On His Own

Dylan and Jake check the mail outside their newly acquired apartment.

May 21, 2016

It's now been more than five months since Dylan moved out, leaving me with an empty nest after 27 years of raising three children. He and Jake found a place back in early May, just weeks before Dylan's high school graduation, and then they moved out during Memorial Day weekend, two days after graduation.

The guys have an upstairs apartment.

I had to bug them for a week or two before we all got together at their new apartment so I could check it out before they moved in. I was pleased to find that it was very nice and fairly roomy. No funny apartment smell. And the best part is that it's only a couple of miles from my house! Of course, the fact that it's upstairs combined with the fact that my knees have been problematic for the past year means that I don't visit them at their place very often. Luckily, they come over pretty regularly and, of course, I see Dylan working at Walmart often!

Dylan and Jake at the top of their stairs.

Naturally, I brought my camera along when I saw their apartment for the first time. My baby moving into his own place for the first time is, after all, a momentous occasion! So here are some glimpses at Dylan's new home.

They have a view of Rainbow Lake from their parking lot, walking distance away.

They also have a clear view of the old Lakeside Cemetery,

right on the other side of the driveway from their apartment.

Living room, with kitchen on the right.

Living room, with balcony beyond.

Jake and Dylan and the relaxing view from their balcony.

Looking into the kitchen.

There are two bedrooms, but I only took one picture since they're fairly similar.

The bathroom is much roomier than the ones in my house.

June 4, 2016: Time to move out, including this vast collection of shoes!

The fact that the guys moved into their own apartment on May 30th certainly does not mean that they were all moved out of my house on that same date. That took a little longer. You'd think an 18-going-on-19-year-old boy wouldn't have that much to move, but you'd be surprised.

You never realize how much stuff you have until you move!

When Jacob and Danielle got married (June 7, 2014) and Jacob moved into their first place in May 2014, it took months to get all of his big stuff out of my house. As for the small things, I was still finding more of Jacob's belongings here and there for the following two years. In fact, I took a bag containing the last of his things to him when we visited them in Utah this past July. At least, I think it was the last of it!

Drawers for Dylan's desk.

Taking so much time to get everything of Dylan's out of my house simply wasn't an option. I was intent on getting Mark (Dylan's dad and my ex) moved into Dylan's old bedroom as soon as possible so I could have my den back. That meant stripping the bedroom and closet down to bareness before moving Mark and his stuff in. We managed to get it all done that very first week. I found a few of Dylan's loose items here and there in the coming weeks, but nothing since. Success!

Don't forget to take all the stuff from the back of the closet...

June 5, 2016: I furnished the boys' kitchen for their wedding gift.

How their living room looks now, all moved in with some furniture.

Now, five months later, their apartment is lived in and furnished with an eclectic collection of hand-me-down, inherited, and newly-purchased furniture. I nagged Dylan for months to send me pictures of the apartment now that they've got it all set up as they like it. My knees (which are finally starting to improve recently) had gotten far too painful for me to tackle their stairs. He finally sent me these shots a few weeks ago.

Looking from the living room toward the kitchen.

I have to say that I'm very proud of my son. Despite his youth, he's very serious about taking care of his life. They own two cars (both paid for) and pay all their bills on time. They perhaps dine out far more often than their mother thinks is healthy (ahem), but they take care of themselves without leaning on us. And Dylan (Jake, too) is cheerfully willing to help out his dad and me in any way needed, whenever we ask. (As is his sister Sarah, I might add, who quickly came to my rescue when I locked myself out of my house two Fridays ago...)

I love these shelves in the hall, where they keep their books, DVDs, and games.

I'm proud of you both, Dylan and Jake!

Master bedroom.

Second bedroom.