Playing Catchup Part 2: Saying Goodbye to our First Apartment

A few weeks ago, Mike and I moved from our very first apartment.  I was a total basket case.  (Luckily Mike likes the fact that I'm a very passionate person.)  I honestly thought I was going to be fine through the whole process, but the night before the movers came to pick up our furniture, I found myself cleaning out the drawers in the kitchen just sobbing, and I ended up crying myself to sleep.  I know that change is the only constant in our lives, and that it's good, but sometimes change is so hard.  And sad.  It's so bitter sweet to move on from a really good thing, even though you know the next phase will be just as good.  You know what I mean?

Mike and I lived in our little shoebox apartment for the past year and a half, and to be honest, I've never been happier.  When we found it, we knew it wasn't much (no dishwasher, no washer/dryer, TINY, etc) but it felt so, so right.  After looking at about 30 places, we just KNEW this place was meant to be ours.  And it was.  We've met so many lifelong friends, grown so much as a couple, and seriously have had the time of our lives in that little old apartment.  We knew that it was time to go and move on to other things, but it was really sad for me to leave it.

Some of my favorite memories in our little place:
- listening to our Haitian neighbor Quinten laugh through the walls
- hearing our neighbors Fabio and Bernarda listen to their spanish music
- Barbequing on our little grill on our front porch walkway
- having dessert parties with friends and sitting on the floor because it was so small and we didn't have enough seating for everyone
- summer nights walking through memory grove
- morning runs through the avenues
- sleeping on a blowup mattress in the family room in the summer next to the AC because our room was SO HOT!
- Mike's home-made ice-packs for me in our hot room
- trying to brush our teeth together in our tiny bathroom sink (one of us usually ended up in the kitchen while the other was in the bathroom)
- being so close in proximity to each other all of the time
- realizing that you don't need a lot of "things" to be truly happy- we both LOVED living minimally and having such a small space- learning that all we really need to be happy is each other
- our bright yellow wall that we painted randomly one saturday morning and all of the little art projects and decorating we did together there

And just for the fun of it, here are some photos of our first apartment (yes, it really is as small as it looks!)

this was actually taken the day we moved into our apt- pre curtains and decorations.  I think it was the only day the bed ever got made:)

Yes, this was our closet.  Poor mike had like 5 shirts hanging up is all!

Okay.  Moving on.  The moving part itself was sad, but now that we are all settled in, we are LOVING LOVING LOVING our new digs!  (It's nice to move up in the world after all- as charming as a one bedroom apartment is, it's pretty cool to be in a house!)


Last winter, my grandma fell down the stairs in her home and broke her arm, shoulder, and leg.  It was absolutely horrible.  After surgeries, wheelchairs, and months of recovery, my grandparents decided that it was probably time to move to a place that didn't have stairs- somewhere where they could grow old comfortably (they are still really young).  They bought a beautiful place in the avenues that fit the bill, but decided that they didn't want to sell their home.  Several months ago, they approached Mike and I and asked us if we'd like to live there for the next few years or so.  They were leaving the home fully furnished, and they just wanted someone to live there and take care of the property.  Of course we were completely overjoyed and overcome with gratitude at this opportunity so we didn't hesitate to say yes!  The great part, is that it's located just minutes from our apartment in the avenues- it's in a beautiful neighborhood up City Creek Canyon.  We are literally a two minute drive from downtown, yet we live in a peaceful neighborhood and have a canyon as our backyard.

Mike and I don't really know what to do with all of this space, and we are really enjoying having a dishwasher, washer/dryer and garage!  Man, we learned not to take for granted the simple things! Just to put things in perspective for you- our bedroom/ master closet is bigger than our old entire apartment!  ha!  So grateful for my wonderful, generous grandparents.  They are some of the most amazing, most giving people that I know, and I am so proud to be their granddaughter.  We love them so much.

Pictures to come!!