Condo Memories
I stayed up late last night and was sorting through some old photos of our condo in Evanston. It is hard to remember what it was like to live in a space that was relatively easy to keep clean, where you could invite friends with children and not worry about stray nails or plaster dust.
But we did live in a clean space once upon a time...
Really. We really did.
At times when it is hard to stay enthusiastic about moving forward, I use these pictures as a touchstone to remind myself that things WILL be better. Someday. We do have the capacity to transform a space into something warm and welcoming.
It's just going to take a lot of work to get there. Slog on.
(p.s. We'll post some pictures from our very busy weekend over the next few days...)
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Comments
Wow! super cute condo! What was the square footage there?
Posted by: Angela Jackson | May 9, 2005 12:05 PM
It was pretty large...maybe 800-900 sq feet? Two bedroom, 2 bath, top floor. 1929 vintage. But the assesements were astronomical and the condo board was very difficult.
Posted by: jm | May 9, 2005 3:13 PM
That IS a good size! Were you able to do small repairs to it (such as paint the walls, change countertops, etc) while living there? Or was it more like an apartment situation? One of the greatest things about 'owning' is that if you want to rip into your walls, floors, ceilings, etc. and live in squalor, you CAN! :)
The sad part is, some of us actually opt for that scenario... hmmmm...
But, like you said.... someday the renovation days will be over and you can sit back and enjoy your masterpiece!
Posted by: Angela Jackson | May 9, 2005 4:00 PM
It was a "half and half"...we actually did update it quite a bit. We were able to change anything in the interior that wasn't structural. (We couldn't install A/C, or put in a washer/dryer, or take out walls, or do anything to the windows.) We did repair quite a bit, and fix some wiring that wasn't updated, changed some bath fixtures, repaired floors and walls, installed new lighting, on and on. Everything we were allowed to :)
Posted by: jm | May 9, 2005 5:45 PM
I just stumbled onto your blog a couple of days ago and you are making me homesick for Chicago. Luckily I'm moving back there from Boston soon!
Posted by: hkk | May 9, 2005 9:51 PM
Okay put the pictures away and stop torturing yourselves. It's kind of like rummaging through old love letters..."he was so wonderful! so eloquent and nice" Yes, but he wrecked your car and slept with your best friend didn't he now.
We had an adorable, new, clean apartment with a view from the balcony of 'Mont Blanc' before living here. Seb's parents brought a video tape of it this last visit (cruel conspiracy coup). We got very nostalgic but then, Eureka! I suddenly recalled the neighbors baby wailing through paper thin walls and my treks up three floors with all my groceries each week! It wasn't all wine and roses or we would have stayed there wouldn't we.
Very cute condo btw.
Posted by: chrisc | May 10, 2005 2:11 AM