The Condo: One Year In!

Can you believe we've been in our "new" home for a year!? I can't. I also can't believe I failed to post more photos as we've made changes/decorated. Well... I can believe that because it took us forever to do that. In fact, we still aren't done. But I'm not really rushing it either.

So we may not be completely done yet but I'd like to show you our place! And as much as I wish I could have spent a day cleaning and photographing my home without interruption/family currently living in it (aka staged), I couldn't. So these are far from perfect photos. But at least this way you get to see more of our reality (on a good day). And now the tour:

Our entry way was one of the first things to come together. We found a hallway runner we both loved right away and I still love to look at it when I walk in the door. We found these lovely, super-slim IKEA shoe cabinets that fit perfectly in the hallway. And our coat hooks above them make it super easy to get out the door. I also love that the boys know exactly where their shoes go (we each have our own cabinet) and they usually put their shoes away without a fuss. Yeah! 

Now we'll travel up the stairs and you'll find the boy's bedroom at the top. This room came together pretty quickly after we got their bunk beds. I can't say we really "decorated" it, it's mostly just functional with a few photos but it suits them well. And I really like that the floor is left fairly empty (except the shelves against the walls) so that they can pull out anything and have plenty of space to play; or as William currently prefers -- play football in the bedroom. Eek!

Next to the bedroom is the bathroom. Nothing too thrilling there.

You'll now walk down the hallway, passed our laundry room and kitchen. Which were shared here.

We are nearly done with the living room/dining room. We have rugs and couches and a dining room table and chairs. We found a great deal on the table and chairs on Craigslist.com -- 6 chairs and a table for $80. The chair covers were in terrible shape so we had a friend recover them for us. So worth it!

Our couch and loveseat came from a store called Living Spaces which saved us from having to guess at all the online options. Online furniture shopping is fairly close to a nightmare. We are very pleased with our choice. The style was a little different that we originally intended but they fit us really well (aka: Chris can lay down!) and they are super comfortable.

The two kid rugs in this area are our temporary solution to keep the kids from sliding all over the place as they run around . . . and dampen the noise for our downstairs neighbor (it doesn't work).

The two pieces of furniture we kept from our old place were the TV stand and our china hutch. Very functional if nothing else. (Still trying to figure out which wall to put the Europe art.)

And now we'll travel back down stairs to the "master suite." You can laugh at that joke on your way down. You'll pass another long hallway with a closet (our only storage space now... no, I'm not showing it to you).

Our bedroom is nearly completed. We are just missing the perfect desk which will magically hide all the stuff. But I feel like even after we find it, the room may not feel like anything special. It feels very much like the rental we previous had. But I have zero know-how in how to make it feel special with what we have. We did hang up our picture frames and canvases last month so it does feel more personal and finished. All I can say is that having our own bedroom with a door has been just as amazing as I had dreamed it would be. That's special enough. For now.

And our own bathroom: 

Our new neighborhood has a lot to offer too. We've had a great time exploring. At least twice a year there are festivals just a few blocks away; the neighborhood rec center has a pool for the kid's swimming lessons; they can join basketball and soccer teams there in the future. And there are three great playgrounds along our street. There are a number of fantastic restaurants within walking distance. Not to mention a movie theater and a spa that I love to go to (once a year). Quick story: One night our babysitter forgot about the gig. Our dinner reservation was at 8; We called him at 7:45 and he was able to show up within 10 minutes. And we still walked to this fancy dinner spot on time!! Love that that's even possible!

I don't know if I should be embarrassed or thankful that it took me 11 months to realize I could walk to a Target from our new home. I knew it was somewhere in "that" direction but I didn't realize it was actually close enough to walk to (it's not an easy walk... many hills). There is also a Trader Joe's near it; two stores I love but tend to ignore because a) I spend too much money when I'm there and b) they had never been convenient to get to before. Life changing and too fun.

We've gotten to meet a handful of our neighbors and like them very much. We've had a few really weird interactions and run-ins, but for the most part (for better or worse), most people stay to themselves and our complex is very quiet (with the exception of a lot of dogs and two Babiak boys).

So after living in our own place for a year, we are still pretty over the moon happy about it. Grateful on a daily basis for the Lord's provision of this place for us. If you are ever visiting the city and want to check out our comfortable couch for a night or three, don't hesitate to call ahead come! We'd love to share this blessing with you.

Can you believe we've been in our "new" home for a year!? I can't. I also can't believe I failed to post more photos as we've made changes/decorated. Well... I can believe that because it took us forever to do that. In fact, we still aren't done. But I'm not really rushing it either.

So we may not be completely done yet but I'd like to show you our place! And as much as I wish I could have spent a day cleaning and photographing my home without interruption/family currently living in it (aka staged), I couldn't. So these are far from perfect photos. But at least this way you get to see more of our reality (on a good day). And now the tour:

Our entry way was one of the first things to come together. We found a hallway runner we both loved right away and I still love to look at it when I walk in the door. We found these lovely, super-slim IKEA shoe cabinets that fit perfectly in the hallway. And our coat hooks above them make it super easy to get out the door. I also love that the boys know exactly where their shoes go (we each have our own cabinet) and they usually put their shoes away without a fuss. Yeah! 

Now we'll travel up the stairs and you'll find the boy's bedroom at the top. This room came together pretty quickly after we got their bunk beds. I can't say we really "decorated" it, it's mostly just functional with a few photos but it suits them well. And I really like that the floor is left fairly empty (except the shelves against the walls) so that they can pull out anything and have plenty of space to play; or as William currently prefers -- play football in the bedroom. Eek!

Next to the bedroom is the bathroom. Nothing too thrilling there.

You'll now walk down the hallway, passed our laundry room and kitchen. Which were shared here.

We are nearly done with the living room/dining room. We have rugs and couches and a dining room table and chairs. We found a great deal on the table and chairs on Craigslist.com -- 6 chairs and a table for $80. The chair covers were in terrible shape so we had a friend recover them for us. So worth it!

Our couch and loveseat came from a store called Living Spaces which saved us from having to guess at all the online options. Online furniture shopping is fairly close to a nightmare. We are very pleased with our choice. The style was a little different that we originally intended but they fit us really well (aka: Chris can lay down!) and they are super comfortable.

The two kid rugs in this area are our temporary solution to keep the kids from sliding all over the place as they run around . . . and dampen the noise for our downstairs neighbor (it doesn't work).

The two pieces of furniture we kept from our old place were the TV stand and our china hutch. Very functional if nothing else. (Still trying to figure out which wall to put the Europe art.)

And now we'll travel back down stairs to the "master suite." You can laugh at that joke on your way down. You'll pass another long hallway with a closet (our only storage space now... no, I'm not showing it to you).

Our bedroom is nearly completed. We are just missing the perfect desk which will magically hide all the stuff. But I feel like even after we find it, the room may not feel like anything special. It feels very much like the rental we previous had. But I have zero know-how in how to make it feel special with what we have. We did hang up our picture frames and canvases last month so it does feel more personal and finished. All I can say is that having our own bedroom with a door has been just as amazing as I had dreamed it would be. That's special enough. For now.

And our own bathroom: 

Our new neighborhood has a lot to offer too. We've had a great time exploring. At least twice a year there are festivals just a few blocks away; the neighborhood rec center has a pool for the kid's swimming lessons; they can join basketball and soccer teams there in the future. And there are three great playgrounds along our street. There are a number of fantastic restaurants within walking distance. Not to mention a movie theater and a spa that I love to go to (once a year). Quick story: One night our babysitter forgot about the gig. Our dinner reservation was at 8; We called him at 7:45 and he was able to show up within 10 minutes. And we still walked to this fancy dinner spot on time!! Love that that's even possible!

I don't know if I should be embarrassed or thankful that it took me 11 months to realize I could walk to a Target from our new home. I knew it was somewhere in "that" direction but I didn't realize it was actually close enough to walk to (it's not an easy walk... many hills). There is also a Trader Joe's near it; two stores I love but tend to ignore because a) I spend too much money when I'm there and b) they had never been convenient to get to before. Life changing and too fun.

We've gotten to meet a handful of our neighbors and like them very much. We've had a few really weird interactions and run-ins, but for the most part (for better or worse), most people stay to themselves and our complex is very quiet (with the exception of a lot of dogs and two Babiak boys).

So after living in our own place for a year, we are still pretty over the moon happy about it. Grateful on a daily basis for the Lord's provision of this place for us. If you are ever visiting the city and want to check out our comfortable couch for a night or three, don't hesitate to call ahead come! We'd love to share this blessing with you.