Things I Like About Where We Live

We live in a cave of an apartment. It's so dark, there's no natural light (sometimes, when it's very sunny, we get a 10x10" patch of sunlight in the middle of the living room), and all the trim and doors are brown, which doesn't help it feel lighter. That said, I don't hate this place. Other than the whole very brown and dark things, there's actually a lot to like. Here's a list:

We have a dishwasher. We have never had a dishwasher in our married life and so this is great. we sometimes forget about this wonderful contraption and wash dishes by hand. 

Because it's dark, it stays cool in the summer and we don't have to crank the air waaaay up. 

I like the flow of the kitchen, dining and living room way better than the last place we lived. This house would have been better to host community group, which we did in Cleveland but don't do here.

The kitchen has tons of cabinets, lots of counter space, AND a pantry. Win. 

We don't have to go into a creepy basement or to a laundromat to wash clothes. 

I love our fireplace. We have't used it yet, but I love the way the mantel looks

Our view in the back is just trees. No one behind us. Lots of poison ivy out there which is not a positive thing but just a view of trees. 

I've always loved stairs which we had in our little house, but I'm thankful that this is a one story. I've discovered that I like places that are cozier, so I prefer living in a smaller space that isn't really open and airy. No idea why, and my Pinterest boards don't suggest that :)

We have two bathrooms. Carson calls the guest bathroom his, and the master bathroom mine. Two bathrooms was high on my list because... well because I'm sensitive to smells and you know. 

The bathrooms don't have windows. I hate windows in bathrooms. I'm always worried that someone's out there looking in, even if it isn't on purpose. Whenever I go to someone's house and there's a window without blinds, I hate it. I can do without light in that room.

Because it's a small space, this place heats up and cools down pretty quickly, so we don't run the air or heat all the time, which seems to save money!

I'm usually at work before the sun comes up on the week days (ugh) but when I do get up after the sun, it's not because it wakes me up. The benefit of having a dark apartment is that nap time and mornings aren't blinding.

We live right near a bus stop, which is great because Carson rides the bus.

Not having a basement helped us to get rid of things! Carson's donated or sold lots of books and I may or may not have donated a few things without his knowledge (I've since told him... more on that another time). The closet in the guest bedroom is bursting at the seams, but I'd still say it's impressive that we've fit a basement into a closet! (okay, under the guest bed we have nothing but boxes of books. BUT STILL. 

All in all, I like this place. We aren't decided on whether or not we'll stick around for another year's lease or look for something closer to campus.