Home, Sweet Home

When I first moved in with Justin back in 2010, we lived in a small one-bedroom apartment (not unlike the one we live in now).  I had pipe dreams of us living in a house, but those quickly vanished.  Even now, we aren't looking to be homeowners for another couple of years.  We have lived in the same apartment complex since May of 2010.  It's been cozy and we have created this little 650-square-foot living space that is all our own.  It is full of our pictures, our purchased artwork, our bookshelves, and our gadgets.  It's our home.

Here is an outline of our apartment, taken straight from the website.

As you can see, all the rooms are represented, but it's a tight little living space.

When we lived in our first apartment and were looking to move, Justin suggested these apartments that he would pass on the way to work every morning.  They were owned by Ticon Properties (the same people we now live under).  The apartments Justin passed were actually 2-bedroom units, and when we found out the price, we knew our then-income wouldn't cover it.  This talk with the office manager led us to where we now live.

I wanted to write this post because even though I am always thinking of the future and what I'd do to A, B, and C if we had a bigger place, I've really enjoyed living here.  I was catching up on my blogs this morning, and read this post on Everyday Elsie.  She talks about upgrading to a new studio, but at the end of the post she reminisces about her time spent in the current one.  This got me thinking about my apartment.  It's come such a long way from the way it was decorated when we first moved here.  Some things have remained the same, but not much.

I think of all the little parties we've had here, all the gallons of tea and Key Lime pies that have filled the fridge, how the smell of pot roast and Falling Leaves and Spice has permeated our home and welcomed us so many times as we walk through the door.  The many decorations and the dishes that have been washed.  I think of the nicks in the walls from where we moved furniture around, about hauling both mattress sets up the stairs, and seeing the Chapel from our dining room window.  I have so many wonderful memories of this little place, and I'm sure I'll get really sentimental when we finally do move onto bigger things.  This was where Justin carried me over the threshold after we got married.  We ended and began our new life as a couple here.  Many recipes have been tried, failed, and succeeded in this kitchen.  The bathroom has had the exact same decor since we moved in, and Justin has always gotten playful flack from his buddies for it.  I've performed many life-saving feats on clothes otherwise thought dead in our little laundry nook.  The bedroom, I'll admit, is still a work in progress, but someday it'll get where I want it to be.

I just wanted to tell you, Little One-Bedroom Apartment, that even though you may feel like I'm eagerly awaiting moving day for a bigger place (I'd be lying if I said I wasn't), you've made our lives so wonderful and so welcoming.  You've protected us from rain and snow, and given us a great view for people-watching.  Thanks for always being here for us when we come back from errands or work.  And thanks for putting up with Bonnie; she really likes you, too.  I only hope that when we do leave, we can leave you better than we found you, and just as welcoming for whoever gets to live here next.

*misty eyes*

Whew.  Okay, well now that my little not-really-goodbye letter to my apartment is over, I also wanted to take this time to show you where I want to move to!  My goal had always been the two-bedrooms we first came upon that I mentioned earlier.  I remember the day we were shown the inside, and Justin and I just kept looking at each other in awe and mouthing, "Oh, my God!" to one another.  It was perfect.  It was like a little house, but not a house.  It's absolute perfect middle ground for us.  These units were called Glenbrook West.

This is the outline of GW, where I wanted to live for so long.

And now, after dreaming of GW for a little over 2 years, I've had another thought.

Ticon owns property all over Durham, and our complex is really convenient to lots of things: restaurants, downtown, Duke, at least three different interstates, fast food, etc.  GW is about 15 minutes from where we live.  Another unit, exactly the same as GW, called Lenox East, is located about 3 minutes from where we live.  It's just down the street.  Justin and I really like living on "this side" of town, and we wouldn't have to take the interstate to move if we decided to live in LE instead.  I think a lot of good could come from deciding on LE.  The outside of the building isn't as pretty as GW, but it's the inside that counts, right? :)

This is the outline of LE, exactly the same as GW, but cheaper!

I'm just excited to be thinking of the future, the attainable future at that; particularly a future that is so close in proximity to right now!  Plus, I'll be glad to have a record of this when we do move and I can confirm or sadly deny what actually ended up happening and where we ended up moving to.