the time. I can hear the food pantry open routinely, and I’m getting routine use out of my Kitchen Aid Mixer making him cookies and cupcakes. He loves sweets, and I’m happy to oblige his craving. And in his defense, he is 6’5 and I guess should eat a lot. But daannnnnnng.

2. He’s allergic to dogs – but it doesn’t stop him from rolling on the floor with Ivan and snuggling with Miah. He has adopted the role of Dog Dad, and it has made me fall in love with him all over again. Who needs babies when you get to watch your man snuggle your dog? Perfect.

3. Before he only talked about wine all the time, now I watch him organize and re-organize and study his wine rack. If I could keep 150 avocados in the house, you better believe I’d be doing the same.

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4. His morning routines are as good as cement. Coffee, news, yogurt, ironing, shower. This I never knew. However, I like hearing him in the living room as I get ready, and heck, I know a whole lot more about world news since moving in with him.

5. He just took off my shoes (as I am typing) because he thought they looked uncomfortable as I was sitting here. He brings me only fresh Brita water without my asking. He knows I want spicy ranch when I have pizza so I can dip, and puts it on my plate without asking. He knows me now – inside out.  And I freaking love it.

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Now for the things I’ve learned about Al…

1. On our very first date, 15 months ago, she claimed she didn’t cook. As though it was immediately something I needed to know, because if she didn’t cook I would be showing her the door. Like they say on that daytime talk show, “that was a lie”. Al is a great cook, continually trying to come up with new things, recently different styles of empanadas. We’ve been here a month and she’s already increased my gym time, as she’s made cupcakes and cookies 4 times.

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2. Like many guys out there, I’ve realized my hair is starting to thin in several places and for the past couple of years I’ve mentioned I need to be proactive about it. Well for as much as I’ve mentioned my hair jumping off my head, Al has mentioned white hairs growing in hers. Seems we’re very balanced with this.

3. There is no one who enjoys doing laundry more than Al – NOBODY! She told me a couple times she had no problem doing it, and when we were looking at places, having an in-unit washer/dryer was a non-negotiable. Now I know why. Thankfully, I haven’t ended up with a white shirt that’s now pink, or any pants that dangle above my ankles.

4. Silence is not a virtue when it comes to sleeping. Al always needs to have a little noise, which comes in the form of the fan on the floor. We used to turn on the fan or would fall asleep to a movie, but I didn’t realize it was an every night thing. If she’s tucked in and ready to pass out, she’ll still get up to click on the fan before going to sleep.

5. There are few people I’ve met that care about others like Al does. Treats for the dogs when we’re out for brunch, cupcakes/cookies for us, and the many birthday/celebration packages that she’s sent out, there is always something she wants to make sure she does.  Most recently, she put together a birthday package full of different small trinkets to send to her mother. The thing that’s really different about her, is that she doesn’t think she does anything. She’s always trying to one up herself the next time, or adding a little more pressure to be better for everyone around her. It’s a very important to her that everyone know how much she appreciates them…especially Ivan and Miah.

So there – one month down, eternity to go.

Cheers!

-Al and Scott