Pencils Up

Lately my boyfriend has been so mad at me. I can’t do anything right and he finds problems with everything I do. I’m at my breaking point, but I don’t want to throw away a yearlong relationship.

There are two possibilities with this scenario... one is that there’s obviously something going on in his world that’s causing him grief and changing his demeanor. Maybe it’s work or maybe it’s family- the only way to find out is to have an open and honest conversation. The other is that after a year in, he’s just being himself and as such he’s a critical guy. That scenario requires an open and honest conversation as well. The key is to initiate the dialogue in a non-accusative manner. Make sure he knows you’re coming from a place of concern, not of anger and hear him out. Relationships are tested from time to time, and this is one of those tests that will place a spotlight on how you two problem solve as a team. You’ve got this!

My girlfriend and I decided to take the next step in our relationship and live together. After a lot of consideration, we decided it would be best to start this new chapter in a fresh, new place. The problem is that we must have looked at over 20 properties and can’t agree on anything.

Congratulations on taking your relationship to the next level and I applaud your choice to begin that step in a place that’s both of yours- very smart move! You looked at 20, and if necessary you’ll look at 20 more until you find “the one”. Be sure that you have a clear and concise three-column list of what you both want, what she wants and what you want. Knowing that not all of the wants are going to make the final product is a given- the key is checking off as many as you can within your budget. Keep looking and even consider revisiting one or two of the homes you passed on earlier… before you know it, there will be no place like home!