For some reason, when my girlfriend suggested I should come live with her over the summer, I actually thought that was a good idea. I figured, since we had been long distance for so long, some quality time together would be good for us. In theory, that was a wonderful idea. In reality it was going to be easier said than done.

Everything about living with my girlfriend wasn't horrible… I mean I was still able to drink, but it was wine instead of beer. She made me dinner a lot, but somehow always left the meat out and snuck in vegetables. She let me do my own thing most of the time, unless it involved working out, that was often against my will. Our dog loved that she was committed to working out, because that meant he went on runs every morning. Unfortunately, that also meant Keith went on runs every morning too, and we all know how Keith feels about running.

Her roommate was a notorious liar. She would steal our stuff, take our cars for a drive when we weren't home, and changed the locks without our permission. She definitely made a complicated situation unbearable. But we handled the situation the best we could as a couple, and I'll admit I do think it made us stronger. But man, was it ROUGH at times. I mean, I couldn't hang out in my boxers, had to clean up after myself and there was hair everywhere (is it normal for humans to shed that much???). And if that wasn't rough enough, she somehow got me into this thing called cheese boards. Literally a cutting board with crackers, fruit, cheese and fig jam (apparently the fig is important, any other type of jam won't do). It got to the point where I was excited to come home to a glass of wine and a cheese board, which often had me asking, "what's happened to me?". If that doesn't strip you of your manhood, I don't know what will.

Now of course, she's not that bad. She also made me omelettes in the morning, brought me home Chipotle after work most days. She never complained when I played video games and didn't charge me for rent. She helped me study for my summer courses, and was there for me when we had to put my family dog down. In all honesty, she's my best friend, and I wouldn't trade her for anything but if I were to speak candidly - this summer was hard. No matter how much you care about a person, living with a significant other is a challenge. It takes compromise, patience and understanding. It was an incredible learning experience, and I think, if we had removed the crazy cat and the crazy roommate, I really would have enjoyed living with my best friend.