Dear Apartment 212,
You weren't much to look at when we moved in. Your carpet was already a little dirty, and the windows rattled when the train passed by, but we were thankful for you anyway. You were willing to take a chance on us, two soon-to-be newlyweds who had no idea what the next four years had in store for us. But as we grew, you grew with us.
We filled your walls with pictures from our wedding and flea market finds and a few handmade projects. Eventually you went from a shell of a little apartment to a place we could call home, watching as we started school and new jobs and eventually a business. Your kitchen was my laboratory, and you never minded when I experimented, and sometimes failed. You welcomed our friends with open arms, and taught me that entertaining wasn't about providing the most elaborate meal or prettiest table, but about the stories we shared with one another.
You were our shelter during the most difficult moments in our marriage, reminding us that we're in this together, that we couldn't just run home to our families instead of sticking it out. Because as much as we've loved you, Apartment 212, home isn't these walls that have seen the best and the worst of us. Home is wherever we're together. Thanks for teaching us that.
We have to leave now, and we won't be back. Now your rooms are filled with boxes and the stuff we've collected over the years, as we decide what to throw away or keep or donate to someone else who needs it. This Sunday will be our last family dinner in your dining room, and maybe we'll take a break from packing and sorting to light a candle and eat a meal and be a family, with you, for the last time.
Much love, forever,
Joelle & Robert
Maybe I'm being gushy-sentimental, but moving is so much harder than I thought it would be. Not because of the actual moving part, but because of what we're leaving behind. As soon as I realized that we would be leaving our home sooner rather than later, I thought we need to take pictures! We need to document our home! But then I realized, isn't that what this blog is for? I've been blogging for over four years now, and for the FIRST time, I'm seeing how amazing it is to have a scrapbook of my life. As I leave one home for another, I know that I won't forget this place. And I'm very thankful for that.
Here are a few posts of our apartment throughout the years, from when we first moved in, our first Christmas as Mr. and Mrs., our first round of decorating, an apartment redo, a look at our real home, and my work space.
6 comments:
Love this.
Thats such a great point. Thats exactly how I feel about this whole blogging thing, I blog for myself just as much as to reach out to others. So even if no one read my blog I would be happy just having the memories and thats why I always do a post each week of something fun I did recently so that I can look back and know what fun I've had.
Love this post and I'm off to take a look at the apartment memories you linked at the bottom!
Justin & I will soon be saying goodbye to our own apartment, for a new school adventure. I think a letter like this one is in store for me, too! I hope y'all have fun as you move & experience a new place!
Aw I love this! So bittersweet!
oh my goodness, I could only read snippets of this because IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M GOING THOUGH (sorry for the all caps, but seriously) and I keep tearing up. We're getting ready to move way sooner than we ever thought we would, and the thought of leaving our apartment and neighborhood has left me a complete wreck. All of a sudden I feel the need to document everything, despite never doing it before. Anyways, I'm right there with ya.
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