Dorm to Condo 2010

2010 was a huge year for us in one major way… with my new position at the university we were able to move into a home OFF CAMPUS.  One major theme in our lives for the past 9 years has been living in university housing since my job was in residential life so the ability to move into a home that is actually ours… is huge.  We wanted to stay in the general vicinity of our offices and ideally, we wanted to stay within walking distance (we’ve never had to commute to work and we weren’t about to start now).  We toured some places that were lived-in and expensive and ones that were new and super cheap but too big or too small.  We had some small “wants”… two bedrooms, a bath and a dishwasher.  Nothing too crazy.  We met some really interesting people too, on our hunt for the nest.  One lady told us how much money she paid for the “amenities” in the condo she was renting out… down to the bamboo floors.  She was truly obnoxious.  Finally, we took a look at a very cozy yet modern condo and we were sold.  Complete with gas fireplace and second bedroom / office space – it was perfect.  It even had a pretty large patio!  We were sold and within a month we had the keys and started moving.  So moving sucks.  Moving sucks so badly… even if you are only moving one block which was our case.  We couldn’t rationalize hiring a moving company because we were only moving one block away AND we owned no furniture sooooo we did it all ourselves.  I was forced to slowly throw away things I was keeping “just in case” we needed them and once I finally boxed everything up, Chad and his big strong friends moved everything to our new home… up the street (while I was out of town).  Unpacking is not so bad.  It gives you the chance to rearrange and re-prioritize your belongings.  I threw out more stuff during the unpacking process than I did during the packing process.  Anyways – very little had to be done in terms of modifications to the condo… we just wanted to paint the bedroom and add some shelves to the kitchen, bedroom and currently, the office.  Thank the sweet sweet Lord Ikea is down here and is only 15 minutes up the road.  We kept that place in business over those few months.   There were a few adventures along the way including mounting the television… and painting the bedroom…

even putting together Ikea furniture…

and breaking down Ikea boxes…

And lastly… our first dinner:

It has been a couple months since we’ve moved in and we have certainly made it a home.  Complete with photos and a tiny window garden!  We even get mail on Saturday… a luxury we have been missing out on for years!  We just love it here and are so happy.  Thanks to all the friends who helped along the way!

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