New home

So we finally moved!  It's been almost 2 weeks since we've been here.  Some info about our new place:

1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
10 miles from W's work and my school
9 miles from my work
No washer/dryer
No microwave
We rented 2 covered parking spots (necessary for winter)
Our rent with the parking is $807/month.

We cut our commutes in half, so it takes me 15 minutes to drive to school or work.  We live behind a Walmart, to give you a sense of the neighborhood.  It's also geographically in between the two places I shared about in a previous post.

To be honest, at first it was a difficult adjustment, downsizing from a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car attached garage, with washer and dryer.  We used to live in a newer single standing home, and now we live in an apartment unit.  Things like the noise of neighbors, a smaller space, and the lack of amenities is taking some getting used to.

BUT, there are some things I'm really enjoying.  Mainly, simplifying our lives.  In terms of furniture, the only new thing we had acquired was a $75 desk from IKEA, so all of our furniture came to the new place.  But I got rid of a bunch of kitchen stuff, clothes, books, and random stuff because we don't have space for things we don't use on a daily basis.  It's amazing how much we had accumulated in the last year.  We got rid of 9 large shopping bags of stuff.

Also, we don't have a washer/dryer in the unit (or in the building), and we don't have a microwave.  And you already know we haven't had a TV in 2.5 years.  We contemplated renting a w/d for $35/month, but decided against it.  And I didn't think we could survive without a microwave but so far we've been able to (we'll see what happens in the winter).

It has been very freeing to simplify life, save on rent & utilities, drive less and even live in a smaller space.

More herbs

Spicy oregano, spinach, chives, dill and tarragon, from my friend Jaclyn.  On Thursday she gave me fresh picked mulberries, swiss chard and other goodies that we're enjoying.  Also, we've moved!  More on that later.

Public transport

This post summarizes so well the reasons why I heart (and miss) public transportation.

P.S. We're still looking...

Advice

We've been apartment searching for awhile now, and it's coming down to the wire as we need to move out by 6/29.  It's been challenging to settle on a place because W and I have different "likes" when it comes to our home.  Right now we are in the suburbs, about 30 minutes from downtown, and for me it has been difficult to be here after living in Chicago.  I would like to be closer to the center of the city.  I like the quiet here but I don't like the driving and the inability to walk anywhere.  W is more of a burb guy, but he's willing to indulge me because I've complained about it so much.  So here are our options. Tell me what you think:

"Burbs Option": 2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car attached garage, all carpet
Driving Miles: 16 to W's work, 16 to my school, 11 to my work, 5 to church

"City Option": 1 bedroom, 1 bath, hardwood floors, 1 car underground parking
Miles: 1.1 to W's work, 1.4 to school, 11 to my work, 16 to church
Cost is $192 more per month than the burb option, 83 less square feet
It's a 10 minutes walk to coffee shops and a main road where there are restaurants and shops, monthly art walks, etc...

You can see why I like the city option.  But $192 extra seems like a lot.  We would save some on gas with the city option, but right now we carpool so I only drive separately to school once a week.  What do you think?

Peonies

I visited my aunt today and discovered that she has two peony bushes.  I cut some and brought them home with me.  Aren't they lovely?  I think I see why peonies are so popular...they're gorgeous.

Long weekend

Summer has arrived in Columbus, along with festival season.  We ate lunch at the Asian Festival today (chicken adobo - not pictured, chicken on a stick, pad thai, quarter watermelon and patbingsu).  Then we headed over to North Market and got a quart of these strawberries, which were picked at the farm yesterday.  Hope you are enjoying Memorial day weekend.

More pizza

We've broken 2 pizza stones and have a new one now that we have yet to try.  Luckily BB&B has a great return policy.  Above: veggies & prosciutto topped with arugula.  Below: dandelion leaves from our backyard, and fresh roasted beets.

During my mom's visit I learned that dandelion leaves are really good for you, and they grow all over our backyard.  We picked a bunch for my aunt, and when they grew back we tried some ourselves.  This was also my first time roasting beets.  My mom cooked a Korean soup with the greens when she was here, and then I roasted these.  I love beets, and fresh ones are even better!  I can't believe I only discovered beets a year ago.