The end of an era. Well, if you can call 18 months an era. Last weekend we moved from our apartment in St. Elmo to a home in the East Brainerd area, seen below:

I was hesitant to mention this on the blog as there is a contingent of prominent Chattabloggers that are quite enamoured with St. Elmo, and my self-concious side didn't want to be thought of as a sell-out moving to the burbs. So, indulge me for a little explanation... Anyone familiar with St. Elmo knows it's in a transitional state. Some people still consider the whole area a "bad" part of town, but there are some really nice parts. It seems a frequent occurence for homes to be bought and renovated. It's a matter of time before St. Elmo is some version of North Chattanooga -- mostly nicer renovated (and subsequently a bit overpriced) homes. We like St. Elmo, in general, and would have stayed in that area, if the right (rental) house had been available.

Our particular apartment wasn't in the best shape, though, and we had serious neighbor issues. You wouldn't think it's too much to ask to have peace and quiet (as opposed to having your windows constantly rattled by bass) when you're in your own home with the doors and windows closed. Especially after, oh, 11pm. You might also think that people know about doorbells and don't just honk the horn when they pull up in front of your house to announce their arrival. Our former neighbors would have disagreed and it was obvious they didn't care. Even worse was the unprovoked verbal harassment my wife received on a couple of different occasions. It wasn't a place we felt comfortable with anymore. Genia didn't like being home by herself and it wasn't a place we wanted to raise Bailey as she gets older and wants to be able to play outside, etc.

We're very happy with and excited about our new place, but of course there were a couple of sad moments as we packed up, remembering the special things we experienced there. When we brought Bailey home from the hospital, we brought her there. It was the first home she ever knew, and I know she won't miss it, but we had a lot of good times there with her that we'll always remember. I remember painting her bedroom when Genia was pregnant, and all the excitement as we furnished and arranged it in anticipation of her arrival. We also had a big birthday party for Genia when she turned 25. Friends from all over drove up to celebrate with us, and we had a blast. There were a lot of games of Foosball played -- most of them won by my brother Joel, but that's not the point.

I could go on and on with happy memories, but it's time to start making new ones at our new home. I think we're going to have a Luau!