I am nineteen years old and I am ready to settle down.

People may tell me that I’m “too young to know what true love is” or that I should “keep my options open.” Some girls might claim the "girlfriend life" is just not for them. And hey, that's great for them, but I don’t care-- it is for me. I love my boyfriend and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with him.

I may not be ready to walk down the aisle and say “I do” just yet, but I am ready to promise myself to him.

For the past year, my boyfriend has been a huge part of my life. Starting from the day we first became friends, I could tell that this man was going to be very special to me. Now, he’s the person I do everything with. He has stuck with me through all of the ups and downs and he’s shown me how I deserve to be loved. I don’t know what I’d do without him in my life.

In the past few months, our relationship has drastically changed. We went from spending weeks apart – due to living in different cities over the summer – to moving in together. I lived on campus for the first semester of this school year, but ended up terminating my housing contract for a few different reasons. My boyfriend, and his roommates, were excited for me to move in with them. As I carried the last load of my belongings through the front door, the situation became very real to me. I am now officially living with my boyfriend.

Living together before marriage may be frowned upon by many people, but it was the right step for us. We already spend every day together, adopted our own dog, and know that we want to spend our lives together. We have conversations about our dream home and the future. We know that no matter what happens, we aren’t going to break up. It’s clear that we love each other very much and we’re dedicated to making our relationship last.

I’m not ready to settle down just because I love my boyfriend. I’m ready to settle down because when I imagine my future, he’s there. After watching him play with my nieces and nephews, I know that I want them to call him “Uncle” one day. I can tell that he’s going to be an amazing father because of how gentle and caring he is, so I know that he’s the man I want my children to call “Dad”. Overall, I know that he is my soul mate and I am meant to call him “Husband” someday.

Until the day we say “I do,” I am promising myself to him. We plan on buying a matching set of promise rings for our first anniversary to show our dedication to each other. I am so happy that I have found the man I will spend my life with at such a young age. Falling in love young does not mean I am limiting myself, it just means that I get to spend more time with my soul mate.

I am nineteen years old and no matter what anyone says, I know that I have already found the man who I will spend my life with.

I am ready to settle down.