This past Sunday after church, I came home and began cleaning. I looked out the window and all of a sudden it hit me:

Unless, we come back, this is the last fall I will live in Virginia. Soon, I will be leaving my church to join my husband.

A few moments passed and suddenly I paused again,  looked around my room and thought to myself:

“This is the last winter I will live in an apartment…by myself.”

And can I be honest? Well…I got a little sad.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Ethan and I’m ecstatic for our future together, but for the longest time, it’s been just me. I come as I want, leave as I please and play my music as loud as I can stand it. My closet is organized a certain way, my kitchen is set up just the way I like it and the only time I change the TV channel is if I want to. For the longest time, I’ve had a system and now that system is going to change.

There’s something to be said about this kind of change…yet I’m not quite sure it’s something that can be completely put into words. It’s something you just have to experience for yourself.

I’ve cried in this apartment, said my fears out loud out loud in this apartment…I’ve laughed with God while watching NCIS (yes I LOVE Gibbs and his crew…do NOT judge me), come to peace with my past…this apartment is where I began to spread my interior decorating wings, where Tammy and I have sat and had life-changing convos, where I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my family and where I started Sachel Samone Photography!! This apartment, this city represents much more than my independence. It represents a very special season in my life…a season where it was all about me releasing fears, facing my truths and growing as a woman.

Choosing to get married is such an exciting adventure, but a lot of times, because we’re so caught up in that excitement, it doesn’t hit us until later that our lives are about to drastically change. It’s not a bad thing, there’s just a lot to take in and accept as an individual. Especially if you’re been on your own for years.

I may not be moving tomorrow, but I know the end of this chapter is near and as sad as I am to leave MY apartment behind, I’m sooooooooooo excited to build a home with Ethan…TOGETHER. I’m ready to embrace this new chapter in my life.

But until we’re living under the same roof..well, I’m going to get out, breathe the crisp air, watch the leaves change colors, head to the beach, sip some fabulous wine and appreciate coziness that is Virginia in the fall.

After all…my time here isn’t over just yet. 🙂

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo,