Hey Ladies,
First, I wanted to formally introduce myself. SO and I have been together 7 1/2 years, I just turned 30, and he will be 30 in December. We moved in together after 3 months, lived together for 2 years, we were broke and miserable, having some problems, and I wanted to finish my undergrad degree, so we packed it up and each moved back home. In 2007 I started law school, and got my own place. In 2008 we moved back in together, now I'm just broke
We have a much stronger relationship now, and have been through so much. We have 2 furbabies, kitties- Chibi and Madeline, who are spoiled to no end. I'll be done with school in December and take the bar exam in February. SO is taking college classes part time, and will go back full time when I get a job.
Second, I want to thank you all for the good advice I have gotten while lurking here. I really thought that there must have been something wrong with me or with our relationship, and that's why we weren't married/engaged yet. I was starting to obsess over it! Then I found the NEY board, and I realized that it totally ok to just enjoy where SO and I are. Watching friends and family get married all around us made me wonder, 'what's wrong?' instead of being happy for what was right between us. Now I look at those couples (who have not been together as long as we have,) and I think, "I hope they love and respect each other the way SO and I do, b/c man, being with an other person isn't always a cake walk!"
So now I'm just happy that I have a wonderful, kind, loving (and, from time to time aggravating) man who has loved and supported me since I was a dumb 22 year old party girl who hated house work. Now he's stuck with a 30 year old almost lawyer who hates doing house work
Thanks for helping me come to my Ah Ha moment. I look forward to geting to know you wise ladies!