The Studio

For the past 2 years,  Annie's residence in Rochester 

was the dorm at 100 Gibbs Street.  

Over the past 2 years,  I've tried to get pictures of her 

coming out of the dorm as we wait in the car 

for her to meet us.

More often than not,  she's running late.

But she always seems happy to see us.

This is the last picture of its kind 

because Annie moved out of the dorm 

and into a studio apartment 

where she will reside 

until she is finished with college.

This is her new building.  

It's an apartment building near school, 

home to people of all ages from all walks of life.

Unlike the dorm.

She moved in a few weeks ago

 and I drove up with the minivan

 loaded to the max with furniture,

 pots and pans, food, dishes, and a bike.

Arriving at dark,  Annie and I 

stayed in a hotel until the next day

 when we had a chance to unpack the car

 and set up the apartment.

There was hardly a place for her to sit.

It is a pretty large studio apartment with lots of light!

There is a separate galley kitchen and bathroom.

The only downside is the lack of storage space with only one tiny closet.

The bathroom is really pretty with tile and an old fashioned green tub and sink.

After unpacking the car, we measured windows and headed out shopping!  We bought curtains, waste baskets, kitchen essentials, a lamp, shower curtain, and enough odds and ends to make the space functional and homey.

Then Annie went to work at her coffee shop job just down the street and I began setting up.  I hung the curtains and shower curtain,  assembled a floor lamp, scrubbed the stickers off all of her dishes, unboxed her toaster...

By the end of the next day,  it was looking pretty nice!

This is the coffee table that Annie and I made when she was at home.  We used wooden pallets donated by Agway!

This little accent chair was from HomeGoods.  Isn't it pretty?

We got a cute red basket to hold toilet paper under the bathroom sink and a gorgeous shower curtain.

Annie picked out mismatched plates at HomeGoods too.

This is the view from her windows.

On my second day there,  we did a different kind of shopping.

This item was not functional, but it was just as essential 

to making the apartment a homey place to live.

Meet Jerome.

But his story is for another post.