Dear Apartment Number Five,

Hi there. I just wanted to say thank you.

Thank you for being my home away from home.

Thank you for holding me up when I was falling down.

Thank you for giving me the comfort I needed.

When the rest of the world was falling down around me, your four walls stayed up.

I was young when I first came into your halls. Naive and unaware of the world I was stepping into. 19 and excited to live on my own - unaware of the life I had started. You provided me sanity when I was in a whirlwind. You provided me stability when I could not stand. I was lucky enough to find the perfect you in the first go. I stayed with you through college. 3 years is a long time in comparison to most.

Year 1: excited, confused, lost, happy, scared, driven, sad, hopeful.

Year 2: happy, energetic, cute, sassy, alive, confident, scared, tired, lost, help.

Year 3: ready, determined, excited, hopeful, scared, hopeless, lost, running, screaming, laughing, loving, acceptance.

As you can see, you've been with me through it all.

I grew up here. I learned here. I blossomed here.

I fell apart here. I messed up here. I mourned here.

I got hurt here. I loved here. I found myself here.

In reality, you are the only one who sees me through and through.You have been here during the biggest moments of my life. The happiest phone calls I've received, and the most painful events I couldn't have imagined.

You have seen me succeed, and you have seen me fail.

You have been here when I was belting my face off jumping around my room, and you have been here when I was throwing the broom up to my ceiling screaming at the neighbors at 3 am. You have been there when I went on a three hour long baking marathon for no reason at 11 o'clock at night, and you have been there when my best friend and I have danced through the halls blasting Hannah Montana like the hooligans we are.

So thank you. You taught me a lot about myself in just three short years. You held me up when I didn't know I needed to be held.

You are my first apartment.

And there's only one first for everything.

I will never forget you.

Apartment Number Five. Thank you for your creaky wooden floors, your leaking bathroom ceiling, you're only left side of stove works true love I know you gave me, the countless mice had to learn to accept, your first floor amazingness (seriously forever grateful), and you're love.

I will never forget you. You are a part of who I am now.

And as I leave on to another journey. One that I have dreamt of my whole life. I will never forget my first apartment. You prepared me for what's ahead.

Always keep a picture of your first car, first fish, first friend, and first home.

Thank you. I love you. Onto the next...

Written By: Heather Morgan