Getting Settled In

It's been a whirlwind, to say the least, over the past week. Chris & I picked up the U-haul trailer last Tuesday and loaded it up on Wednesday. I was pretty impressed with Chris's skills in packing the trailer. I'm pretty sure those years working at FedEx helped develop those skills. I was very thankful to him and to the Express Industries Fundraiser boxes I had saved - they are awesome for moving!

Love these boxes!

This trailer carried nearly all of my apartment and school belongings
to my new home.

I'm ready to make the trip!

I followed Chris & Dottie.

This was my view for the entire trip.

We headed out Wednesday afternoon. It was overcast which made the drive a little bit easier. We still had to drive slowly (barely getting over 50 mph).

I kept my emergencies on the entire time.

We had to stop a few times because the VUE was overheating. It was too tough for the SUV to pull the trailer in the Texas heat. One of the stops was at the newly built rest stop south of Hillsboro. I drove ahead and stopped at the Whataburger in Hillsboro and met Chris and Dottie at the rest stop with lunch. It was a nice and much needed break. 

There are outer restroom facilities built like silos.

Dottie welcomed the rest.

It took us a few hours to move all of the stuff into my second floor apartment. Chris & I discovered we are too old to move! It was exhausting! The last thing to move in was the couch. I thought I was going to die bringing it up the stairs. My heart was beating so fast and felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I started crying a little because I was so scared I was going to drop the couch on Chris (I was at the top of the stairs while he was holding most of the weight farther down the stairs). It felt so good to relax after getting all moved in though.

These are the stairs that lead to my apartment.

This is my apartment building.

It was tough moving to a second floor apartment, but the benefits are that it is quieter and the view is better. My balcony faces a greenbelt and the dog park. It's pretty nice. It was also newly renovated with new paint, new matching black kitchen appliances, and granite kitchen and bathroom countertops. The bathroom and kitchen were also decorated. I had understood when I viewed the apartment that I wouldn't get to keep all the decorations, but they were there when I moved in. I bagged them all up and told the manager that I would bring them down soon (when I turned in the form stating which things were not perfect with the apartment). They told me they were mine to keep. I already bought and put up my own decorations, so I guess I'll get to use them at some other time. 

Within the same evening of moving in, we got everything put away. Chris went and bought some groceries as I finished putting things away. We got everything where it needed to be with the exception of wall hangings - that would come the next day.

Here's a virtual tour of the apartment:

My owl hangs on the front door.

Mirror in the "foyer" next to the coat closet near the
front door.

Pictures hung on the long wall of the living room (with TV at the bottom
corner of the wall).

The mega clock above the fireplace.

Seating in the living room.

The large fan above the couch - same color scheme as the furniture.

Looking through the sliding glass doors to the balcony.

View of the dog park (& big tree) from the balcony.

Looking to the right on the balcony.

Looking to the left on the balcony - water heater/storage
closet.

Dining Room (pre picture hanging).

Pictures from our honeymoon cruise hung above the dining room table.

The microwave we bought for the kitchen. The orange
towel and pot holder were gifts from the apt. complex.

Opposite the fridge is also a walk-in pantry.

This shows the stove (prior to us purchasing the microwave) and the
door to the pantry.

I bought this shower curtain and rug to match the other
bathroom decorations I already had. I like how the dots
in the curtain match the paint on the walls, the towels,
the bath mat, and the basket.

I went with a beach them - see seashell.

There's a small medicine cabinet which helps with
storage.

There's also a laundry room...

...with a stacking washer & dryer!

Matching dressers in the bedroom with a bookshelf in between full of
sheet music for my flute, clarinet, and saxophone. I have a chair & music
stand to the right of the dressers for practicing.

My day bed - there is a mattress that tucks underneath too that Chris can
sleep on when he comes to visit. I like that it doesn't take up too much room.
It's kind of like another couch.

I brought my hanging mirror for the closet door. Also,
notice how the lamp matches the other one?

I have a pretty large walk-in closet that I've organized by
color and type of clothing. It'll be easy to get ready
for work in the morning.

There is also a built-in bookshelf around the corner
of the foyer. It houses my music education books &
pictures.

I'm pretty pleased with the place. We are still trying to figure out how to get TV inexpensively - maybe will be getting an amplified indoor antenna. In the meantime, Netflix is my friend.

I'm also getting settled in at the new school. I'll post something soon, once I get a little more done. Stay tuned!