and so it begins...

exactly 33 weeks after our first date, i moved into J's apartment.  it was all his idea, although he sometimes publically denies this fact.  in late february, around the 4 month mark, he brought up the issue.  i was thrilled, nauseous and intensely excited all at once.  although i would have preferred to continue living in the city, J's current work situation and our need to save some money pointed us in the direction of choosing his place in the suburbs.  this decision alone will be the subject of many future entries, given my disdain for chicago's inexplicable traffic and the general dysfunction of the midwest suburbs.

on june 19, we suffered through what has been declared by the guiness book of world records as "officially the worst moving day in the history of time".  ok, so maybe i made that title up... but moving day is really deserving of its own entry, soon to come. 

since then, it's been 4 months and we're still alive and mostly intact, although with the occasional mental/physical malaise.  as with most couples, every day usually includes some kind of conflict.  however, they also (almost always) include many moments that remind me why we the heck we decided to become "roommates" in the first place.

our one year dating-versary is in two weeks; a timeline considered by most of our friends and family to be "too fast".  hell, even complete strangers like to weigh in on our situation.  when i've just met someone and i'm answering the obligatory personal questions, the conversation usually goes something like this...

    clueless person: "so where do you live?"

    e: "in xxxx, with my boyfriend."

    cp: "oh, awesome!  how long have you guys been together?"

    e: "a year at the end of october.  we moved in together in june."

    {insert cp's look of shock/horror/confusion, quickly followed by a lame smile}

     the responses are then one of the following:
      "wow, that's fast!"
      "oh... so... how's that working out?"
      "are you engaged?"
      "why?  are you pregnant?"

     my answers?
      "eight months, but it was the right thing!"
      "it's awesome!"
      "not yet, but it's in the plan."
      "OMG I HOPE NOT."

bottom line: we're more happy than miserable.  yes, it was a quick romance.  no, i'm not fooling myself about the marriage thing.  yes, we fight.  no, it wasn't a mistake.

anyway, look for more updates soon, featuring:

• the worst moving day ever, explained
• how a flat screen TV and wii will rob you of occasional romantic attention
• what happens when you don't do laundry or dishes for 3 weeks
• why it takes 70 minutes to commute 18 miles
• and many more...