Does anyone else find it highly disturbing that it’s not even August and the networks are rolling out the “Back to School” specials and commercials? Maybe I’m just in denial, maybe I want summer to stretch on forever, but it definitely seems too soon to head back to school.

Unfortunately, I’d be wrong. Next week I have to head back up to school a few weeks early to enter the wonderful world of sorority recruitment (another post in its entirety).  Don’t get me wrong, I’m so looking forward to catching up with all my sisters about their summers. I can’t wait to watch Pretty Little Liars with running commentary from my 2 wittiest friends. And I’m sure as hell excited to raid their closets for all the great new clothes they bought for the new semester.

But, resuming my estrogen laden lifestyle means saying so long to a certain boyfriend of mine. I get so sad knowing that in a few short days I won’t be coming home to the man I love, our little home, and quiet, peaceful snuggle sessions. I’m dreading knowing that the only guy I’ll be sleeping with is my teddy bear (not that my twin size bed could fit David even if he were allowed to sleep at the house). And I am absolutely depressed that the only action I’ll be getting on a consistent basis will be with my vibrator.

I’m def not looking forward to getting back into the swing of an LDR …or the 6 hour trips home every other weekend (if I’m lucky).  But, I learned some stuff this summer (whaddya know!) and especially writing this column, so I figured I’d share my Favorite Coupled Lessons Learned.

1. Living together means double the laundry…and I’m most likely going to be the one doing it. Especially after David tried to help with it…and shrunk all of my workout gear.

2. Finding TV shows that you both love = relationship bliss. Mostly.

3. Don’t be over-confident about your crock pot skills. Leaving it on high all day will only result in bad things. Which reminds me- it’s not the end of the world if you f*ck up dinner.

4. Keep the sex dirty, and the fights clean. Even in our worst fights, I always realized that our relationship was worth fighting for…and we usually made up within the hour. And then had really hot, really dirty sex.

5. No matter what, always take time to realize how lucky you are. I found out that putting pen to paper (finger to keyboard?) and sharing with the most fabulous readers in the world why I was so in love made me fall even harder for David. And if I ever start to take him for granted, I know how important it is to stop and reflect on what a great other half he is.

Thank you guys  for sticking with me through the good, the bad and the strange.  I’ll be on hiatus (at least until December), but I can’t wait to hear your Coupled moments and stories. Keep sharing the love (just not with your single friends-they probably don’t want to hear about it).

The first step was obviously fighting over choosing which Disney prince was your BF (I’m looking at you, Prince Phillip). Then, after putting on lipstick and kissing a) your hand b) your Ken doll or c) your pillow, he would construct an elaborate proposal. Next thing you know, you’ve got your Mom’s heels on, a white sheet taped to your head and a gorgeous floral arrangement done entirely in weeds (nuisance plants are the next big thing for centerpieces, I’m telling you) in your sticky little hands as your BFF pronounces you and Prince Phillip (or Eric, he was always a solid choice too) married. Then you break out the big guns: your baby doll.

When you’ve got yourself surrounded by fake bottles, strollers, binkies and baby clothes, you know you’ve made it in the pretend game of playing house. Of course, my opinion on victory at playing house now is quite the opposite. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that a baby right now would be a massive fail (on both my and LoEstrin24FE’s behalf).

But, it seems as though David and I are movin’ on up in the game of playing house. After some mild success (we have neither burned the house down nor broken up), I guess people are starting to realize how fantastically great we are at living together and have decided to reward us with some kids. And not just any kids – teenagers.

So, while my game of playing house is progressing entirely out of order (I don’t recall David slaying any dragons to win my love or us getting married at a castle decorated with rainbows), it looks like I’ve reached the ultimate level. David’s dad and step-mom are headed to a wedding out of town this weekend, and have left their gorgeous home, dog, and 17- and 15-year-olds behind for us to look after. As luck would have it, we’ll be responsible for their most cherished assets while a developing Tropical Storm is headed for SoFla, and while their youngest is serving a summer-long sentence of grounding. Perf.

Naturally, David and I mapped out our parenting styles over a (large) bottle of wine last night. It’s looking pretty balanced; he’s decided to be the hardass. I, on the other hand, feel like I was just 15 a short while ago (and grounded for a vast majority of that year…and the rest of my teenage years), and can totally sympathize with her. Add to this my tendency to act like “the cool Mom” from Mean Girls, and we could be in for a bumpy weekend, Tropical Storms aside.

Even though I’m a nanny when I’m at school to two gorgeous little girls, I’m guessing there’s a difference between caring for 4- and 7-year-olds and 17- and 15-year-olds. Plus, I’ve never joint-babysat with anyone before, let alone a boyfriend. I’m wondering how splitting the authority down the middle will go… and if it will be as effective.

Anyway, I’m pretty psyched to see how this weekend goes. They have way better On-Demand channels than we do, and I’m fairly certain their fridge will be stocked with more than string cheese, fruit and beer. I’m not too worried about taking care of David’s step-siblings (honestly I’m much more concerned with having to put shutters on the 7,000 windows of his Dad’s house if this storm turns into a hurricane) and excited to see how my man handles the short-term child rearing.

After all, the best part of playing house (besides getting to live with David) is that when the game’s over,  you can return your baby doll to her rightful place in your toy box- and you can return your teenagers to their rightful guardians come Sunday.

The part I’m least excited about (besides having to turn off my CrackBerry until the flight attendants tell me I can turn it back on) is leaving David behind. Alas, he doesn’t get to accompany me on my awesome trip (it’s for business) and all week I’ve been getting ready to leave him all on his own for 5 whole days.

As he’ been so lovingly, gently reminding me all week, he is in fact a full grown man capable of taking care of himself. He did it for 20 years before he met me, and according to him he’s still got the hang of that. While I do realize that he’ll be fine while I’m gone, after living with him and taking care of our home (and his dirty laundry…) I can’t help but think (OK, hope) he’ll feel just a teeny bit lost whilst I’m gone.

After all, this will help him come to the realization that I’m totally indispensable, which has been my master plan all along. But, I don’t want to leave him high and dry, so I did fully stock our freezer full of a weekend’s worth of man-food (aka microwaveable and artery clogging). And I am leaving him a “HoneyDew” list, both because I freaking love the name of it and because it’s got all kinds of unpleasant things I’d rather not deal with on it. Hopefully, I’ll come home to a clean home with new air conditioner filters, a newly installed printer and no more laundry to do.

In all actuality though, David will be totally fine without me (and probably won’t get much on that list done). I’m seeing a lot of ESPN, absence of pants, farting, Bud Light and PS3 Bro extravaganzas in his future. So while he’s bummed he can’t go on an awesome trip, I’m pretty sure he’s looking forward to turning our house into a giant man cave for 5 days.

But seriously, when did I get so protective of him? I’m not his mother, and last semester I had to fly to a different conference or leadership convention every other weekend. I guess living with him has made me a little bit crazy, but it definitely feels weird to worry (just a smidge) about leaving him on his own for such a short amount of time. Whaddya think? Am I insane for being anxious about leaving him? Or do you know what I’m talking about?

I decorated the kitchen and dining room with these adorable flag banners cut out of different patterned scrapbooking paper. I wrote some of my favorite things about him on another sheet of scrapbooking paper to turn into his place mat. Then I turned on Sports Center, got a Bud Light ready for when he walked through the door, threw on some lingerie and started grillin’ up some surf-n-turf.

I was so nervous for him to get home, I don’t know why, but my hands were literally shaking when I heard the door open. He was so surprised and happy, it was the cutest thing. All I wanted to do was make him happy, but seeing how much he genuinely appreciated everything just melted my heart. And it reminded me how lucky I am.

When people ask me what it’s like having been in a long-term relationship throughout my entire college career, my answers usually vary. Sometimes I’m defending my choice to those who think I’m insane for not – ahem – taking advantage of all the hot, young guys surrounding a college gal. Sometimes I’m playing down David’s sheer awesomeness to jealous friends. Most of the time I talk about how amazing it is to have someone who constantly offers me love and support (who’s not, ya know, my Mom and Dad). But too often I forget about the flip side of the equation.

I forget how incredible it feels to be young and in love with such an amazing man. And isn’t that the best part about having a boyfriend? Getting giddy butterflies and having flashes of realization that he’s all yours? Monday night reminded me of the many many reasons I fell in love with David, and how freaking lucky I am to have spent three marvelous birthdays with that handsome devil.

If I have my way (and his, from what he tells me), we’ll be spending the rest of his birthdays together. I can only hope that I remember every single year how incredibly fortunate I am to be his girlfriend. For all my ladies out there who aren’t gagging with cynicism by now (kudos for reading through this mush fest!), take a minute to share some of your favorite things about your s.o.- you might be surprised how much more you love them just thinking about how great they are.

You know that scene in Get Him To The Greek when Aaron’s girlfriend says something to the effect of, “Omg I can’t wait to watch like 100 hours of Gossip Girl”? I laughed hysterically (It’s funny cuz it’s true!). David did not (for the same reason).

I don’t know about you guys, but when I get home after a long day of interning, working, and gymming, all I want to do is eat dinner and zone out to one of the thousands of Real Housewives or Say Yes to the Dress episodes I have DVR’ed. Unfortunately, my live-in boyfriend isn’t on the same page. Especially now that it’s baseball season.

Without our usual primetime lineup to veg out to (If you’re an avid CC reader you’ll know about my unerring obsession with Comedy Night Done Right), the pickings have been slim for couple-friendly shows.

Until Now. Enter this summer’s surefire couple-pleasing shows. Read on, DVR and get some popcorn ready.

Last Comic Standing: David and I love this show because it’s (obviously) hilarious. But we love this show even more because Craig Robinson is the host. He’s charmingly side-splitting, and I personally think he’s kinda sexy. Disturbingly enough, David agrees. Anyways, the comedians are either really funny or funny because they don’t know how bad they are. And in either instance, the celebrity judges Greg Giraldo, Natasha Leggero (Chelsea Lately!) and Andy Kindler will crack you up. I’m soo happy this show is back, because girl or guy, who doesn’t love to laugh?

Lie to Me: The eccentric Dr. Lightman is back! This show is 65% Criminal Minds + 20% House + 15% Castle…and the main character is British. Besides the fact that after watching you’ll enjoy talking to each other with distinctive accents for the remainder of the evening (and you’ll say things like “the remainder of the evening”), Dr. Lightman (Cal Roth) is seriously badass. Basically he and his team of uber-psychologists read body language to catch bad guys. Realistic? No. Awesome? Yes.

TrueBlood: The Vampire craze goes coed with Eric, Bill and Sookeh. This weekly drama is a satiating hour long (but the end still comes way too soon every Sunday). It’s got blood and guts galore for him, along with seriously sick fight scenes. For the ladies, it’s got twisted, passionate love stories, Southern gentlemen vampires from a century or two ago, and Alexander Skarsgard. The sex scenes will spark both of your imaginations, and strong, sexy and feisty Sookie is a heroine guys and girls can root for. Plus, HBO has to put all of their parental control warnings (SDVM) on every episode, so you know it’s gonna be good.

Top Chef: There are 3 reasons why Top Chef just might be the ultimate couples’ show. 1. Incredible Food 2. Crazy characters 3. Padma and Tom (I don’t know what it is about that shiny bald head but Colicchio is one smooth, badass mofo). Every season David and I get seriously pumped for Top Chef…like we countdown the announcement of where the new season will be held and set the DVR to record the next episode a week in advance. It’s so much fun to pick our favorites – and we’ve gotten pretty good at it! I picked Angelo, he picked Kenny, and after you watch this season, you’ll know why. It’s a great way to have fun competition with your guy while expanding your vocabulary (seriously, now I know what brunois means). Plus, you can borrow their challenge ideas for a sweet date night. David has accepted my challenge to a cook off, and trust me, once we’re done with Top Chef South Florida, I’ll tell you lovely readers all about it!

There are so many shows about to premiere this summer that I know David and I will be able to agree on (Hello Entourage, Wipeout and Mad Men). How about you guys? What will you and your boyfriends be watching this summer?

Anywho, while watching, we had our usual conversation about how awesome it would be to flip a house. All the demolition and repairs (and interior decorating, hello!) almost had us salivating at the idea (or maybe it was just the leftover pizza crusts, hard to tell). We both agreed that it would be incredibly cool to flip – nay – build a house from scratch. But who in their right mind would allow two completely inexperienced college kids masquerade as architects/carpenters/interior designers?

Enter Ty Pennington. Well, kind of. An Extreme Home Makover: Home Edition marathon was starting on the next channel, and after crying intermittently for 2 hours, David suggested we volunteer to build a house. This way, we’d get to help a family in need and if we screwed anything up while building, we wouldn’t have to actually live there (he was kidding. I think).

I Googled Habitat for Humanity and found our helpful, super easy to navigate local site. Not even 5 minutes later, David and I were both signed up to volunteer on a build day for June 12^th.

We were so excited about the prospect of helping others in such a cool way. David and I have always been huge supporters of helping others, but mostly it’s been through philanthropies with our respective fraternity and sorority. We were so psyched to find a new way to help our community (especially in a way that didn’t require any donations, cause we’re totes broke). Habitat seemed like the perfect venue for our charitable energies.

The day of, we were pumped and ready to go. We slathered on sunscreen, got dressed and grabbed baseball hats. David’s mom had surprised us with heavy duty gloves the day before (the website suggested we bring them, but I hadn’t read that part), which was so sweet and turned out to be a lifesaver once we got to the actual build site. Well, for David at least.

Once we found the build site (Mapquest must have a personal vendetta against me, at the rate it gets me lost), signed in and found the coordinator from Habitat, we were immediately separated. David was sent outside to dig for the irrigation system, and I got assigned to work inside caulking the baseboards of the entire house.

I got to stay inside all day, which was pretty sweet, not to mention that I found out that I am an excellent caulk-er. Add to this the amount of “caulk” jokes an elderly lady volunteer taught me that day, and the experience was already proving to be priceless. David got to get incredibly sweaty and really, really filthy, which he loved and I found freaking hot.

After our shift was done, volunteers from another non-profit group brought lunch for all the volunteers on the site, and we got to meet the family that was moving into the home. They were so grateful and sweetly appreciative. We took pictures, they thanked us again, and we got to see first-hand what a big difference those few hours had made in someone else’s life. It was a great experience, and David and I were so happy we did it. It means so much to me to know what a caring person David is, and how readily he agrees to helping others. We’re volunteering again soon, and we hope to be part of the volunteer group to finish the house-we can’t wait for the dedication ceremony!

After this experience we decided to make volunteering a bigger part of our lives. There’s so much we can do to help make our community (and the world) a better place, even if it is just the two of us. And volunteering together definitely made us appreciate the altruistic side and love each other way more than dear, sweet Armando ever could.

How about you guys? Do you and your boo ever volunteer? What’s your favorite part about it?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m exercise’s #1 fan (not really, but I tell myself that trick me into doing it every day). It makes you healthier, happier and hotter. But as my fellow CC gals know, it’s summer time-and that comes with certain duties as a college student. Let’s not kid ourselves here, sometimes day drinking just takes precedence over willpower or dietary discretion- and I don’t know about you guys but I’m still coasting on what’s left of my Spring Break bod.

But alas! Three months fly by too fast, and before we know it, we’re back at school sweet school. And if there’s one goal college women can agree on, it’s that we want to look fierce during welcome week. So put down the margarita and get ready to turn heads on the first day of classes by giving yourself a summer fitness challenge!

First things first: Weigh yourself and figure out your BMI. Set a realistic goal weight and BMI for you to reach by move in day/welcome week/ your first day of classes. Next, determine how many calories you need to eat and burn in order to reach your goal-here’s your secret weapon. The only way to lose weight – the right way – is to burn more calories than you’re eating. To find out how many calories are in whatever food I’m eating (fresh fruit doesn’t have nutrition labels, much to my annoyance) I like to use Calorie King. It has virtually every food’s nutrition facts, along with graphs that show you what percentage of the food is fat, protein, carbs, etc., so it’s easy to make sure you’re getting the right amount of each at every meal. And it tells you exactly how many minutes of various exercises like biking, jogging and rowing it will take to burn those calories off. One warning though, after a moment of weakness I broke down and got Moe’s – seeing how many hours (yes, hours) it would take to completely burn off those calories was slightly traumatic.  I’ll never look at a burrito the same way again.

And speaking of shocking realizations… Losing weight this summer will be so much easier if you actually know what you’re putting in your body, and how much of it you actually need. The best way to keep track of what you’re eating – and how much of it – is by keeping a food journal. It forces you to realize everything that you’re eating, and being brutally honest with yourself (see aforementioned burrito) makes you want to eat healthy. It also helps to keep an exercise journal. I hate seeing a blank day on mine, or even the days when I know I could have done better. Seeing everything in black and white is definitely a huge motivation and there are easy online tools that make it easier to do every day. So let’s talk…

Motivation: Saying you’re going to get in sick shape this summer and actually doing it are two different things. In most cases (well, at least in mine), the biggest problem is motivation. At the end of the day, only you can decide if you’re going to put down that cookie or go the extra 10 minutes on the Stairmaster. Unless you enlist a partner in weight loss, that is. Your partner can be your sibling, boyfriend or best friend, as long as they make the same commitment to summer fitness that you’re making. Find a partner, and you’ve got yourself a fitness challenge!

Schedule workouts for the week ahead of time and write them down, put them in your Blackberry, Google calendar, whatever – just make sure you’ve got a visual, concrete schedule of your workouts. These now function as “dates”. You wouldn’t want to blow off your partner (or have them blow you off), so there’ll be a voice of reason when one of you just doesn’t feel like hitting the gym.

Once you’re actually working up a sweat, decide on fun challenges you can compete in. Think you can kick your bff’s ass at a 10 minute mile? Bet your next pedicure on it. Think you can lap your baby bro in freestyle? Put a week’s worth of dishwashing duty on the line. And if you know you can out-crunch your man, for Pete’s sake bet sexual favors on it!

Finally…

Keep your hot streak going! You’ll feel damn good back-to-school shopping and sauntering around campus come September, but don’t let your summer’s hard work go to waste. Keep in mind the eating habits you developed over the summer. It’s important not to think of healthy eating as a “diet.” Being nutritious should be a lifestyle. Yes, you will occasionally mess up and go to Taco Bell after a long night of flip cup (and flip cup itself isn’t all that great for you, supposedly), but that doesn’t mean you should spiral into the deep abyss of terrible food all the time.

Same goes for the gym. After 3 months of reaping the benefits of daily cardio, your body will most likely be hooked on all those post-gym endorphins. But don’t let the stress of school keep you away from working out. Even if you’re swamped with papers and exam studying, make time to work out. Just 30 minutes of stress relief will be infinitely better than the hour you’ll inevitably spend procrastinating on Facebook. Maintaining the same eating and exercise habits that you practiced all summer will help you stay healthy – and hot – long into the fall semester.

I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like the longer our relationship goes on, the greater the pressure there is to give him a seriously kick ass gift. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s “the thought that counts” and yes, David would be equally happy with an iPod or a 3 day cruise (speaking from experience…unless he was just faking his excitement to make me feel better). I just love the process of finding the perfect gift for my perfect boyfriend. (I feel the same way about gift giving in general. It takes me a solid 2 months to Christmas shop.) And after 2 and a half years, I’ve built a pretty impressive record for gift giving.

Of course there are the times when I get it totally wrong (I thought getting him a sex toy for graduation was both hilarious and practical- he did not agree), and those are the gifts that haunt my memory while I try to find his 23^rd birthday present.

It can be hard shopping for your boyfriend. You know him so well, you should be able to spot from a mile away the thing or experience he’d love most. But, unfortunately it’s not always that easy. So whether you’ve got a boyfriend with a summer birthday, your anniversary is coming up, or you just want to surprise him with a little something, I’ve compiled a go-to boyfriend gift guide. Happy shopping!

Hobby Gifts

Does your man have a passion or pastime that he absolutely loves? What about getting him an upscale accessory? David is chess obsessed, so I’ve been trolling the internets to find a nice chess set for him. Does your boyfriend love poker? Check out this Texas Hold ‘Em chip set with a table (and it’s only $99!) For bonus points, tell him to invite the boys over for a poker night, complete with man-food and his favorite beer provided by you.

Dating an athlete?

Well, even if you’re not, chances are the guy you’re dating loves a certain sport (or all of them). If he’s baseball obsessed check out this cool score ticker. David’s been obsessed with it since he saw it at the mall, so it’s definitely on my list of possibilities for him. If your man is more the kind of guy who likes to get in on the action, think about signing him up for a sports league. Depending on where you live and what sport you register him for, prices range from around $50- $75 for seasons that last for a few months. A lot of leagues have happy hour specials and post-game sponsor bars with drink specials included in the registration fee.

Road Trip!

Take advantage of summer time, gas up your tank and pack him a weekend bag without him noticing. Tell him you guys have to go run errands, and hit the open road. Blind folds are optional (and awesome) and so is telling him where you’re headed. Check out what deals are around where you’re living. Hit an amusement park for the weekend (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is calling my name), see if you can rent a beachfront condo (or better yet, ask a friend or relative if you can stay there for two nights), check out last minute hotel deals near the beach. Even if you stay in or near your hometown, staying in a sweet hotel will make it feel like a vacay. And the weather is gorgeous (but the mosquitoes haven’t noticed yet) so why not go camping for the weekend? Use your imagination and get excited to totally sweep your boyfriend off his feet.

If all else fails…turn to video games.

No matter how old he’s turning, he probably still loves video games. Here are the hottest video games out right now, ranked by sales. Just make sure you get a game that’s compatible with his system, and when in doubt, call his best friend to ask what they’ve been playing lately.

What’s the next gift you’re thinking of giving your boyfriend? Do you have a tried and true method for picking the perfect present? If so, let’s hear it!

Until I started grocery shopping with my own money (and occasionally David’s), I had no idea how expensive food was! I also had no idea how quickly things like gym memberships, 3 night a week Blockbuster rentals, and Friday happy hours could add up when it’s on my tab – not Mom and Dad’s.

Unfortunately, minimum wage part time jobs just don’t cover my lavish lifestyle, so while I hunt for a better job, I’d prepared myself for the inevitable cut backs I’d have to make.  If that meant more nights just staying in, resorting to regular cable programming (the horror!), and occasionally eating microwave popcorn and apples for dinner instead of a real meal, I was fine with it. Unfortunately, David was not.

David, who works 40 hours a week at what most people would consider a big kid job, earns enough money to support himself pretty darn comfortably.  He likes going out for drinks with his friends after a long week. If he feels like renting a new DVD every night of the week, he does. He goes out to eat when he wants, and buys whatever he feels like when he goes grocery shopping.

Spread that paycheck a little thinner though, say, between himself and his lovely gf, and the cash money doesn’t quite go as far. So while he’s happy to pay for both of us when we do the things he likes, he finds that he can’t do as many of the things he likes. Without me earning enough money to share the lifestyle he maintains when I’m not broke, or when I’m away at school, all the financial pressure falls on him if he doesn’t want to change his habits.

On one hand, I feel bad for him. Just because I can’t find a better job in this sucky economy, why should he have to suffer by missing out on stuff he likes to do? When his friends all want to go get dinner and he can’t pay for both of us, I feel terrible when he goes home with me instead (and telling him to go alone only makes him feel guilty). When he surprises me with little things like flowers or sweet dates, I wish I could return the favor, whatever the masculine version of flowers is. Add to this the fact that his birthday is in less than a month and I feel like I might have a quarter life crises.

On the other hand, I’m doing what I have to do right now to keep my gas tank and our fridge full without plunging myself into debt. I have no problem with him going and doing his thing while I catch up on quality time with the Kardashians. But a lot of those things benefit me (no time to cook dinner? Take out! Bored on Saturday? Let’s have friends over to barbecue!) I feel guilty mooching off of my sugar daddy, and I can’t help but think that eventually he’ll start resenting me because he works so hard and I’m still trolling Monster and Craigslist hoping for a breakthrough.

Sharing a life with David has always been easy. Sharing a home with him is a learning experience, but an incredible one. Sharing a lifestyle with him – without sharing a checking account – is another thing entirely. I wish I could contribute financially as much as he does, but at this point, I just can’t.

Being financially unequal is definitely difficult; either way, one of us has to give up something. He’s compromising , and I’m trying to think of non-monetary ways to repay him (nudge nudge), but it hasn’t been easy. How do you guys cope when the one you love is on a totally different financial page?

Since I was little, I’ve loved writing. After I picked up that red crayon to write my first story I’ve been hooked. This led to an easy answer to the increasingly meaningful question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Until recently, I always knew I wanted to write; then last September I had a kick-ass media law teacher and decided to be a lawyer. Unfortunately, I realized I didn’t want a law career for the right reasons, and that writing will always be my true passion and calling.

Which leads me to the question staring me in the face whenever David cracks open a practice test: what the hell am I going to do next year? Once David and I started seriously planning our post-grad careers, it seemed relatively easy. We cross referenced every law-school in the country with the program he wants and started narrowing it down from there. We were worried then about both of us getting in and what the most financially realistic places were. If I decide not to go to grad school at all, David can pretty much choose wherever he wants and I’d have to find a job near wherever that is.

I can hear some of you rolling your eyes right now. Several wise women have told me not to plan any aspect of my future around a man I’m not engaged to (and that topic is another post entirely), but David and I have very similar ideas of where we want to be post-grad (the front-runner now is sunny South Florida, but our minds might change come 95° weather) and what our future looks like (hint: we’re together).  We know that a joint post-grad career is in our immediate future – no matter what – and that the difficulty of making it work will be totally worth the result.

It’s just so hard not knowing where I’ll be this time next year. The prospect of really finishing undergrad seemed so distant until watching my friends graduate made it concrete. I have no idea if I want to keep going to school, or just jump into the world of writing (and hope that maybe the economy has recovered enough by April that I get hired). Until then, I guess I’ll just keep filling out those information request forms and hoping David gets a high enough GRE score to get in wherever he wants.

Is anyone else trying to figure out the post-undergrad future, whether on their own or in combination with their bf? Or, have you figured it out?