Movin' On Up!

Ryan likes to remind me that we are living the opposite of the American Dream. The last two places we've lived in have been smaller and more expensive than our previous living spaces! Our most recent apartment was 550 square feet, just enough space for the two of us (we only almost killed each other 4 times). With another person in the mix, however, we knew we'd have to upgrade. As luck would have it, some of our friends took a job in Vietnam and their palatial (by Hong Kong standards) 850 square foot apartment became available.

Our move-in date was July 10th, and with Chica Boom's due date being July 16th we knew we were cutting it close. She has been a very cooperative baby in many ways, and thankfully she did not come early. I'm pretty sure that means that from here on out she will always do what we want. And if not I'll say to her, "Remember when you were in utero? You were so pleasant back then."

We had a handful of local movers pack up all of our stuff and move it to our new abode. Smaller and more sinewy than me but stronger than Ryan, they got it all done in just a few hours. I played the "9 months pregnant" card, so I got to sit in a cafe sipping lemonade while Ryan supervised and helped during the entire sweaty process (yes, he even sweats when he is doing nothing). I will be sure to be hugely pregnant next time we move!

And now, a few days later, we are almost entirely moved in. Every time we open a box I am incredulous at how we fit all of our stuff into our tiny apartment! And I am amazed at some of the luxuries of our new place, including:

1) Being able to fit a tray through our kitchen door without having to play Unblock Me.

Wow! I can fit through the doorway without turning! 

2) A bedroom that we can both stand in at the same time! In our old place, the bedroom literally was a room with a bed. Here's our new bedroom:

See all that walking space the foot of the bed?
Pure luxury.

3) No more kinks in our necks from having to turn our heads to the right to watch TV!

This was the only way the couch would fit in our old place. If we'd
put it against the right-side wall we would have been able to change
the channel on the TV with our feet. 

Now our living room is wider than Ryan's wing span. Yay! 

4) A kitchen where two people can stand comfortably.

Our old kitchen was much more modern
than our new one but about half the size.

Natural light and an oven! Jealous much?

5) The view! Here's what we looked at in our old place:

Gorgeous, isn't it? Sometimes I would stick my arm out the
window to borrow sugar from a neighbor. 

This is what we look at now! 

My iPhone camera doesn't do the night view justice.
You'll have to come see for yourself! 

Good news! Our de-luxe apartment in the sky has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, which means that there is plenty of room for guests. We can't wait to see you!