Goodbye, Apartment

We are fully out of our apartment and in Michigan with all of our boxed-up belongings, rolled-up rugs, and furniture looking for where it will go in our new home.

Moving is proving to me once again that there is nothing quite like leaving a place to make you fond of it.

Our last week in the apartment, I forgot all about the bars on Baby J's windows; how grocery shopping was nearly impossible with the baby and street parking and living on the second floor; the time I got bit by our neighbor's dog or when we caught a mouse in our bedroom at 2 AM with IKEA tupperware; the feeling of city living where staring out your window meant staring directly into someone else's.

Here is where we spent most of Baby J's babyhood, where he rolled over and crawled and tried strawberries and let out uproarious baby laughs on bath nights; where I peeped out the top-floor window every time the police were on our street (which was a lot) and we joked that I should start a podcast about the goings-on of our neighborhood from above; where our next door neighbor sat on his porch and sang He's got the mother and the baby in His hands; where I cooked up a storm and took pictures by the big windows and Josh dutifully cleaned the kitchen (impressively promptly after the mouse incident).

One thing I do before moving out is compile a list of my favorite parts of our home. Because it's always good to know what you like, and is fun to look back and remember where you lived!

Here are some favorites from The Apartment:

• The washer/dryer. Stackable and off the kitchen. Laundry is basically not even a chore if you don't have to go to the basement or laundromat .
• Being on the top floor is my favorite. I love treetop views! And also have a theory that short people love to feel taller for once.
• The inside was dreamy and very old-Richmond feeling with original hardwoods and columns and French doors. Not my style, but was fun to live in!
• Ceiling fans everywhere. In every room! Thought this was weird in the kitchen at first, but ended up really liking it.
• The wine rack in the cabinets. Because I clearly needed somewhere to stash all that Trader Joe's wine.
• High ceilings and big windows!
• I really liked our living room. The fireplace and furniture arrangement and cozy rug all made for an ideal hang out spot.
• The toilet lid closed silently. We are lid-closers and our new place does not have the slient-close. It continues to surprise both of us.

My very favorite thing about the apartment is that we all lived there together. Thank you, apartment, for being our home for this chapter. We will always, always remember our eight months on North Ave!