These 2 lovely ladies were my second set of girls roommates. We got along so well. I think it helped we had the same group of friends, so there wasn't any people I despised seeing that they'd invite over to our home. It also helped that we weren't "best friends" before we moved in together. We knew each other well enough to take the plunge, but then after you move in you need that space from one another that you usually can't find when living with a close friend.
When Jared and I's last roommate moved out I had mixed feelings. I wrote about it HERE. For the past 4 years I've always had roommates and I was really excited to have just Jared and I in our house for the first time. At the same time I really miss the chaos. Which is kind of funny, because I still can't picture myself with a house full of kids which is pretty chaotic or even one kid for that matter. Anyway, back to the point. The other night my brother, Brennon, came over with a few friends and I so badly missed having roommates. I just like the noise, it's nice to hear someone watching TV downstairs. Our most recent roommate was renting a room downstairs and every now and again Jared would be busy and I would just wander downstairs and find Laughter (pronounced Lodder). We'd have really nice chats. Or he'd invite his friends over and play pool for a few hours. I really liked coming home to a small group or being able to forget about stress with a friendly roommate chat. Laughter was the dream roommate. We got along well, stayed out of each others way when needed, our dogs loved each other, and he was CLEAN!
Not all roommates are the perfect roommate though. My brother has had a good many roommates too. Probably more than me. Maybe. When he came over we were reminiscing about roommates in the past. Throughout my 8-10 roommates I found 5 types that most roommates fit into.
1. The pothead. Seriously, despite what your views our on weed. I think that potheads make for great roommates. Always chill, easy going, and non-confrontational. The biggest downside is that you may have to keep your chips and snacks in your own room because the munchies are not good for a girl on a grocery budget!
2. The under-cover drug abuser. I've had 2 of these. One got his girlfriend pregnant and stole adderol from my sweet husband and was obviously immediately kicked out. I hear he later did go to rehab. The other would have random "episodes" where he'd stay up all night and do things like rewire the internet in our wall. We still have a giant jumble of wires sticking out of our wall downstairs that we have no idea what to do with. I might just frame them for memories.
3.. The good one. Some roommates just rock. I think the balance comes with space and respect on both ends. If you like to be around someone enough to hang out on the weekends, but you're also able to shut the door without offense being taken. You have a winner!
4. The lonely/ depressed one. I had a roommate that just had gotten a divorce and he was trying VERY hard to forget about his ex-wife with parties, alcohol, and lots of lady friends. It becomes an on-going bet of how the lady friend will act when the moves are laid on. It's extremely hard to live with someone who is depressed. It definitely can rub off on you and create a bad vibe in the house!
5. The scared to be alone one. They constantly invite everyone over. No matter what anyone else's schedule is or what you've asked they are always having people over. For parties, study groups, movie nights, go to the pool, to do laundry... Yeah, laundry party! I had a roommate that hated being alone. She always had friends over. Sunday night she had slumber parties, every saturday morning it was a pool party, wednesday her mom came over, and so on. Every night there was some type of gathering. It gets tiring.
Those are my top 5 types of roommates. So tell me.. What experiences have you had with roommates? Horror stories? Friendships?
