We have a large two bedroom, one bath corner unit located on the first floor. Our unit is larger than other units with the same amenities because we are located on the corner of the building. Score. The building has 10 floors which house about 100 apartments in total. Our building is one of four that are grouped together in a square shape. In the middle of all the buildings there is a playground, basketball and tennis courts, and a pool. We also have access to a small gym and movie viewing room. We are fortunate that our unit faces the back of the building giving us a gorgeous view of the grounds. The buildings and surrounding area are well maintained.
While I was growing up I always lived outside of London (were we currently live). Then when I went away to university in Waterloo, I spent the first year living in the dorms, and the second year me and Josh shared an apartment in Kitchener. After having to drop out of school do to personal and financial reasons, we lived out the rest of our lease and decided that we would move back to the London area to be closer to both our families. When we were looking for an apartment in London, we didn't know exactly what we wanted. But it just so ended up that the place we live now gave us everything and so much more than we ever could have hoped for in a home. This was the only apartment we looked at in London. We immediately fell in love with the sense of community that you could feel in the buildings. We could not ask for a better living environment to be a part of.
When we first moved from Kitchener to London we didn't really have anything much to call our own. Our apartment in Kitchener was basically filled with furniture and items that were either mine growing up or were no longer wanted by other family members. The whole apartment was filled with mismatch furniture. We only had a mattress and box spring on the floor as a bed and a dresser that was borrowed from my sister (until she moved to a larger place) in our bedroom. We bought an old Kitchen table and chairs off my sister that was in rough condition. Our living room had a couch (borrowed from my sister) and a tv stand I had in my room as a teenager. Our tv is one I got on my 10th birthday and is so old that it has a built in VCR. Our spare room was used as additional storage for a large portion of the time spent there, until Josh came across an ad of Kijiji for a free futon. I didn't even hang up proper curtains. I just nailed sheets over the windows. Although the apartment wasn't close to anything I ever dreamed of, it was ours. It was a place that we could grow together and take on this new chapter in our lives together. Or so I thought. It didn't take long before living in Kitchener took a toll on our relationship. Josh didn't know any body in the city and took to acting like a hermit in the apartment. And I was working two jobs and some times 13 hour days to make ends meet and the last thing I wanted after a long day was to be social. We knew that it wasn't that we weren't suppose to be together, or that we couldn't make it work as a couple, it was that we couldn't do it in Kitchener.
Since moving to London our lives have been completely different. We see our family on a very regular basis and they are much more of a support group than they could have been to us in Kitchener. I can honestly say that neither of us was happy in Kitchener, but both of us are very happy in London.
When we moved to London we brought all of our mismatch furniture with us. It was only one load in my dads small work trailer and about 5 loads with 3 people to get everything into the apartment. All of our belongings could fit into the living room. It was kind of sad to realize that this is it. That was ll our lives consisted of.
Since living here, we have sold or given back to those we have borrowed from, our mismatch furniture and swapped it in for affordable items that way each room flow into the next.
We have a bed. Our own dresser. Our own couch. A dining set that isn't uneven or scratched. We have a very functional spare room with a large desk, play pen and single bed for guests. The only thing that was kept from our old place in my TV. We haven't really found the need to upgrade it yet since it works completely fine.
This apartment has become a home. Our home to be exact, and we are proud of it.
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