Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You're going to love it...

There are times in this life when you know something is so right, you wonder how you ever existed before it. That 'something' for me was my Husband, Max.

Max and I have in total been together for 2 years and 3 months. And that is from our first date until today. I realise for many this isn't something to shout from the roof tops about. I literally have pairs of tights I've owned longer. But to say both of us had had our fair share of dating/relationship life experience before we met and ‘knew’ is an understatement. We have both been in long term relationships before. We have both had flings, both dated, both been single and he even has a child with another woman. One that he had only known for 2 months. So as I said, life experience.

We both knew pretty soon into our relationship that we wanted to spend our life together. Monogamy isn’t a joke to us. I’m a woman who is full on down for her man, but I’m also fiercely independent. Which I think is a pretty good balance to maintain. He’s the same, so we complement each other perfectly. If I’m being a spoilt brat of a Princess (which I won’t lie, can be often) he will sure as damn it tell me. If I think he’s doing a ‘man’ and not pulling his weight around the house for example, I’ll sure as hell tell him too. We balance each other out and also, he makes me laugh more than anyone I’ve ever met. But more than anything he’s my partner and my equal. We split the bills and if we want something for our self, we buy it our self. He would treat me to dinner, but I would pay for the cinema. As I say partners and equals. He indulges my love of musicals, I indulge his love of FIFA. That’s not to say that I don’t sometimes moan that he doesn’t take me on shopping sprees or lavish me with gifts, but it’s not because I really want him too. Unfortunately I think it’s a symptom of being part of the Princess generation who grew up on Disney Films, Rom Coms and The Hills. And he knows that.

However thinking about it, I was very lucky growing up. I lived a charmed life and never wanted for anything. I’ve only been paying bills since the beginning of 2016. Up until then, I unashamedly lived at home and my parents never made me pay a penny. For anything! So I spent all my money, and I mean ALL my money, on me, me, me and um, me. That has been my biggest struggle (oh woe is me what a terrible existence I lead, not having such a large dispensable income as I used to, boo fucking hoo I hear you cry in disgust), as an adult. Through various circumstances, my adult life started much later than most and now I don’t spend my money on clothes and shoes and the ridiculous frivolity that drained my Bank Account to zero every month without fail. I have more than enough and then some. And truthfully, I don't want to spend all my money on me. Max and Serena changed everything in that respect. I live a lovely comfortable life. Yes we have to budget and yes like everyone our age have to penny pinch here and there, but that is being an adult... *cries*

Yes my life has had twists and turns and ups and downs (a lot of downs for a long time but I’ve come out the other side stronger for it) and life hasn’t lead me down the path I always thought it would. And that’s not bad, it’s just different. And different is good. Different is a blessing. Different is certainly what I am in the goofiest, silliest way possible. My husband is a part of my journey as an adult. I don’t want the life I used to live. And yes, those care free years of extravagant expenditure are hard to shake when you sometimes find yourself living month to month simply to get by, but that is the real world for us 90s kids. And when I finally cut those financial ties and dependence on my parents, I was reminded of Rachel Green cutting up her Credit Card paid for by her father and Monica proclaiming ‘Welcome to the Real World. Its sucks. You’re gonna love it!’ And I do.