#projecthappyhome

Dave and I formally moved into our new apartment this past weekend! Except that Dave is back to Michigan for another few weeks, then he'll bring the rest of our furniture, then back to Michigan for another few weeks, etc. etc. But I'm thrilled to be in our new place and making a home together.

My ideas about living together in a new marriage are strongly shaped by a conversation I had back in the summer of 2002. I was living in New York City with my church "big sis" Kim and her husband Chun. They had recently moved into a beautiful 2-bedroom 2-bath, which had just been renovated under their supervision. As Chun was showing me around the apartment, he commented, "There are two bathrooms, and some people might say, 'I'll design one bathroom, and you can design the other, and that way we won't fight.' But I think that that's not what marriage is about! So we designed both bathrooms together, and both reflect the two of us. It wasn't as easy, but now they're ours."

It's an inspiring little anecdote, and I don't think we're being exactly as egalitarian in the shaping of our spaces. In fact, Dave gets a whole closet just for him...in the garage! What a lucky guy. But it's fun to think about how we can create a home that suits us both. I wish that we didn't have to cram all the decision-making in to one weekend here and there, and that we could browse a store leisurely and have less goal-oriented conversations. But hey, we have a beautiful place, just 5 minutes from Stephen and Grace, and we'll be living together permanently by November!

In today's #projecthappyhome update: with a lot of help from my mom and dad, we installed blinds and shades in all the windows. I am unreasonably excited about this development!