Things I won't miss about apartment living

I have lived with, under, over, and next to complete strangers for the past 16 years. Since 1998 I have lived in various forms of dormitories, apartments and condos. Some of those strangers have become good friends. But, for the most part, apartment living stinks. And I am thankful for it. I thankful that it was nice enough to live in... but just annoying enough to push us to want more for our family and our future

. 

     The home we're living in right now is a prayer answered, a mountain moved, a door opened ...and a way where there seemed to be no way. 

     I wasn't easy. In fact it took us ten years to get here. Yes we made our share of mistakes. We suffered loss when we thought we would win, but we never gave up on faith, on hope and God's promise for our lives.  We learned trust, dedication, determination and perseverance. 

     I also learned about how detrimental bad debt can be... And how beneficial good debt is. In some ways, debt is very similar to overeating and weight gain-- think about it -- easy to gain ,... Hard to get rid of. 

  So, back to the point. I am happy, thankful and excited to be in a house and not an apartment. 

    So, here's my list of things that I won't miss about living in an apartment.

1. Paper-thin Walls - It seems like they always build apartments so that the bedrooms in different apartments are right next to each other. I understand why. (for pluming/symetry, etc.) But I don't understand why the walls can't have more insulation. 15 years of hearing too much, knowing too much about my neighbor's sexual activity is over. There were also the "wordless arguments" heard in the middle of the night. You can tell that people yelling at each other.. but you can't understand what they're actually saying.
2. Neighbors who insist on partying at 1am (when I have to be at work by 2 or 3 am). It's almost always at the worst time. Sometimes it's not even a real party, .. just a night when someone wants to "turn up" in their bedroom. 
3. Hearing neighbors argue or punish children  --- over it. If I wanted to hear people argue I'd watch reality TV. 
4. Carrying grocery bags up a flight of stairs or more- this is self explanatory. Lets see how many bags we get in each hand and see how far we can get without ripping through our fingers. 
5. Driving your trash or long walks to the dumpster at night.
6. Parking - It's like parking at the mall every day. Hoping the person that pulls up next to you won't ding your car. It's also annoying for guests.... because where do you park when there's only 5 guest parking spaces in the whole apartment complex?
7. Smelling other peoples cooking in my own home -- As much as I love eating out, experiencing other cultures and trying new foods. I don't want to smell your meal in the hallway, or seeping throughthe floor as i sit on the couch -- or worse the toilet. 
8. Walking outside into someone else's smoke break - A lot of work places are "smoke-free campuses" for this very reason. You tell people they can't smoke inside, so when they get the urge, they step outside the door and create a cloud of smoke worthy of an 90's nightclub or haunted house. Ultimately smoke rises. If you're on the top floor, you walk out into a mouth, nose, and face full of second hand smoke. 
9. Package deliveries - In some apartment complexes, the UPS or FEDex deliveryman will leave the package at your front door. Which is fine... but leaves you open to getting a package stolen. Other times they will leave it in the office. So, after you get home from work, hope that the office is still open so you can retrieve it.. or you'll have to wait until the next day. The worse and final option has been when the delivery is not left anywhere and you have to wait for them to come back the next day. ... and the next day until they finally allow you to pick it up from a physical location.
10. Awkward moments/greetings - I'm awkward enough. I try to avoid these at all cost.
11. Paying rent/ not reaping any benefit from payments - no explanation needed.  

Ethan's list 

1. You can't run in the house --He may be able to run a little more. But it's not going to be a playground inside. I'll just have to send him to the back yard.
2. Sharing a yard - I agree with him on this. Privacy is a beautiful thing.  (except for not having to cut the lawn)
3. It's small -we've been blessed to have bigger and bigger apartments each time we move.
4. No upstairs downstairs - Nice one Ethan. this one also gives us all a little more privacy - hopefully.
5. Small park -  I think we'll be walking or driving to the park from now on. 
6. Walking or driving to the mailbox  - definite bonus here Ethan. I think you stole this one from me.