The New Apartment

 Up until this summer, I hadn't lived in an apartment since the summer of 2002, when, as very new newlyweds, we had a three-month lease for an apartment in southern New Jersey before we were able to move into our condo in northern Jersey. So, other than that and my college years, I haven't done much apartment living in my life.

 Well, now I'm getting used to it, and I'm happy to say that I like it! Of course, I prefer having a house with a basement and more space as well as an attached garage and a yard, but there are perks to apartment living, too. They include a full gym (maybe I'll finally start using a gym!), a fun game room, a pool, no yardwork, and any maintenance problems being covered (they'll even change and replace the lightbulbs!). These are some of the simplicities that come with apartment living that I appreciate. I do, however, really miss the space I had (I was only able to get a two-bedroom, two-bath, when I would have preferred a three-bedroom). That is the biggest adjustment I keep having to make: the space. I've gone from a big house with an in-ground pool and landscaped grounds to a nice but smaller townhouse to a still nice but even smaller apartment, all in the course of two years! I'm working my way down gradually, I guess. 😆

I moved into the new apartment during the last week of June. It's in the same neighborhood as my townhouse, so it was literally a one-minute drive away. I still had to hire movers, but I did all the packing and unpacking, and everything went well. Here are a few pre- and post-move-in pictures.

They're "luxury apartments" of good quality.

That's my TV on the floor. I brought it over the day before the move so that Verizon could set up my cable TV and internet.

The bits of tape on the floor are how I measured the floor space for furniture, which fit better than I thought it would.

The kitchen is nice. I started moving some boxes and things over myself (along with help from my mom and David) in the days before the move day.

This main room combines the living room, dining room, and my office space. It is, essentially, a family room.

The post-move-in mess 😐

Chaos, chaos everywhere!

I got the kitchen unpacked, organized, and set up first.

Voila! It took hours, but it was worth it!

Here's Sam in his new environment. This poor kid has had three different moves in the last two years between his two parents. Fortunately, he likes the apartment and is fine with the move.

In the not-too-distant future, I'll post pictures of what it looks like now. I'm happy with how it turned out, and I'm liking (not totally loving, but contentedly liking) my new home! I'm thankful that I was able to get it in this crazy housing and rental market!