Close Quarters

Moving to a new city is difficult.

Things get more complicated when that city is 1000 miles away, and there is no way for you to get up there to look at places before signing a lease.

And you can't make your rent cheaper by living in a 3- or 4-bedroom apartment with roommates because, well, I don't know many people who would enjoy sharing an apartment with newlyweds (or newlyweds who want to share an apartment with other roommates, for that matter). 

Oh! And you have a cat. And a significant other who will move in after four months and may not be employed with a salaried job for Lord knows how long. And you need private parking. And you have a wedding soon that you want to pay for with cash.

Um...yeah. Under these circumstances, my options were limited. University housing seemed easiest, as all bills were included, the prices were reasonable (parking is suuuuuuuper cheap), and they send pictures of the exact apartment that they are offering you (you can then ask for a different one if it isn't what you want and they will do their best to accommodate your request). Still, to be on the safe side of budgeting, I decided to stay with a studio.

I had no idea how this contraption was supposed to work.
Maybe Smokey knew?

I was lucky enough to snag one of the largest studios, but it is still only 520 square ft. Like most apartments in Hyde Park, however, there is no central A/C, no garbage disposal, no in-unit washers and dryers (but they do have some in the building!), and no dishwasher. Surprise, surprise, the unit had also been recently renovated to be ADA compliant. This means that the bathroom is ginormous compared to most in the building, everything in the apartment is set a little lower, and there is a little less cabinet space since there needs to be room for a wheelchair under the counter and sink. You can imagine how funny 6'3" Mark looks doing dishes or rolling out some dough at a counter that doesn't quite even come close to waist level. It's a funny picture.

I'm taller than the microwave. 

Mark is as tall as the cabinets.

Notice how you can see the stove from the bed--it is pretty much a straight shot

Kitchen!

Many of y'all know that I have a large craft desk as my work desk (no pics of that are available because it is drowning under a sea of books and notes for comps), a queen-sized bed with a large head and foot board, a medium-sized electric piano that I refuse to sell, and enough books to start my own little library. What this adds up to is that my things and I barely fit into the apartment. Then, I somehow made room for Mark and all of his things. Thankfully, he hasn't accumulated nearly as much as I have. Still, working out in the apartment is difficult. Jumping jacks are always a mess. Two people trying to do Insanity workouts in a space barely large enough for two yoga mats to sit side-by-side is, well, another funny picture.

Gigantor bed with mismatched pillows,
and my office chair to the left

One more picture of Smokeyboy and a tiny piece of the bookshelves

This little place has been wonderful to us. It has kept us from wanting to accumulate even more stuff. We know that we can live in a small space with each other and not go berserk. It allowed us to pay for a wedding and not be completely stressed out financially while we waited for Mark to find a job. We got amazingly cheap parking for a year. We had a warm, safe place to stay during our first year in Chicago. It is where we spent our first months living together and being married to each other.

Soon, though, we will be in our new place. It rocks. Updates on our next place in about a month. Meanwhile, Texas friends, don't take your central A/C, reasonably-priced large apartments and houses, free parking, and dishwashers for granted. We did.