Good morning, friends!
It’s official — Matt and I are 100% unpacked and set up in our new apartment here in the DC area. Hooray! It’s so nice to have that done. Want the tour? :)
We went from a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom in NC to a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom here in DC so we were a little worried about everything fitting, but between donating a lot of stuff to Goodwill, storing a few things at my parent’s place, and getting creative with the space, we made it work.
Above you see our living room! I LOVE the built in bookcases and cabinets — that’s what really sold us on this apartment vs. other ones we saw, because it really helped with making up for losing the second bedroom and closet storage space we had in NC. I also love how light and bright it is because of the huge glass wall where the balcony is!
It’s a little awkward since you are basically starting across at the other apartments when out on the balcony… but oh well.
Here is our dining room/office — connected to the living room. Our dining room table is a liiiiitle bit too big for the space, but by smushing it against the breakfast bar it works. Good enough. :) Please also note Matt’s guitars hung up in the background — this was literally the first thing he did when we moved in. Boys are funny.
Here’s the view from the living room:
As you can see, I have turned the breakfast bar into my “perch” again! :) It’s actually a tiny bit too high for me, but considering I won’t be spending hours at it anymore writing papers and researching and studying all day, it’ll work just fine.
Next up — the kitchen!
I actually like this kitchen better than our old one — it’s more open and a lot brighter. BUT… it has less cabinet space and we don’t have a pantry, which kind of sucks. Oh well — give and take!
Obviously, the Keurig was basically the first thing we set up in the kitchen, per Matt’s request. ;)
Starbucks sent us over some more K-Cups to check out a couple weeks ago, and Matt has been loving this medium blend Pike Place Roast — it’s his new favorite!
On to the bedroom!
Cozy and nice and bright with the big window. :)
From our bedroom there is a hallway with our closets…
Which leads into the bathroom, which also has another door that opens right by the front door. Nice so guests can go straight in without having to go through our bedroom first!
So there you have it! I’m really excited we got ourselves set up so quickly. It was a lot of work but VERY worth it!
Yesterday, Matt and I took a break from unpacking mid-morning to head out for our first run in our new neighborhood!
I was also excited because Under Armour sent me a new sports bra to test out — the Armour Bra! Doesn’t that sound awesomely intense?
This is a seriously nice sports bra — you order it in your actual cup/band size instead of just XS/S/M/L, so it’s perfectly tailored to you. Cute, too!
I loved the sports bra — comfy and very supportive, with no chaffing or rubbing. I would definitely recommend it! You can find more info on their website if you’re interested. Thanks to UnderArmour for letting me test it out!
Oh, and even more awesome? The plastic box they sent it in was PERFECT for me to repurpose as a way to store some of my desk items, since we no longer have a desk with a drawer. Sweet!
Anyway! Matt and I had a great run — we started out with the plan to just run around some of the trails near us…
But then once we were going we decided to randomly run all the way to my parents house and surprise them! I think it was about 4 or so miles? VERY hilly though so it felt longer! My parents enjoyed the surprise. :) We finished our workout with some weights and lunges/squats/abs/etc. at their place:
And then, since it was conveniently lunch time, my mom made us all lunch before driving us back to our place so she could see our new apartment! Total win. :)
On the menu for lunch was egg salad sandwiches:
With side salads. It was delicious. I’m pretty sure it’s a proven fact that sandwiches always taste better when your mom makes them. :)
The rest of the day involved finishing up unpacking and then I headed out to meet my friend Ashley for dinner. So good to see her. We have plans to go running tomorrow morning as well — yay!
Time to run a few errands, drop some more stuff at Goodwill, and then do some online training I need to get done before starting my hospital internship in 2 weeks. Plus, packing — I head to NYC tomorrow for a fun blog event!
Happy Monday, friends!
Love the new digs! :D I am seriously impressed at how fast y’all moved in!
It’s fun to have you in the DC area. Hopefully we’ll do a blogger meet up again soon. Cute apartment and y’all did great with the space! Enjoy it!
Yes, a meet up would be fun! :)
Love the apartment tour! I can imagine that downsizing is a challenge, but I’m so happy you’re back! :D
Glad you’re all settled, and I love the hanging spice rack you have in the kitchen.. I think I’m going to need to do that same thing because I’m going to have less cabinet space too in the kitchen. By the way,I saw your reply to my last comment re. Arlington – I’m around Court House, so maybe we can grab some coffee sometime. :)
Yeah – hanging racks are a lifesaver when cabinet space is limited! And yes – would love to meet up for coffee!
I love it, Anne. It’s a little smaller but it is temporary. I hope you kept that beautiful swing chair. It was a wonderful conversation piece. Looking forward to more.
Yes, we put that at my parent’s place for now until we have a bigger place again! I love that chair – we’ve had it since my brother and I were little. :)
I am moving to the DC area in three weeks so this easy move for you makes me excited! Congrats on the new place!
I am so impressed you literally unpacked the entire place in one day… it always takes me around a week, you guys are turbo speed unpackers! Well done! The place looks super cute! and still looks really big to me, although not as spacious as your huge place in NC. Quite the win!
Well, technically 3 days – all day Friday, Saturday, and most of yesterday, too! It’s pretty tiny in person but cozy – you’ll see! :)
YAY! congrats on getting settled in so quickly- the new place looks great, you guys got set up so fast i’m seriously in awe. i love that you have stuffed animals on the bed heehee.
Also i’m glad you like the Armour Bra! I heart mine.
Stuffed animals are obviously the coolest. :)
Welcome baaaack! Geeze, you two unpack quickly. Very impressed ;)
See you SOON…
Yoga/run/something asap!?!?
Love the built-ins too! So handy!
The place looks great!! It’s so good to see you back in DC again! :)
Congrats on moving in to a new place! Its super cute and I love the DC area! Also that sports bra looks cute and functional!
Welcome back to DC! The apartment looks great!
I love your new apartment. We should have a DC area blogger run..(I live nearby in Northern VA) There are quite few here, as I am sure you are aware! :) Congratulations on your new place and welcome to DC.
PS. I have that bra- I love mine!!
Yes, love the idea of a blogger run! :) We are actually in NoVA, too – Arlington!
Welcome backkK!
how the heck did you move in so fast?? welcome back to dc! :)
Love the new apartment and especially the bookshelves surrounding the fireplace! Also love the balcony … even if you and your neighbors will be looking at one another!! :) You and Matt unpacked and got settled in record time – now you can enjoy your week back home!! Have fun!
Your new place looks great! I look forward to hearing about capitol adventures!
So glad that you’ve settled into your new place, and even more glad that you shared with us the Armour bra! I’ve been looking for something like that for years. The S/M/L thing never worked for me and I actually have two Nike bras that I think are about 20+ years old because I haven’t found anything else that fits right. Will give it a try!
I hope you like it!
Glad you got everything unpacked! I’m sure that’s a relief! And how cool you live so close to home now!
Wow, you guys did great! I guess I didn’t know Matt was a musician–even a banjo and ukelele! My instruments are probaly the first things I’d unpack, too! Awesome idea to have everything out where you can play it when you have time. Love your picture display, too. Do love your living room, also. Very cozy.
Congrats on the move-in! Looks great! What area of DC are you? One of our best friends lives in Avandale, we love visiting!
And yes, no matter what type of sandwich, it’s always better when mom makes them. It’s the pb rule.. you can make a PB & J, it will taste good… someone else makes the same thing and for some reason it taste amazing!
We are actually in Arlington, so right outside DC! :) Love the PB&J rule – so true.
Love the new place!
Congrats on a swift and successful move! I love what you’ve done with the place. Looks like my kinda style. And the balcony is adorable. That’s another great ‘perch’ type spot :) Be seeing you on Wednesday?!
It looks great!! When we move into a place we like to unpack and get settled as soon as possible as well.
Looks nice, Anne; excellent speedy unpack! Impressive! As is Matt’s strumming ability!
Anne congratulations for the new apartment, is so cozy and cute, I like the living room so bright, enjoy it. So tell me I saw that sandwichs so delicious that your mom did, can you tell me the recipe pleeeseee yumi!by the way, now you’re close to your parents…. that’s good. byeee
It was just eggs chopped up, some mayonnaise, and a lot of dijon mustard! Plus salt and pepper, and some chopped ham.
1. I think we live on the same side (judging from the view of your balconey).
2. Your apt is SO MUCH MORE homier than ours! I like it! Will work on decorating ASAP!
3. Guitars on the wall–nice touch!
Fun!! We need to go for some runs ASAP!
Ha! I’m pretty sure that you live in my building! I’m guessing that you guys may not want to reveal your address on the internet, so I’m hesitant to say too much, but I’ve lived here for several years now and it’s a great area! Welcome! I think you’re from this area anyway (and it looks like there are other readers who live here), but if you need any local recommendations, etc., my email is [email protected]. Best of luck with the rest of the moving in process!
Liz
Fun! Glad to hear you like it – say hello if you bump into me! :)
Love the new place! The first thing Ulysses did when we moved into our house was paint the garage walls and floor. I was like “um, ok…that’s definitely a priority I guess”
Lol! Boys.
Thx for the tour! Looks great. And assume convenient location. Congrats on getting set up so quickly! Very well done! Good luck!
Gorgeous apartment! What DC neighborhood did you guys end up choosing?
We’re actually in Arlington – just outside the city!
Oooh awesome! There are some great Ethiopian restaurants out there, if you guys get a chance to check them out :)
It’s such a great place to live! I used to live out in Fairfax, but just about a month ago I moved to the Lyon Park area of Arlington, and It’s such a great neighborhood. Clarendon has so many fun restaurants (and like four gelato shops!) and I’m having a great time taking it all in. I remember running into you at a Harris Teeter in Arlington once around Christmastime last year – maybe now that we’re both in the same area that’ll happen again!
I remember that! Hi again :)