Bright Eyes & High Heels

I recently moved in with my boyfriend, much to the dismay of the many popular opinions of how long people should wait or the religious opinions… something about waiting to live together before marriage. Amazing how that was a concern, but premarital sex wasn’t. Go figure where people’s honesty will shine through. Nevertheless, true to myself I did some Google research to find out what to expect, though I should probably add that you never know what to expect until you jump in. Don’t worry; I’ll share my wise words of wisdom later!

BUT FIRST -- when I first told my girlfriends about my invitation to move in, the reactions I got were absolutely unparalleled. My girlfriends, the ones with their haloed diamond rings and ivy league fiancés were jealous of my move. I should most likely add that my other half is a hardworking, kind and unbelievably strong human being – there are times where I am not sure how I have made it through an event or a day without his constant support, though sometimes it seems more like a nag or a lecture, I have come to find that very rarely does something take precedence over my well-being, and I am undoubtedly lucky for – he carries me; there’s no other way to say it.

I digress.

My girlfriends started group messages – one more digression - isn’t that the worst? With all of apple’s technology – why cant they find me a way to get out of group messaging!? SERIOUSLY.

They would message things like:

You’re so lucky, you probably get to have sex all the time now.

How great for you two to spend every single night in bed together, it’s so hard to go from spending weekends with ***** and then having to come back home to my place. I get so lonely in bed.

They made it sound so… glamorous. I am here to tell you, that while it’s absolutely an opportunity of a lifetime to go to bed and wake up next to this incredible man, it’s not as easy as they think.

There are ups and downs – hard work takes a toll on the mind and body, and I have come to learn that it affects peoples moods as well! And that’s okay, so long as you remember to never stop caring for each other. Perfection is impossible and fights are inevitable, you’ll be seeing each other more than ever before, and experiencing what life throws your way without the ability to decompress and then show your face. Remember to choose love. Remember to choose support. Remind your SO what it is that so fiercely attracted you – is it their strength? Their courage? Their intelligence? After all, you should always remember that you two are more than just roommates.

And since you are more than roommates, remember to communicate. That’s my second bit of advice. Communicate about your future, but don’t be demanding and hounding about it – that scares people away. Like yo, when are you proposing? Or my biological clock is ticking… lets have babies! Someone, find me the closest door or window? Better yet – the butchers knife will do! These things take time, I have been told that love is patient and it never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4–8a), so take a breather! You’ll find that there will come a time where you should discuss your future and your expectations – what does your SO want from life? What are their goals? Do these goals include marriage and children? Do they support your goals? I always say, relationships should inspire and motivate you; they should bring out the very best version of ourselves. You know, the person that we dream of becoming but are too scared. Communicating helps to foster a relationship that grows, and thereby you grow as well. The key here is to grow together, not apart.

Now, sometimes you’ll learn that communication doesn’t work at all times. There will also be moments that try and try as you may; you’re going to need some time alone. And that’s okay, too. I usually put on tennis shoes and go for a run, complete a mini-shopping haul or hide away in the kitchen, while he ventures to create loud noises on one of his many toys – however, the point is to never let those interruptions linger. That’s my third bit of advice, always allow some time for yourself. You’ll find that when you do things you enjoy, and it’s okay that your SO doesn’t enjoy them, your attitude changes. That little change can make you a more inspiring person to be around. It also allows you to maintain YOU. After all, that’s what attracted your SO to you. Being unemployed and torn between my love for the city, and I guess… my heart here in Jersey – I find myself volunteering for PTA events, making friends, cooking, baking and taking on home improvement projects.

Speaking of…

Home improvement… I am pretty sure that’s what this entire blog post supposed to be about – the key holder that was fabulously liked by several of you on my Instagram @brighteyesandhighheels. So here is a photo of what I made:

I bought all the tools and pieces from Michaels with a 40% off coupon that I had. The base is a plaster base, that was white, and the letters are made of wood. The paint is acrylic, and the flowers I used are made of paper. All links are included.

Steps:

I sanded down the letters to make sure all the edges were smooth; since I was going to use a metallic gold paint, the imperfections would should through
I then painted the plaster plaque in black and allowed in to dry.
While the plaque was drying I was able to screw the White Cup Hooks into the letters and paint them gold.
Since the plaque was made of plaster, the paint dried quickly and I used gorilla glue to bond the letters to the plaster. I let the plaque sit for 20-30 minutes, before putting some more glue on the edges of the letters. Once the glue dried, I fixed any imperfections.
Once the letters were dry, I turned the plaque over and painted the backside – black of course, and put the date of the creation
I added the flowers using gorilla glue
Hung the key holder on the wall using a push pin.