Moving in and Settling Down

Well, I'm pleased to report that Jon and I are on day three of shifting all of our possessions down the hall from one apartment to another and we're still together both physically and emotionally.  It would be a lie to say that some casual threats haven't been flung around, but we're actually having fun with this.  Believe it or not, even moving hasn't propelled us out of the honeymoon stage after more than two years apart.

I made a real effort to call the last apartment "our" apartment and I conferred with Jon before making decor decisions because I wanted him to feel like it was his home, too, but realistically it would have always seemed like mine.  That's why the timing of this move, though unexpected and largely unsought, is perfect; we found out the day Jon arrived that it was an option, picked out paint colors that weekend, and began moving five days later.  And so this apartment, right next door to the first, is technically our first real apartment together as a couple.  What a start to the new year, right?  Talk about moving oneself as the rabbis suggest!

The plan is that we'll stay in this apartment until we can buy our own place.  It'll take a few years, given the state of our savings accounts after months of unemployment (formerly mine and now Jon's until he finds a job in the States), the price of maintaining a transatlantic relationship, and the cost of the visa process, but I'm okay with that.  I mean, I want us to own our home one day, but I'm so glad to be settling down for an extended stay in one place.  It's strange to think that my stint in the last apartment, all 17 months of it, is the longest I've lived at any one address since I graduated from high school.

I've spent years in one city before moving to another, but, like most college students and recent grads, I moved every year or so until my mid-20s.  Since 2004, I've lived in five different rooms in Manhattan, two apartments in Paris, three flats in London, my parents' house in suburban Maryland, and in this building, my current home, in Washington, DC.

Whew!  What a whirlwind.  Jon had been at the flat in North London that he left ten days ago for three years, so he's good at settling in and settling down.  In fact, I think he'll be guest posting here tomorrow to tell you how he feels about the new apartment...