Although we officially moved in to our condo in May, considering that we were gone most of the summer while the condo was remodeled, we really have "lived" here since early August. So after 5-6 months I thought it was time to reflect a bit on condo life.
First, it is smaller. This isn't a surprise, obviously, but there are some real practical aspects of living in a smaller space. Less storage,less closet space,less floor space, less wall space means that some difficult decisions need to be made about what to get rid of and what to keep. This is an ongoing process as we seem to continually re-evaluate what we still have in the condo.
Smaller also means that we're around each other more. Sound travels differently and it's harder to not listen to music or watch TV without the other person hearing it.
Our condo is a 7 story building, which means we share parts of the building with other condo owners. That takes some adjustment. For example, we share laundry room with the others on the floor, so there are times that we wanted to do a load of wash and the machine wasn't available. Also, it means we share some wall and floor space with our neighbors. The condo is very quiet; but at quiet times you can hear the person above us. We also share a swimming pool and sauna, and library with other condo owners. We've used all of those at times; in fact, the swimming pool was a great option when the grandkids were visiting in December.
Living on the 6th floor means we're just above tree level; and we really enjoy the view. Great sunsets; we can see for many blocks, especially now that the leaves are off the trees; and it's more interesting to see a thunderstorm, or fog, or a snowstorm or fireworks on the 4th from 65 feet in the air.
One of the pluses of moving into a condo was that I wouldn't have to shovel or do lawn work. That has been nice. We watched, with some delight during the snowstorm that dropped 14 inches of snow in December; as people in the neighborhood were digging out and dealing with the difficulties of moving that much snow. If I feel an urge to do some yard work, Allison and Dave only live a couple of miles away; so I have gone over to mow, and rake and even help shovel; but I find that once a season is enough.
Overall, condo life has been a positive adjustment. It was interesting to come back after being gone for a few days at Thanksgiving and say "It's good to be home" and realize that the condo has become our home.
