The place!

So here it is - our condo! Jeff and I had a quick three days to find a place to live before I moved out. We had a day packed full of showings and it was pretty wild! We were initially impressed with the first apartment we saw, it was close to work, in a high rise but pretty small. We put a deposit to hold the place and kept looking. The second place I LOVED and was ready to put another deposit down. It was the only two bedroom place we looked at and there was a ton of space. It wasn't very close to any restaurants though and was a 30 minute bus ride to work. Jeff and I stopped for lunch and thought about cancelling the rest of our showings - we already had two good options. But I said no let's go see just one more. Then we REALLY LOVED this place. It was a two story condo, just one bedroom but two bathrooms. The rental market is crazy in Seattle. We put a deposit down on this place and filled out an application quickly. We were approved! We told the other two places that we found the right place and was able to get our deposits back. So  - here is the place! It is in an area called lower Queen Anne. It is close to restaurants, bars, and the space needle! I can also walk to work in 20 minutes. Great location!

It took over two weeks for my stuff from Denver to arrive so Max and I were living a simple life. On an air mattress with a couple clothes. I got one glass and one plate but mostly went out to eat. When I did eat at home I would just sit on the kitchen floor. Not ideal.  My stuff eventually came form Denver but not all of it made it in. The poor moving guys fussed over the shorter end of my sectional couch and eventually got it in. Then came the larger side. They couldn't get it in the building. These guys are resourceful though! They raised the back of the moving truck and shoved it through a second story hallway window. It was very precarious so I just closed my eyes and hoped for the best. They had spent all this effort and the couch was in the hallway. But then..they could NOT get it in the apartment door. The hallway was just too small, the angles to big. Defeated they put the couch back through the window. I had it stored in my parking space until I found some friends to take it. I will miss that couch! What I really feel bad about was asking the moving guys to put the shorter end in the parking space too. I am sure they were excited to be done with me!

So here is Max - checking out the bedroom balcony. There is also a balcony off  the living room.

This was Max's favorite spot for a couple of days. Oh Max - center of the house and universe according to him.

After the stuff arrived I had a lot of unpacking to do!

Trying to make it all fit!

Max overseeing the unpacking project.

I bought this TV stand and bookcase from someone. Guess who got them from the car up to the second story and in the apartment all by her lonesome? This gal! It was a serious hulk moment. 

The bedroom - hurray for no more air mattress. 

This apartment has 5 closets! So this is my sweater/dress closet.Awesome!

Bathroom

Bathroom and me!

Half bathroom downstairs. Jeff and I only had one bathroom at our house so two bathrooms will be a luxury. I ran out of room for things in the main bathroom so the 'Relax' sign had to go here. It makes much more sense to have the relax sign in a bathroom with a bathtub. But I am digging it on the toilet. It might be encouraging for those longer bathroom trips...?

The Kitchen! It all fits!

The living room so far. I will need to get a couch and bookcase and maybe some ends tables. For now I usually stack up some books, throw pillows on it and call it a couch. The boxes are great end tables!

Max sitting on the couch

And finally - the beautiful view of South Lake Union from the balcony. Not too shabby!

Leaving Day

I am packed...with what I need to survive for about one week (turns out that was a bad estimate but more on that later).

That morning had been a busy one. I was up early to attend the baptism of Ms. Ember Icelyn, my goddaughter. On the way, we dropped off Addison (my pup) at Jeff's parent's house. I said a tearful goodbye to Clark ad Gretchen and I was halfway out the door when I realized I wouldn't be seeing Addison for a few months. I gave her a good pet goodbye - told her to be good and I was on my way. The baptism was so wonderful. Our family group is all about high turn out! We accounted for about 1/3 of the church crowd that morning. During the singing and sermon I held Ember. I looked down at her little smiling face and the realization that I will miss her growing up brought me to tears. How old will she be when I see her next? Will she be crawling, laughing, saying Mama? I held her and sang hymns and told her not to grow up - to stay this little until the next time I can see her. My other niece, Lily Rayne, seemed to know something was up. She wanted very little to do with me on my last day - maybe the goodbye was too hard for her. Or maybe she knew it was too hard for me. After church, we all piled over to my parents to celebrate (after a quick trip to Petco to get Max - the cat - the correct sized crate for flight). We ate lunch, enjoyed each other's company and watched the babies. One by one my family began to trickle home and it was harder and harder to say goodbye. I received some really nice gifts including rain boots, a rain jacket and corn cob holders (long story). I think I gave everyone about five hugs, maybe eight hugs for my mom and then left. Being a family focused Denver girl for the last 26 years - this was going to be a big step.

Jeff and I then went to the airport. The weekend had been so busy with saying goodbye to friends and family, packing and partying - Jeff and I hadn't really had any time to say goodbye to each other. He walked me to the ticket counter where I found out that I didn't have the right paperwork for Max and he couldn't fly with me. I had read the website wrong and I was now taking this journey alone - not even with my furry buddy. I cried at the ticket counter and the guy took pity on me. He said Max could fly! After that speed bump Jeff and I went to the security line. I knew that soon enough Jeff would join me in Seattle. The goodbye to him wasn't going to be as long. We had survived six months apart as he traveled to Chile so we could make it through this. After saying goodbye, Max and I were off to the security lines. Max and I were brought to a special screening room to check Max for any dangerous items - he passed with flying colors. It is interesting; I have this picture of Jeff from when he went to Chile. I was standing at the top of the security area and Jeff was looking up through the glass as he traveled down and out of site to his gate. Here we are, six years later and the roles are reversed. Jeff stood and looked through the glass as I moved out of sight.

So I have to remind myself after this very melancholy intro, a quote from a friend "for goodness sake Jenna, you're not dying!". Just a little removed :)

I was forewarned from my friend Dan that cats can be horrible on flights. His cats had lost bodily fluid control and were hissing and growling the whole time so I feared for the worst with Max. He was actually perfectly behaved! He was terrified, yes, but he didn't make a peep the entire time and kept his bodily fluids in his body. I am prepared for a relaxing flight when low and behold I am sat next to the most annoying 12 year old boy. Uhg! He offers me a stick of gum to start and I thought - okay this isn't so bad. And then he doesn't shut up the entire flight! He kept going on and on about how cool he was, how we would never survive a crash, shark attacks on water and oh yea 9/11 - on a freaking plane! I am a very nervous flyer and this kid was just too much. I wasn't planning on drinking - but the matter called for a couple gin and tonics. By the end of the flight I was happy it was over. The kid had given me a twisty tie ring to remember our flight together (he had a little crush) and I booked it off as soon as I could with bag and Max in hand. We were on a bus to the rental car facility when I sat next to random spaz number two. She also had a ton of odd stories to tell me including the homeless man she is going to see but she doesn't sleep with him because he has AIDS. I wish I didn't have 'please talk to me, I am too nice to tell you to stop' written on my forehead. Arg! okay rant over.

Max and I drove to our apartment and I flipped my hazards on - got him settled with litter and water and went back to park my car. Apparently there is this little music festival a few blocks from my apartment called Bumpershoot. Bumbershoot (featuring MGMT and Bassnector as well as others) means there is no parking - like anywhere. I drove around for 30 minutes before I gave up - knocked on a neighbors
door and asked if they could let me into the parking garage (I paid for a parking pass but my garage door opener wasn't working). Then I made the most ridiculous 37 point turn to get into the paring space between a boat and a wall. So since I had just packed a few items, I spent my first night on a backpacking sleeping pad with a sheet. I used the neck airline pillow from my sister as a sleeping pillow and curled up under a window. Little Max was pretty scared so he spent the night meowing and trying to cuddle under me. After very little sleep and the 'official night one' I thought - What in the world did I just do!?