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Friday, December 4, 2020

My Life As A Sitcom


 Hello, dear friends.  I hope you had a good week.  All is well here.  The weather has been chilly but nice.

This is a little catch-up post.  I am constantly writing little notes to myself on post topics.  The problem is that I usually misplace the notes.  Believe me, it takes talent to lose things in a two-bedroom apartment.

Speaking of the apartment, I really like apartment living.  When we moved here, I told the Mister that my goal was to be in a house by Christmas. 

 


Obviously, that is not going to happen.  But I'm a lot more relaxed about our living situation than I thought I would be. As any of my family members will tell you, I am not a flexible person.



Our apartment life is very much like a sitcom.  Our #2 lives 3 floors up, and we feel very comfortable popping in on her every couple of hours.



She is always happy to see us.

She just doesn't show it sometimes.



Meanwhile, when our girl stops over to our love nest, she bursts through the door, halfway through a conversation that must have originated in the elevator.



escape hatch

The first thing that I appreciate about my new temporary situation is the convenience factor.  We are minutes away from the local vet and two of the Mister's favorite grocery stores, Tom Thumb and Central Market.  



The Mister gets giddy with the thought of running out for butter or eggs.  I have yet to make the voyage to the grocery store, but the Mister tells me that the staff is friendly and helpful.



And the best part?



Grocery stores sell wine!






And they use plastic bags!



The building that we live in is practically brand new.  It is a policy of the apartment complex to install brand new carpeting for every new resident.



My first apartment had eight-year-old gold shag carpeting that held a lot of treasures from the past.


As I mentioned, we live on the first floor.  We chose the first floor so that the minute that Chili begins her traditional tinkle dance, she does not have far to go.  



Occasionally, Chow will come down and grace our postage stamp of a yard with his generous contribution.



As I have shared with you, the complex is large and made up of many SMU grad students.  

The Mister and I feel like the Dorm Mom and Dad.  



There are very nice public spaces around the complex.  When we first arrived, the weather was warm, and we would go out to one of the courtyards for happy hour.  No one would ever join us was ever out there, so we made our own fun.

The Mister and I feel like we fit in very well here - our #2 begs to differ.



There are many things that the Mister and I are happy to share, but the bathroom is not one of them.  So we both agreed we needed 2 bathrooms. 

When Mama's happy, everyone is happy.



The second bedroom doubles as our storage room and the Mister's office.  Now that the Christmas gifts have been arriving, the Mister's lair is growing smaller by the minute.



the actual mailroom


Which brings me to one of the worst parts of this new temporary lifestyle.  The package receiving system is a disaster.  The resident is texted that they have received a package and given a number to input into a machine.  When the system works, the magic door to a box opens.  Otherwise, you are deemed to go through all the boxes left on the floor or contact the Wizard of Odds to open up the correct door.

 


Obviously, the Mister's OCD tendencies are severely tested when he makes the voyage to the Bermuda triangle of boxes and bags.

 


On a positive note, every evening, we put out our designated trash can outside our apartment door for pick up. 

Yup, every night.

When the Mister's happy, everybody's happy.


Need some gift inspiration?

I have some herehere, hereherehere, and here.


Until next time...




dogvills



Linking up with:









































Preppy Empty Nester
Preppy Empty Nester

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38 comments:

  1. I think living near young people could make one feel quite young provided the walls are very soundproof. I laughed out loud at the idea of sifting through the packages for your own. In this day and age it would test any of us. My mother moved into a townhome community when she moved here to be near me. I never really figured her for that, but it is such a nice and neat area that it has been wonderful for her. She has a one story with a great little back deck and they keep up the area. The point for that is you just don't know what you want until you have had time to look. Living in the apartment will give you time to really look at the area and see what you want. Testing but good for the search.

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  2. IT sounds like there are so great conviences to living in the apartment, first and foremost your daughter! And the food/wine so close by even better. I also love the idea of just setting out the garbage. I hope that you are having fun looking and soon find what you want. Have a great weekend Katie.

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  3. I did apartment living last year awaiting new home build...not as nice as yours but it really grew on me! Perhaps knowing it was not forever helped. Love, love love the picture of the two of you outdoors for happy hour. Happy hour rituals make everything better! Enjoy it all. We enjoy all the tidbits you share.

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  4. Well it sounds like the positives are pretty good but I am like you Katie, not known for my flexibility however, getting older has taken a toll on my controlling tendencies. lol Cant wait to see where you end up there in big D.

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  5. This is random, but we were talking about grocery stores in the cities that we have lived and I could not remember the Dallas chain - Tom Thumb!

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  6. When you said SMU I thought maybe you were in Texas close to me. Until I read your bio. Loved reading this. Visiting you from the friendship friday blog hop.

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  7. I think you need to look in the Lakewood area where my brother lives so I can visit you when I visit him.

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    1. Lori... we love that area! Have a great Sunday. PS. You can still visit me no matter where I live.

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    2. LOL!! You are too kind! I love that area too. Hope you have a great week.

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  8. My reading stopped when I got to the part about you living near Central Market! That is the best grocery store I have ever been to. We don't have anything like it in NC.

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  9. This is an entertaining update! Sorry things haven't worked out yet as expected, but it sounds like you're finding the positives. Have a great weekend Katie!

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  10. I still have a happy smile on my face from reading your post. Always entertaining and always fun. Thanks for the update!! I wish D#2 wrote a blog so we could get both sides of the story!! :) (winking) xo

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  11. Loved this fun catch-up on your world! Like Terri said, I have a happy smile on my face with this one!

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  12. We are enjoying our townhouse life in NJ. A tree fell during the last windstorm and it is not our problem!

    My Mom’s house in Colleyville went on the market this week and had multiple strong offers within 24 hours. The Texas market is hot so I’m not surprised it is taking time to find what you want. Will be very interested to see where you land.

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  13. we recently retired and moved to a rental house. We've never left because it feels so free not to have to worry about anything needing a repair man. We call our landlord and she takes care of us.
    Enjoy your time in the apartment.
    xo,
    Karen

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  14. Haha, this is so great. As a vertical neighborhood resident, I can relate! Might you be entertaining the idea of downsized living, even if not in the building you're in? I have signed up for text alerts from all my delivery companies - USPS, UPS and FedEx. I get a text as soon as the pkg is scanned - it's great! It allows me to intercept what I don't want the Mister to see arriving, lol! Glad you are coping with the new dwelling, even if it is just temporary. Have a great weekend.

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  15. I think taking break from household duties would be nice. It gives one a chance to feel a little freedom with no responsibility. If something goes wrong, just call the maintenance man! The only drawback is the season, I know you miss your home and getting it decked out for the holidays. Looking forward to seeing your new home.........Happy December sweet Katie.

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  16. This is hilarious! You are so creative and funny! We had a similar experience three years ago before moving into our current house and let me tell you the only thing I miss about that apartment is the every night trash pickup! Hang in there you will make it! 😉🎄

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  17. I’d been reading your blog for years; today’s struck a chord! We live in Houston and our house flooded in Harvey. Our #2 girl - we have a #1 boy - secured us an apartment in her building during the storm - she’s a much better planner than me. I have often told a similar sitcom/Kramer through the door story! Our #2 has a roommate, so we were required to “text first” if we wanted to visit - to be “courteous” to her friend. We loved being her neighbor and loved when she “popped” in - definitely a lagniappe to the whole situation! We, too, used our second bedroom for storage and an office, loved the trash right outside the door, had a CM up the street and an HEB down the street. Luckily, our package situation was more organized. We finally found our perfect house four miles from our old house and three miles from #2. Good luck. Welcome back to Texas!

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    1. Thank you so much for commenting. We lived in the Houston area during Katrina. We were actually in the Woodlands, which was one of my favorite places to live. By the way, we looked at 3 houses over the weekend - one was across the street from our old house and the other one backed up to it. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  18. Funny gal....sounds like a fun place to be, with the 'young uns' all around! Hope you have a happy holiday and happy house hunting!

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  19. HAHAHA! I always love opening your emails Katie - THANKS for the entertaining moment in my day! And good luck with your next episodes!

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  20. Omgosh, Katie...this post is hysterical but the clips had me keeling over with laughs! I never liked apartment living when I was a young gal, but this sounds like it has a lot of perks (just don't get too comfy!). Your pups need some space!

    Still wondering what brought you two to Texas. Are you or The Mister originally from there? Can you be preppy in Texas? And good grief, there are places where alcohol isn't sold in the grocery? That's the first aisle I hit.😂

    Good luck house hunting!!

    Jane 😘

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    1. Hi Jane... the Mister retired and we decided on Texas because our #2 lives here and #1 and AJ are planning to move back from NYC in a few years. Enjoy your Sunday.

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  21. Love your attitude Katie, so fun, and also I loved the photos of some of my favorite sitcoms, Everybody Loves Raymond and Seinfeld, so classic!!
    Jenna

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  22. We rented a two bedroom place for two years and it about drove me crazy...BUT...it was easy and I didn't feel like I had to 'be the best' at anything. It was easy to clean and the landlord kept everything up beautifully. It was brand new when we moved in and looked brand new when we moved out. Our landlord was sorry to see us leave.
    I watched for a condo to come up in this complex (there are only 48 units on 4 acres of land-overlooking river and ravines). After 22 months I found one and we bought the moment it was available...thanks to being in the real estate field. I NEVER thought I would like living in a condo but with hubby's health I felt it was wise. In retrospect, it was THE BEST decision ever.
    Hope you find your own Home Sweet Hone after the Holidays! xo Diana

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  23. We downsized from a large home to a 3 bedroom apartment bordering Plano about 2-1/2 years ago. I fought making the move for over a year but have to say it's probably the best decision we ever made. We chose to move into an "active adult" complex (some of the folks here consider active being able to walk down the hall with their walker!!!) but I've made so many dear friends here and love it. There is good and bad in apartment living as there is in single family home living. Either way, maybe some day I'll see you on the tennis courts as I still play and I'm thinking you'll get back into it here ;)

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  24. I'm betting that you will be a happy gal when you do move into a house but, for now, sounds like a fun and interesting time. A most entertaining post!

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  25. Blondie!!!! "Can you be preppy in Texas?" We're not all rednecks and cowgirls down here...some of us have a lil class...but only very early in the mornings!!! hahahaha

    Katie...I will die the day I run into you or the mr. at central market!!! You know I'll make a Texan scene!!!!!

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  26. This post brought me so much joy! I have literally re-read it three times! I can’t wait for you to find the perfect forever home!

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  27. I LOVE this post! And I love all the graphics and GIFs you included, ha! They made the post! You are making the situation so positive... love that! And love that you live near your kids now. Hoping you guys can find a home soon.

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  28. Fun post. Good to hear you are enjoying your temporary living space. Years ago we were sent to Europe for 3 months..or my husband was(work). We lived in a very nicely furnished apt. I felt like I was playing house. Didn’t feel the unusual responsibilities I felt at home.more recently we lived in a borrowed travel trailer for two summers while our mountain house was being built. I was dreading it...but again it was a break from the ordinary. Actually missed it when we moved into the house. Okay...getting carried away here. Had to chuckle at the selling wine at the grocery store dance 🤣 BTW I am 5 min from our Central Mkt. They have great chef prepared soups!

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  29. HAVE WE THOUGHT ABOUT THE IDEA OF STAYING PUT?!!!!
    THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT POST!
    XX

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  30. I read this a few days ago and neglected to comment. This post had me belly laughing. I am going to share on my Sunday faves!!

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  31. Oh, Katie, you crack me up! Does anyone have a better sense of humor than you? No. Your reflections on apartment life bring back memories of our two recent apartment stints. One before we moved into our house in Washington and the other when we fled the state. Thankfully we rented a place with two bathrooms. Absolutely essential. I quite liked apartment living but the package situation ... good grief. Please don't get too cozy ... I'm counting on you to satisfy my obsessive compulsive real estate disorder. Cheers! xo

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  32. Katie, as always, I enjoy your sense of humor, and your taste in sitcoms!
    Thanks for sharing at Friendship Friday at Create With Joy.
    So happy to include you among our features this week! :-)

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