finally some relaxation

How nice! After handing off our keys on Friday, we went "home" to our new place and plopped right down on the couch to catch up on recorded TV shows. Yeah...our DVR had been out of control since mid-April when we started packing. I'm pretty sure the plop on the couch was followed by long sighs of relief and high-fives at the realization of our next new adventure: minimalist living.

We are proud of our new decision to live practically and financially wise. There are many things most people collect over time that don't really NEED. For the two of us, the amount of space (and belongings) we had accumulated was a bit overkill, especially when we weighed the downsizing against what we'd like to have some day -- our own house!

Anyway, we spent the rest of the weekend getting settled in our new apartment. Everything was unpacked and/or stored away, pictures were hung on some of the walls, and the rooms began to take shape with a few new [smaller] pieces of furniture. Yep, we're going to be just fine in this smaller new place for a while - the biggest adjustment to make is really just in our perspective.

Plus, our Lake Michigan view is enough to convince us every morning...simply gorgeous! It was the perfect backdrop for our grill-out on Saturday. The lakeside meal was a nice way to be able to thank some friends who had been spoiling us lately - hope you enjoyed, Aaron & Dimitri!

Chad rocked the grill with tasty BBQ pork chops and sweet corn on the cob. Even though Nicole couldn't make it, she sent over an amazing pasta salad creation that we devoured, along with Aaron's zesty bowl of guacamole.

Since you can't just have one bowl of guac (especially on a summer holiday weekend), we also had taco dinner at Nicole's apartment the next day, too. The weather was beautiful all weekend. It was a little rainy Monday, but all the more reason for Chad and I to spend some time relaxing inside on the couch & catching up on some freelance work. Awesome extended weekend, overall. LOVED it!