This week Annie is asking us to travel back to our first home: ... was it your very own apartment, or a home with your new spouse? What memories do you have from that first home? How did you make that first house (or apartment) a home?Ttechnically the first place I lived in without my parents was with a guy who eventually became my ex-husband. We moved from that apartment to base housing at Andrews AFB (it was actually pretty nice - it was off base in brand new 2-story town homes) and then to base housing at the Air Force Academy (AFA) in CO.
But those "first homes" aren't really memories I want to talk about or relive! LOL
So after my divorce is the first time I had a place all by myself, the first time I felt really free and independent and was responsible for everything.
I worked on the AFA so I wanted an apartment that was close to the base; I don't like to commute! It obviously needed to be something I could afford on my salary, in a decent area, and have washer/dryer hookups. I was taking the W/D with me and didn't want to have to worry about storing them or having to use a laundromat.
In the beginning my search was stressful and frustrating as everything that I thought was nice was too expensive for me, and the apartments I thought were decent and I could afford had no vacancies.
Finally I found it though - Centerpointe Apartments - it was really close to base, a 1 bedroom place with a fireplace in the living room. It was small, but it worked for me. I had a balcony and the view looked out to Pike's Peak - it was gorgeous! This picture doesn't do it justice, but this was from my balcony, trust me, it was beautiful!
My apartment was on the 3rd floor so I had no neighbors above me, but my arms sure got a work out when I did my grocery shopping!
I was a little worried about living on my own and paying for everything with my salary - groceries, cable, phone, car insurance/payment, rent, and utilities. The living room, bedroom, and bathroom had their own little electrical heater unit in the wall and I think I kept my apartment just a tad bit too cold during the winter! Anyone who was brave enough to come visit me during the winter can attest to how cold I kept it - family, Nisa, Joe...
I was trying to be frugal, but it was downright cold! I would get up in the morning to use the bathroom and my b*tt cheeks would freeze to the seat! LOL Ok not that cold, but I would cringe when sitting down because I knew how cold that seat was going to be!
When I would climb into bed in my flannel pjs and socks I usually had a sweatshirt on too (which would come off sometime during the night). I would curl up into a ball to get warm and my teeth would chatter as I fell asleep. Didn't help that my bed was right under the window! When my family came for Christmas my step-father bought a plastic insulating kit to go over the window and help keep the draft out.
Joe bought me an electric blanket for Christmas and I would turn it on about 1/2 hr before I was going to bed so my sheets would be nice and toasty! Of course I would turn it off during the night cause I was trying to conserve energy remember?!
Oh the memories of those 2 years spent in that apartment! I am glad I had a chance to live on my own though and realize I could do it. When Joe retires and we figure out where we want to settle down we'll finally own our first home!
17 comments:
Great memories! Thanks for sharing. The view from your apartment must have been gorgeous!!
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awwww what a great post. I enjoyed reading it. I love imagining you all snuggled under the covers. LOL that is totally something I would do. :)
Thanks for sharing.
I ♥ fireplaces! The view from your balcony was beautiful! But your description of winter sounded so verrry freeze-y! BRRR! I love all the precious pictures of your daughter! :D
The view was definately beautiful. I had an ex, too, and I didn't talk about that place either. LOL.
I HATE to be cold!! I laughed when I read your post - the frugality! I enjoyed living on my own in my cute apartment, it was lonely but never cold :).
This was a great post! We also don't plan on owning a home until Daniel retires from the Air Force. We will save our pennies until then, and enjoy the free housing we receive along the way!
-Andrea
I love thinking back...great story.
What a great post Michelle, I loved learning more about you ;)
That view was great. I really enjoyed your memories and the way you shared them with us.. made me feel as if I was there living in that little cold in the winter one bedroom place.
I even felt all warm and cozy at the thought of warming up the sheets before bed and then climbing into a warm and toasty bed..
This was a Great TTT
Sounds like great memories...boy wish I can use the electric blanket here..miss those days.
I never noticed that you kept it cold in that apartment... Maybe because I was pregnant with Nate at the time and felt too warm no matter what the temp was! It did have a great view!
I remember when you struggled with deciding what apt. you should rent... the one that you could easily afford and not struggle so much, had no view and it was street level/to a concrete parking lot and had the ugliest brown carpet.. I remember saying how I felt that apt. was really unsafe and how depressed you would feel having to come home and look at an ugly ugly brown carpet and concrete parking lot , so I encourged you to go for the apt. you eventually moved into that had a view and it was so nice to look out your front room and see Pike's peak and etc... and I remember the first Christmas we spent with you and it happened to be the coldest and most frozen winter Colorado had, but , It was a very nice apt. and you did it!!!!! :) I was so very proud of you!!! Love Mom
I loved this post... I was divorced also. I loved my first apartment... Everything in it was given to me by someone from my new church! I also kept it FREEZING! Those comments were halarious....
What a great post. It's fun getting to know you! What a gorgeous setting you lived in!
Our first apartment as a married couple was between a fire station, police station and ambulance station, on a busy four-way crossing AND across the road from a highschool. It was LOUD.
Before we got pregnant with Becca, we lived in an old breezey house. I wanted to have a baby so we were saving money like crazy (my husband was still a student). We kept the house so cold in the winter, reading your post reminded me and made me shiver! Once I was pregnant we found a new place to rent. Babies cannot stay cold like that!
Living on your own is such a life changing experience. Some people find it hard to take the risk of living without depending on others, but I feel like it's good to grow and learn that you can depend on yourself. :)
I moved out at 18 after living abroad. I think I had too much freedom while living in Paraguay for a year and the parents couldn't hack that much independence on my part. ;) Worked out for the best though, went home every Sunday still would if they lived closer.
This was so interesting to read! Michelle, I learned something new here...I had no idea you were ever married before!
And I remember my one and only apartment I lived in right before I married. It wasn't quite as cold as yours sounds, though...but then, it didn't have a view of Pike's Peak! :)
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