Our First Home

I realize that I should have posted these photos many months ago, but, hey, better late than never! Ben and I have lived in our first apartment for eight months now, so there have been some slight changes in our apartment since these pictures were taken. Still, since I know many of you will never get to see our Knoxville home in person, I hope you enjoy seeing these photos and hearing about how our little haven came together. 

We are so fortunate and blessed to have such generous family and friends. Most of the items in our apartment were given to us, or we bought them for very cheap! Ben bought the dresser a year or two ago while he was living in Riddleton, and I painted it with homemade chalk paint. It's amazing how a fresh coat of paint can take a dated dresser and turn it into something pretty!

My favorite piece of furniture is definitely our hutch. It was a wedding gift from my grandmother, and we had so much fun picking it out! I always joke that the hutch looks like a display from Hartsville Pharmacy, where I used to work. Our kitchen table and chairs have been passed down for a couple generations, making us the third couple to own it after my parents and grandparents. I painted them white with the help of my family, and the set looks absolutely adorable in our apartment! 

Amie, Grace, and Hannah helped me put together the photo collage wall, which looks fantastic! The light green half-moon table was found in the old house on my parents' farm and, of course, I painted it for a pop of color, since we're not allowed to paint the walls in our apartment. The mirror was a $5 find from Goodwill, and I upgraded it with a coat of slightly metallic bronze paint.

One of the most talked-about pieces in our home is the couch that Ben bought for $2.50 at an auction! It was basically brand new! It's become my sister's favorite napping spot, and it serves as our "guest room" for the many overnight guests that we've hosted.

Our kitchen is quite tiny with very little storage, so we had to add a shelf to help keep everything organized. I've grown to love the mustard yellow stove, although it has been tricky to get used to. The one good thing about a small kitchen: cleaning takes absolutely no time!

I saw this cool idea on Pinterest, and I love how the desk turned out! We found two cheap filing cabinets, painted them, and placed a finished piece of plywood on top. I love how much storage the drawers give me, and when we move, the desk completely disassembles. 

This is the latest addition to the apartment. Ben bought me this electric piano for Christmas, and I love it! I really miss playing the piano and having one here is helping to keep me in practice. 

                                                                                                   

As of right now, I'm only enrolled in 14 hours at UTK, which is the (almost) fewest hours I've ever taken! I'm taking Food Chemistry, Fresh Meats, Introduction to Fiction, Volleyball (my personal favorite), and I'm a teacher's assistant for a food processing lab. Food Chemistry is the toughest class that I'll have, but the rest of it seems like it will be fairly easy--a welcome change from previous semesters filled with intense courses and hours upon hours of lab work. It's my last semester here, so I'm very thankful that I get to take it easy for a change.

Life in Knoxville is fantastic! We're loving all the fun things to do, and we're getting so spoiled living close to everything! (We live within 3 miles of Chik-fil-A, Starbucks, and Hobby Lobby!) Julie spends a lot of time hanging out with us at our apartment, and we really do love having her around. We'll definitely miss her next year when we're living in Memphis. (More on that later.) Living so close to the mountains has been nice, as well. We've visited the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area three or four times since we've been here.

Last October, I was accepted into pharmacy school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center after a whirlwind of a semester (when I decided to finish undergrad a year early). At UTHSC, first year pharmacy students are placed at the Memphis campus for one year and can choose where they want to spend the last three years of pharmacy school. (I chose Nashville!) Ben and I will be moving to Memphis in the summer, and we'll be visiting there in April for orientation and apartment hunting. While it is sad to think that I'm almost halfway through with my last semester at UTK, we're very excited for these nest few years, and we're especially excited for when we get to move back to Middle Tennessee after our year in Memphis.

I apologize that I haven't posted anything sooner! I would say that I will post more often, but clearly that is not a promise that I can keep with my schedule. Thank you for being so patient! I hope you enjoyed a little tour of our home and this update on our Knoxville adventure.