All Paths Lead to The Fuller House

True life. I live in the Fuller House. No really.

There are 5 Fullers, including me, my parents, my brother, Patrick, and my eighty-nine-year-old grandmother, Grammy Pat, plus my seventy-nine-year-old grandmother, Nanny Ann, and my boyfriend, Matt, all living under one roof.

We don’t need to get into specifics on how we all ended up at the Fuller House. I want to focus on the comical and uplifting part of this story, but I will tell you, in the past year my family has experienced many changes that have ultimately brought us all together. Some of these changes have been challenging, like losing loved ones, and overcoming health scares and illnesses. Some of these changes have been happy, like my sister, Jen, getting married and welcoming her husband, Ed, to our family. With all these big life changes, our family has been blessed to come together and support each other within the comfort of the Fuller House.

I chuckle thinking that over the last year my living situation has transformed dramatically from big city-girl to suburban millennial living in the attic (or as we like to call the loft) of her parent’s house. Add my boyfriend to this new living situation mix and you’ve got yourself the perfect storyline for the next hit Netflix sitcom. Maybe we call it “Fullest House?” But believe me, you can’t make this story up. It’s, real, raw, silly, and lovely all in one. My experiences living in the Fuller House over the past 8 months, even though challenging at times, have been beautiful in every way possible. Yes, this living situation is temporary (and believe me, has lasted longer than Matt and I ever expected), but I’m making the most out of this unique, once-in-a-lifetime situation. I’m sure you may be asking yourself “how can living with a family of 5, with your boyfriend, in a suburb of Boston be beautiful?” Well, let me tell you how.

1.       I get to experience precious, yet hysterical life moments, like the kind a screenwriter would only dream to bring to life. Like when I’m folding laundry and realize I’m folding my boyfriend’s underwear and my grandmother’s underwear in the same load! Or seeing the two grandmas with two different political views watch the morning news. And yes, when the whole family asks Alexa to make fart noises or tell dinosaur jokes throughout the day.

2.       I get a second shot at experiencing things I totally took for granted in the past, like having dinner with my family after a long day at work and connecting about our days, chatting through life while washing dishes with my parents, waking up and making homemade muffins with my Mum, and getting snowed in with my family during the multiple Nor’easters we had this year. After 9 years living across the country from my family, these little everyday life moments mean the world to me.

3.       I get to experience new activities with my Mum and Grandmothers. We’ve recently picked up new hobbies like Tai Chi, essential oils, printmaking, and home-made kombucha and kefir making.

4.       I get to have late-night, philosophical conversations with my Brother all in the comfort of the living room. I moved across the country from home when I was twenty-one-years-old and my Brother was only fourteen. I’m so thankful I’ve been given the opportunity to nurture our sister-brother relationship as adults.

5.       As a family, we’ve built a support system where everyone plays a role at helping each other. For example, we all help cook dinner, do the dishes, brew coffee, shovel the driveway, build fires, tidy up, grocery shop, take the grandmas to appointments, clean off snow from cars, water the plants, listen to each other, and give advice. It’s super cool to see the comradery we’ve built.

6.       I can feel how much my boyfriend cares for me and my family. It's a feeling I've always had, but I mean, c'mon, the guy's a saint for making this life change with me and temporarily living with my family. He's been my rock through it all, supporting me and my family above and beyond.

7.       Sometimes I feel like I’m living in my favorite show “The Golden Girls” living with my two grandmothers and my Mum. Picture it. Three generations of women in one house. That’s a whole lotta girl power, pajamas, and cheesecake (raw cheesecake, that is). We lost both my grandfathers within the last two years, leaving both Nanny Ann and Grammy Pat as widowers. It’s more clear to me than ever that the women in my family are strong and resilient.

Okay, so those are some examples of the beautiful aspects of this living situation. Don’t get me wrong, there are also some super challenging parts. Here are some of the big challenges.

1.       Finding privacy is, well… pretty much impossible. As you can imagine, everyone knows everything about you in the Fuller House. Could it be because everyone seems to talk on speaker phone around here? And speaking of privacy, Matt may or may have not walked in on Nanny Ann by accident in the bathroom. Okay he did! I think he learned his lesson and knocks every time now.

2.       Sometimes I feel like we are living in limbo. It’s hard to feel settled somewhere when it’s only temporary. In this case, I’ve found it extremely beneficial to focus on the now and not get caught up in the what ifs of the future.

3.       Living as a couple in the Fuller House is the greatest test to any relationship. Seriously. Matt and I have lived together by ourselves for 3 years before recently moving into the Fuller House. Of course, there have been challenging times adjusting to this new way of living. Matt is a trooper for supporting and living through this life change with me. I like to think if we can live through this, we’ll make it through anything. The most important things we’ve learned, no matter the situation, are to always keep communication open, work as a team, and prioritize our relationship first.

Focus on the positives in life and see the beauty in all experiences no matter how crazy and unplanned they might be. I truly believe there is a greater force that led us all to the Fuller House during this time in our lives. There is a reason why we are all here supporting each other during this transition period. One day we’ll look back and smile thinking of these beautiful memories at the Fuller House. The best part is I’m smiling now.