Yesterday marked since months since we lost my dad. (There I go again, using that cliched language). It has been a tough six months, the longest and yet the shortest. The time has flown, in a way. I can’t believe it’s been half a year. At the same time, it feels like so much has happened since then.
Finally! Who else loves getting packages in the mail, even if you know exactly what’s coming? It’s so much fun. Today, my first thredUP box came!*
*(Technically it’s my second box – but the first one never showed up, unfortunately. USPS says it was delivered, but I never got it. After some trouble, I was finally able to contact thredUP customer service, mostly through Twitter, and they refunded me the full cost of my order including shipping!)
Under the cut to see what I got – and how much money I saved off retail prices!
It’s been two months since my father passed away. The grief is still so fresh, in many ways, and stale in others. I keep finding new ways to miss him, new moments that come up in my day-to-day life that I wish I could share with him.
My father’s death pushed me to quickly consider things like the afterlife. It’s one thing to think about heaven in general; to think about what happens after someone dies. It’s another to lose a loved one suddenly, feel left behind, and wonder where they are now, where their spirit is. There have been moments where I say to myself “I wish Dad could see this.”
In my head, I know, or maybe hope, that he is seeing all of this. That he’s somewhere he isn’t feeling any more pain, that the hacking cough he had for years due to smoking is gone, that the aches in his varicose veins don’t trouble him anymore; that he’s watching us, and will see us as we grow over the years. That he’ll be proud of us, just as he was when he was still physically with us.
Almost three years ago, I made the jump from living with my mom to living on my own for the very first time. I was 24, and my now-husband and I moved into the very first apartment we ever looked at. Some three years later, we’re still in that apartment (and likely will be for some time) and we’re happy here!
That being said, I remember that sense of caution, that sense of the unknown, that came with moving into an apartment, especially moving from home for the first time. There are so many variables to consider, it’s hard to keep track of them all!
I’m by no means a veteran, but over the years, I’ve made a mental list of notes and thought I’d share some of my top questions that I think everyone should ask regarding a new apartment/condo/rental/whatever. Some of these are pretty basic, while others are a little more detailed – but you shouldn’t be afraid to ask ANY question! After all, this may be your new home for however long, and it’s important that you know everything you need to about it.
Continue reading “Top 60+ Questions to Ask When Renting an Apartment”
We’re 17 days into the calendar year, and I’ll be the first to admit: it’s been an awful one so far. I’d give almost anything to go back to the late days of 2017 – even the first few days of 2018. The days when my father was still alive.
This has all been incredibly unexpected, heartbreaking and difficult. I didn’t expect to lose my father, just days before his 60th birthday.
Isn’t it funny how we say that? We say we “lost” someone when they pass away, as if they can be found. As if they just wandered off in the grocery store and they’re three aisles down, looking at the macaroni and cheese when you’re in the bread aisle. Maybe some people would say we use that terminology because these people never truly leave us, that they’re always just around the corner, watching. I don’t know.
thoughts of Melissa 