MOVING IN WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND BEFORE MARRIAGE...THOUGHTS?!

Well you guys....! The time has finally come. 

I'm getting my very first place with just myself...and my cooler half!

I. AM. STOKED. 

Turns out that we are signing the lease on Valentine's Day (which I thought was super cute...I'm already planning the whole night! Sign the lease, grab some blankets, some wine, some snacks, games and the iPad and have a full blown slumber party in there with no furniture.) Ha! 

Ever since I moved out of my parents house in SD when I was 21 I have lived in LA with two of my best friends from High School. 

We went from The Valley in LA, to the Marina where we stayed for 2 years then back to the Valley where we've been for the past 12 months. 

What's kind of funny though is that my boyfriend (Esteban) and I discussed moving in together LAST time my lease was up.

He was SUPER cute about it. He took me out to dinner with a view (my fav) and pretty much laid it all out and asked if I was ready to move in with him.

Then there's me...miss indecisive. I said yes at dinner and then thought about it for a few more days and decided that I actually DIDN'T feel ready. 

I felt like I was still having a lot of fun living with my roommates and I know he's the one I want to be with so I figured we have a lot of time to live together so I didn't want to rush into it. (I'm SUUUUUUPER slow in relationships).

I'd say it wasn't until the last 6 months that something clicked and I was DYING for us to have our own place.

I FELT READY. 

As I started talking about it to people though I was getting mixed feedback. 

I'd say mostly everyone was really excited for us and already told me what they're getting us as a house warming gift.

But then...there waaas I'd say, a handful of people that we're a little more hesitant. 

They we're either asking me if I was sure I didn't want to wait to be married first or they were telling me their nightmarish stories of back in the dayyyy when they lived with a boyfriend and they broke up and it was the worst break up ever because you still have a leaseee and what do you do with the furniture and blah blah blah. 

Which I totally get BUT. 

What do you guys think?

I feel like for me PERSONALLY, I want to take things slow.

And moving in together is FAR LESS of a commitment than getting married so I feel like it makes sense to do that first. (even though I definitely plan on marrying him ;) )

I want to experience us having our own space together and letting our styles intertwine and just enjoy the journey. 

I'm not really very interested... in fact I'm bored at the thought of doing 'what people usually do" or " doing things in the right order".

I think you should do things in an order that makes sense to you and the person you're choosing to spend your time with. 

So with that said. I'm pretty effing excited. 

If you think about it, this is going to be my FIRST PLACE EVER that I don't have to hoard everything I own into my bedroom.

So obviously I've been SUCH a Pinterest slut lately. 

I'm already planning the house warming party and picturing my mornings at the new place plus getting hard over the fact that Trader Joe's is like 5 minutes away! UGH. WHAT IS LIFE!

I can't wait to bring you guys along on the move and show you the new spot. We're both veryyy laid back, minimalist to an extent (or trying to be) and into some artistic ish so I'm picturing plants, pink walls, comfort and LOTS of blank space. 

EEEEEK. Wish us luck! 

And leave any comments below if you have been or are in a similar situation !

XX

HOW TO EAT HEALTHY WHEN YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND

I think we all know how this goes right? You eat like a bird when you're just talking, then you eat like a born again 15 year old once you've been dating, and then you try to figure out the 'when', 'how' and 'why' of nothing fitting you anymore. 

Classic.

Damn boys. And it's so EASY at first right? You're still going on your first couple of dates so you order appetizers as entrées or just stick to a salad and a drink, my fav. 

Then something happens as time goes on where eventually you're both hungry, you could go for light bite but he says he's hungry for a beer and a burger and suddenly...SHIT. YOU ARE TOO.

Next thing you know you're just two guys sitting at the bar ordering 3 beers each and french fries and wings and you don't even eat meat.

UGH BUT WE SECRETLY LOVE EATING ALL THE SHIT, DON'T WE? WE REALLY REALLY DO.

I feel like there comes a point where we realize that they love the shit out of us and forget that we're supposed to care about our bodies. French fries? YES. Dark beer? DOUBLE YES. Veggie Burger with the bun even though I'm full from the second beer. HELL MF YES.

SO. After a few months of that I realized I had to get my life together and stop eating like a 6 foot man. 

But seriously, enjoy that time while it lasts because it definitely is a huge cheat card (the whole falling in love thing) and it's glorious. We're supposed to enjoy drinks and fatty foods and pancakes with them on Sunday mornings. But not for forever.

Now, here's what you need to do. You need to get them into eating healthy foods. That's it. Here's how. 

1.

MAKE THEM HEALTHY FOOD THAT'S NOT BORING.

Breakfast for example. At some point you need to stop eating out every single day and actually start eating at home. Half the battle with THAT is being able to feed them something that will actually be satisfying. I can personally totally get by in the morning with bullet proof coffee and toast or a piece of fruit and be chillin, but that's me. 

Boys don't really dig that too much.

SO, I started making my boyfriend egg sandwiches in the morning and he's obsessed. It's so easy you guys and honestly, I'm obsessed with them too so give it a try. 

- 2 pieces of Dave's Killer Bread

- 4 eggs

- 1/2 an avocado

- Small handful of Spinach

- 1 TBSP Vegan "Mayo" Spread (trader joe's)

Just cook the eggs in coconut oil, throw the bread in the toaster, add the avocado and spinach to a piece of bread and throw it all together. SO EASY. 

2.

DON'T TELL THEM YOUR SECRETS

If he likes spaghetti covered in sodium and fat filled pasta sauce, try making a slight adjustment like swapping out the white pasta noodles with whole grain pasta noodles. Tell him it's all the store had or something, who cares. Then grab a healthy organic marinara sauce, top it all with some mozzarella style vegan almond cheese and shredded basil and call it a day. They're just going to see that it's pasta, and eat it. 

ALSO my curry cauliflower rice is the best because it's filling and they think they're eating rice, it's perfect. 

Then after he admits that he likes it you can tell him it's healthy so he can just fucking accept the fact that he likes it. Or don't, whatever.

3.

TAKE HIM TO HEALTHY PLACES

If he's asking you where you want to eat and you always leave it up to him, then you can't get mad that your only options are pizza and cream filled soups. Take him somewhere where they have LOADS of healthy options. He really needs to understand how good a veggie burger is or a vegan mushroom quesadilla. SO GOOOOD. 

4.

MAKE HIM CURIOUS

If he's unwilling to try your healthy stuff, say F it and just do it for yourself. Then make small little mentions like, "I was starting to get sick but I had 3 green juices and it went away". Or "MMMMMM this bullet proof coffee is SOOOO good". You say that every morning and soon enough they'll be asking for some.

5. 

IF ALL ELSE FAILS. LET HIM ORDER THE SHIT FOOD

Okay this is actually kind of a plus. This is what I do. If we go out to eat and I want the pasta but I know I'm going to order the salad, then you point out how good the pasta looks, then they order it, and you can steal a few bites without having to finish the whole entree. Best of both worlds. 

Any other tips? Leave them below!