[InChiefsHeaven]

Is she with a roomate or on her own? Congrats by the way, it's hard to see them go but they really need to, and at least she's not one of those that will hang on leeching from you into her 30's...

I had to move out back in the day a little earlier than planned because I had knocked up my girlfriend and needed to figure out my future away from my parents. Moved into a shitty little roach infested one bedroom in Omaha's lovely Dundee area. 235\month, utilities paid...basically cheapest I could find. You walked in to a large room which was the kitchen, dining room, living room, then a short hallway to the surprisingly decent bathroom, and next to that was the bedroom, which had a shockingly large closet. All told though, probably about 500 square feet. Once me and the roaches got on a first name basis, I settled in to the place just fine and actually enjoyed living there. I mean, I was there for about a year and in that time I had so many stories, I should write a book. Crazy neighbors for sure. Place was section 8 (didn't know that when I moved in) so there was a lot of weirdos living there. The roaches of course (I ended up getting a cat who was a damn good "roacher"), but the independence of it was truly freeing. Since at the time I didn't know what my life would be with this girl (who became my wife and we are together to this day) I didn't give her a key, so I had one place that I could go to be left alone. It was glorious.

But I do have to say, that first night, when everyone who came to help and eat pizza and drink beer had left, I said goodnight and closed the door...and turned around to face my empty, quiet...kinda creepy apartment. It suddenly occurred to me that in this room had gone probably dozens if not hundreds of people before me...who KNOWS what had gone on in this place. It was like living in a permanent hotel, a place that never did feel like home, and honestly I didn't sleep worth a shit on my first night...I may have had a fleeting wish to return to my bedroom in the suburbs. In fact it took like a week to settle in. But once I was in, it was great. I had moved out and was my own man.

God, that was a long ass time ago...