We're moving!!!

Unit #507. Our new home. This is a picture of our apt. door. Yes, I really like this painting, but I will have to feature my own work. Can't wait.

Looking into the apt from the dining area. The pic is a little dark and it doesn't really show how beautiful that brick is. I love it.

Here's a better shot of the brick wall.

A shot from the dining area towards the front door (which is just past those closets).

A shot into the dining/kitchen area.

The wood floors (throughout) that I love.

Kitchen shot. Nothing special, but I do like that it's more open than our current galley kitchen.

Kitchen shot. Nothing special, but I do like that it's more open than our current galley kitchen.It's official. We will be moving during the month of May. I've been sitting on pins and needles during the application process, afraid to say much about it--lest I jinx the whole thing. So allow me to backtrack a bit to clue you all in.

About a month ago, we received the lease extension for our current place. Our lease expires June 1st. Now we love our place; it has many conveniences, loads of character, but with that comes a fairly hefty rent. Joel has lived here some 6 years and I moved in 2 years ago. We discussed the possibility of moving a year ago, but since I had been moving on an annual basis the previous 4 or some years and we were still settling into married life, we decided to stay put.

This year we thought about it a lot harder. There would be something nice about living in a place that we picked out together. It would force us to clear out some clutter. We could decorate a new place together. Still moving is hard work, not cheap, and hard work.

Joel decided to do a little more research about some the of the artist lofts/co-ops in our area. Generally the rent is considerably less and the spaces can be quite interesting. Joel found 2-bedroom units available in 2 buildings--the Carlton & Tilsner.

We looked at the Carlton building first. The Carlton is a newer renovation, located on University Avenue. While it had some great amenities, the living space felt small...it would not easily accomodate our stuff or my stepdaughter's wheelchair. Besides, we realized we didn't truly want to leave our neighborhood of lowertown St. Paul.

After looking at the Carlton, we felt we would probably be staying where we are at, but Joel went ahead and looked at the unit available at the Tilsner...just a block from where we live now. After looking at, he called me excited...and we scheduled a time when I could take a look as well.

I, too, could see the possibilities. As they say, the "bones" of the space are good. The brick walls are incredible. The light is good (even if my poor pictures don't show it). The unit is on the 5th floor and if you look past the parking lot across the street, you can see the river. We both love the open floor plan and have some creative ideas on how to use it. Yes, the bedrooms are small, but the living room/dining area is huge. We give up the conveniences of this building (underground parking, our own laundry, and 2 bathrooms), but we gain so much.

By moving into this building, we will be moving into a vibrant art community. One of the requirements for living in the building is that at least one of the residents of the unit needs to be an artist (that could be a visual artist, writer, or theater person...). I think this idea appeals to both Joel and I equally. It is what we love about the lowertown community...that it is an artist community.

So we decided to submit our application. After 2 weeks of waiting and dealing with setbacks, we got the word today. The unit is ours!

We will start our move May 1st...but do it slowly throughout the month (we don't have to be out of our current place till June 1). We are beyond excited. We are thrilled to have a new place that will truly be our first place chosen together. We have already been discussing how to arrange things, what walls we want to paint...essentially, how to make the place "our home".

Yup, we've got a lot of work ahead. But we're excited.

I can't wait to show you pictures of how it all looks when we move in!