390 N. Madison Ave. Apt. 4

After weeks of asking people how much square footage they had in their apts., our time was finally here to see it for ourselves- our wonderfully spacious 566 sq. feet!!! Right. We arrived at the apt. and got the keys just in time for me to burst into tears as soon as I walked in the room (yeah, it's pretty much a room). Well, we also have a kitchen and a "nook" for dressing with lots of storage, and a bathroom! Actually more than we need. I consoled myself (my husband is much better about these things than I) with thoughts of families in Tanzania living in much smaller spaces and prayed for contentment and grace. It IS a really nice apt. with beautiful trees and landscaping right outside our door. Take a look...just remember these are the "before" pics. :)


Our spacious living room/bedroom/dining room...



Our kitchen...





The dressing nook/closet/storage- yea for storage in a studio!



And our bathroom (picture the shower and tub on the left)...



Our humble abode...



The view outside of our door...



Our side of the complex...



We are so thankful for the green that we have access to every day! When I lived in Philly I mourned the loss of the color green so much that Brian planted grass seed in pots and mailed it to me for my birthday so I would have something green in the city. :) Every day I'm thankful for the beautiful plants and trees that are surrounding us just outside our door and down our street.





Our first meal in our new place Friday night consisted of a pizza from Pietro's- where we met a really nice family originally from Pasadena who welcomed us warmly. We spent the weekend sleeping on the futon (sorry, Maggie) and navigating around our new neighborhood and city.



Our first stop Sat. morning was the Corner Bakery Cafe for coffee and wireless to let our families know we arrived safely and made it through the first night. We were still suffering from a bit of car lag? :)



We did get some groceries and planned how we would arrange the space once our furniture arrived Monday. We also went to a dessert Sat. night for Fuller students and families, which was a lot of fun. We met some really nice folks and felt better after checking out the campus, which is 3 short blocks from our apt.!!

Most Fuller students and their families live in Fuller housing, however, since we have Maggie this is not an option. We are actually really happy about the way things turned out, though. We have met many of our neighbors and are excited to be in a place where we are close to the Fuller campus, but not totally isolated in the "bubble". Our neighbors are families, elder folks, singles- an eclectic mix of interesting people. Everyone on our side of the complex (there are actually 3 complexes) has a studio and we are humbled when we complain of the space to find that the family upstairs with a baby and six year old also functions in this space. Hmmm...sometimes a little perspective is all that's needed.

It's hard to believe we've been here just over 2 weeks now- I'm a bit slow in posting the pics- sorry about that. There are more to come- the moving process and the infamous belly pics that have been heartily requested by so many. :) Hopefully I'll get those up tomorrow. Until then...