Curvy Jones on: Vive La Difference!
A few years ago, I was in a pretty dark place. Morale was low at Chez Jones. I was in a low paying job working for a man I HATED. I was behind on bills, including my car payment, and was worried everyday that the finance company would come and get it. I was living paycheck to paycheck, hand to mouth, trying to survive after deciding to move from Washington to Georgia. It was exciting at first, and then after the excitement waned, the culture shock set in. I was starting to think it was a mistake to move away from everything and everyone I knew to start over at the other end of the country.
One afternoon, I was sitting in my apartment, watching movies I’d rented from Blockbuster. I was bored, since I didn’t have cable (hence the movies, because otherwise my attention span is way too short for them). I wanted to go for a drive so I got up, slipped on a pair of shoes and got in the car.
I always went to the same place, a construction site a few minutes away. I would park and sit back and watch as building after building, balcony after balcony, terrace after terrace were built, brand new, from the ground up. After the complex was built, I’d sit and watch moving trucks pull in and out, imagining the people settling in and enjoying their wood floors and ceramic tile and new appliances and their pool and clubhouse. After I stopped acting creepy, I’d start the car and drive back to my craptastic apartment and sulk. I thought I’d never be able to afford to live there.
Years passed. I got another job. And then I got a raise. And then I switched to a different company in the same family of companies and got a 20% raise. Every day– or at least every few days, I’d drive past that complex and glance over at those apartments and *sigh*
My lease was expiring in yet another apartment of craptasticness, the apartment with the neighbors that worked in a bar or something because they came home in the middle of the night, every night and shook my walls with their sexcapades. Or their arguments. Or their socializing. Not really impressive, because the walls were made of Kleenex and dust. I could hear my neighbor peeing.
Understandably, I wasn’t renewing my lease. I hate to move but I love a new apartment, and a review of my finances revealed that I could, in fact, afford to live where I really wanted to live.
In May of 2009, I finally bit the bullet and moved to the new complex down the road, the one I watched being built, the one I drove past and *sighed* at and dreamt about. And it was everything I ever dreamt it would be.
Well, except for the part where they gave me the wrong apartment first. I took my tour in March. Picked out what I wanted. Waited and waited and waited for May to arrive. I was so excited about my hardwood floors! I am ridiculous about hardwoods– I never want wall to wall carpeting again, ever. I check in and get my keys and……….wall to wall carpeting.
It also wasn’t awesome when they didn’t have the apartment I wanted available, so I had to move my cable and utilities and belongings (still wrapped from the movers) into a temporary apartment, try not to get settled, and then move everything again six weeks later. Did I mention that this apartment was one flight up, and this was just a few weeks after I fell down a flight of stairs and sprained my ankle? Good times.
But when I finally got into my new apartment, it was bliss. It has been bliss from day one.
I ended up at Target, last night. I hit a couple of stores, nothing was really inspiring, I had to get toilet tissue anyway and the bath dept at Walmart completely sucks, so I just went to Target. Spent exactly $101.24. See? $100 Store!
I got most of my cleaning taken care of in a few hours, and I realized, again, that I love my apartment, in it’s halfway-decorated-but-now-the guest-bath-has-a-rug-and-a towel-and-a-soap-dispenser-and-the-master-bath-has-a-new-shower-curtain loveliness. Since things are sparkling and glittering and all in order, I was reminded of the things I coveted about this apartment, the things I would dream about when I sat in the parking lot and watched them being built– the gleaming wood floors, the garden tub, the spacious floor plan, the ginourmous patio, the new appliances (including Washer/Dryer) the Valet Trash service. The way I get SO much sun in every room, which is great for someone who needs sunshine to be happy, my full view of the pretty courtyard and the lush, green trees behind the complex.
Some refinement is needed tonight, but I’m not cleaning like the military is coming to inspect( even though my dad IS ex military, and our house was always spit-shine clean). I don’t need to impress him– I moved down here by myself and 7 years later, I am thriving. I’m going to show him my life as I live it, in a city that I love, in a place that I love and am proud to live in.
At least that is what I am going to be telling myself as I give my dad the tour of my place and tell him not to look in the closets.
Have a super Friday and a great weekend everybody! What are your weekend plans???
Filed in: Family · Home Sweet Home · PersonalTags: 2010 · The Apartment
Told ya to just go to Target! lol
HUSH! I still might order that set from Walmart, but I got one from Target that was almost like the one we were looking at from Walmart. Their bath department is completely ridiculous. There’s no point to it, at all. I was irritated.
I love that story!
I share your apartment love. Every night when I climb into bed, I look around my bedroom with my new furniture I bought post-break up and think, “This place is mine.” It’s bliss.
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*squee* Can’t beat that feeling!
That was a great story. Seriously, it touched on something I was thinking today about myself. There was a time in my life when I was so broke the decision to eat or pay a bill was a lengthy debate.
And I have no impulse control when I’m in Target! I love their stuff!
Yup have been there. I used to leave a light on, above the stove. If I pulled up to my apartment and could see the light, I’d know that Georgia Power hadn’t shut my lights off yet.
One night I pulled up and there was no light. Thankfully, I was getting paid the next day. Coldest. night. ever.
Ahhh.. I’ll never forget the sinking feeling in my gut whenever I saw an Electric/Gas/Phone company truck in my neighborhood. Ya know, I still have that reaction to this day and I have to remind myself that they’re not looking for me anymore.
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This is such an inspiring story. I’m kind of in a similar boat and realize the strange excitement of trying to figure out how to pay the bills and also the bitter resentment that I’m just spinning the wheel at the moment.
I love that you were able to afford the place of your dreams~sometimes it just takes a bit of time, hard work, and effort. I am also a sucker for hardwood and never much cared for wall-to-wall carpeting. I guess new carpet is one thing, but I’m already a disaster, I don’t want to worry about cleaning spots from a carpet.
Great post!
Thank you, love your blog as well!