Anybody who has owned/rented an apartment knows the feeling: you love that thing more than some members of your family. Maybe it's the idea of being independent and having your own space, or maybe it's what's inside the apartment, like a fantastic roommate, awesome pet, or the amazing Christmas decorations that are going to be up until March because you barely got to enjoy them before you left for break, and you spent a lot of money on those adorable yet expensive details. Whatever it is, everyone loves their apartment (even if they say they don't).
I walk into my campus apartment, catch a glimpse of our Friends poster and the Solo cup lights hanging above the sink, and I immediately feel at home. Living with my best friend doesn't help this feeling, either. It's like walking into your childhood dream every time you unlock the door. We're lucky enough to have our own space, as well, which keeps the "If I See You for One More Minute I'm Going Throw You Out The Window That We Haven't Been Able to Open Since October" feelings away. Even best friends need their space, and while it's rare, it does happen.
Our perfect apartment does have some quirks, though adorable ones, no doubt. For example, our microwave simply refuses to show the fourth digit. We just never know if it's 2:14 or 12:14 and believe me, it's caused numerous panic attacks.
Our thermostat also has a mind of its own. It may claim it's at a perfect 72 degrees, but tap it a few times, and it'll go up or down a couple degrees, simply depending on what mood it's in.
Our showers are also a bit temperamental. While the water pressure is impressive, the amount of hot water is less than satisfactory. However, sometimes you can "trick" the hot water into coming back by turning the faucet to cold, then back to hot a few seconds later. Sometimes you get lucky, other times, not so much.
Our apartment is one of my favorite places in the world. You can see both my best friend's and my sense of style and personality all over the apartment. We have Gilmore Girls themed coffee on the counter and chopsticks residing in a cup with some straws next to the pens and pencils.
We have a tiny, perfect little Christmas tree perched on top of one of our spare dressers with a tree skirt and Christmas themed table cloth beneath it. In the tree, we have the classic tinsel and very small ornaments for the very small tree, but we also have Polaroids of our friends from when they came over for "Friendsmas".
On our fridge, you'll find take-out menus and post-it reminders to feed the fish, but you'll also find a group picture from when we all went to the Cincinnati aquarium and met Scuba Santa (I swear I'm not making that up. He was in a Santa Costume with a scuba mask and everything. He even had a scuba elf), and a list of all 50 states from when we got inspired watching a Friends episode and decided to drive ourselves crazy (It's harder than it seems). Out of the four of us, only one got all 50, so we hung it up on the fridge like all normal people would.
We've fought tooth and nail to make this place what it is, and the thought of packing it all up and leaving in just a few months is sickening. I'm going to miss this place like crazy, and it being my first apartment, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Knowing that I will always have the memories that were made here brings comfort, as it is rarely the four walls that hold meaning, but the people and loved ones inside them.
