We LOVE our apartment! I wanted to post over the weekend, but between being buried in boxes and having the Internet set up yesterday, I never got around to it.
Anyway, here is a rundown of the last few days:
THURSDAY
Our plan was to pick up the keys at 4 p.m., check out the place and then start moving in. Unfortunately, work kept me late and rush hour traffic pushed back our start time until around 5 p.m. Regardless, we were both super excited to have the keys in our hands after signing the official lease.
As soon as the paperwork was signed, we walked/ran over to our new place. Fortunately, we are a building over from the leasing office, pool and fitness center. It was even better than I had expected. The apartment itself is a good size and the vaulted ceilings in the living and dining rooms make it appear even bigger. Our balcony will be plenty big for a grill and table set, plus it is enclosed so we don’t have to look at neighbors!
The rest of the apartment is great: decent sized kitchen, two bathrooms and awesome closet space. The biggest downfall I have found so far is the TINY stacked washer and dryer– they maybe fit half a regular load if that. Even so, we both decided we’d rather do laundry twice as often than travel to a basement laundry or laundromat.
After looking around the place, we decided to get packing before the snow came in. We each went back to our respective houses and gathered the items we needed that night. My little Escort was pretty loaded with boxes, lamps, etc. I met Brian over at his house where we packed up his bed, desk, and a few other things. His parents were awesome enough to help us lug a bunch of stuff over in their SUV.
Frank met us at the apartment, and we all started unloading. I kid you not, the SECOND we started the snow started falling. And not a few flakes here and there. I’m talking small blizzard. As cold as it was, we laughed it off, embracing the ridiculousness of the situation.
Hungry from moving, we looked in the packet of info we received with our keys and found a coupon for a free pizza. After hauling in a last few boxes, we toasted to the new place with champagne, and ate more pizza then I thought we ever could while sitting in front of the fire.
The rest of the night was pretty low key– we said goodbye to the families, unpacked a few more things and crashed.
FRIDAY
Much to my dismay, I had to work a full day Friday, preventing me from getting too much done at the place. Brian only had a morning assignment– by the time I got home around 8 p.m. things were looking really good! He had spent a lot of time on the office and was able to move a few big things without any help.
The weekend weather reports had us a bit nervous, so we decided to use Friday night and a work truck to bring a bunch more over to the apartment, just in case we got the blizzards Saturday was promising. I would definitely not recommend moving at night in the winter if you can at all avoid it. We got quite a bit more over to the place and set up a few things so that we wouldn’t feel overwhelmed in the morning.
SATURDAY
We woke up early and immediately started unpacking and settling in. I got into a bit of trouble with Brian– every time he cleared out a room, I came through unpacking and making a mess. He even kicked me out of the office!
Despite my messes, we actually got a lot done. It felt good to start seeing what the place will look like once we are fully moved in. After about four hours of unpacking and organizing, we made a trip back to both our houses, then to the store to take care of the list we had been compiling since move in.
A few hours and more money than we wanted to spend later, we left the store with everything from contact paper to asparagus. The first shopping is always the killer– so much money is spent on the essentials. Regardless, we went back to the apartment and dropped off our finds. Then we were back out the door for a birthday party at Brian’s aunt’s house.
We didn’t stay at the party too late, knowing we had an apartment full of stuff to put away when we got back. Still, it was awesome to realize that for the first time, we were leaving an event and going home together. I know that I am the corny, emotional one, but it was still a good feeling.
SUNDAY
This is probably Brian’s favorite day so far. We spent most of the morning unpacking. Then we got a surprise call from Comcast– turns out they could come out around 11 a.m. instead of their original 4 p.m. So, the reps came out and installed our cable and Internet.
Jade came out around 1 p.m.– she had been working the night we moved in. She saw the place, had a quick bite to eat and headed to work. Even though it was a short visit, it was nice that she was able to come see the place.
Brian and I had discussed buying a new TV throughout the weekend. While we already had a “working” TV, it is one of the traditional tube televisions that weighs about 500 pounds and takes up more space than an elephant. Plus, the screen was starting to fail, one side was darker than the other.
We started looking online Saturday night, planning to just check things out. Brian found a phenomenal deal on a LED model that was supposed to be at the Comp USA a few minutes from the apartment. He called Sunday morning and the guy said they had one available.
After unpacking most of the day, we decided to head over there and check it out. After a bit of confusion, the guy found the TV. Although we weren’t positive we wanted to make the purchase on the way over there, once I saw Brian’s face I knew there was no turning back. So low and behold, we are now the proud parents of a 47″ LED television. I must admit, the picture quality on the thing even blows me away.
We ended the night installing the TV, then making pasta and garlic breadsticks for dinner– our first official home made meal at the apartment. After a bit more organizing, it was time to hit the hay.
Whew! So I know this is a (very) long-winded ramble of our weekend happenings, but since I didn’t have time over the weekend to post, I figured it was time for catch up.
And since Brian says pictures are much more important than words, I promise I will post some pics once the place is a little more settled!