Life at Springfield Manor part 1

It never fails to amaze me how much stuff we've accumulated every time we move...  And though I weirdly kind of enjoy it, Danny is less enthused with the process.

Luckily, some awesome men from our church helped us move.  Then awesome men from our new church were waiting to meet us at Springfield, where they helped us unload all 3 vehicles and haul everything upstairs.  (This mostly happened in the rain, btw...)

In fact our first few days were stormy, which is not only our favorite kind of weather, but perfect for unpacking and settling in.

Our apartment is above the "Groom's Lounge," the 2nd floor of the oldest part of the house, built in 1760!

It's probably the quirkiest apartment I've ever had, but we absolutely love it.  There are several entries into the apartment, but this is the main one, a very narrow hidden staircase.

The wooden floors throughout are stunning, and our décor feels right at home here.

There's lots of great natural light for our plants too.  (Ignore the one that looks like she's dying--she's just being dramatic).

It's not a full kitchen, but we've gotten pretty creative with our food prep and we barely miss having a proper stove and oven.  (There is one in the commercial kitchen downstairs, but it's a bit of a hike and sometimes occupied, so we mostly cook in our egg maker, 2 top electric, and waffle-maker--which I learned is perfect for grilled cheese and paninis :)

My room has become my (new) little sanctuary...  Somehow the light and air remind me of my grandparents' beach house when I was a kid.

What truly made it feel like "home" was getting my books unpacked and a few of our favorite pieces of art displayed.  We started Stranger Things (I had seen it, but Danny hadn't and I knew he'd love it), and we finally got a Switch, so we spend a lot of time in here :)

I especially love enjoying my coffee and breakfast by this window in the mornings while I plan out my day...  This is also a great way to get out onto the room to look at the stars at night, which are absolutely beautiful here because we're just far enough from the city.

After a couple days to settle in, we had our first day of work--picking up walnuts in the front yard so the guys could mow, deep-cleaning the first floor in preparation for the events, and lots of little organizing projects.  We also rearranged the dining room and I made new centerpieces :)

We also added our first little bits of fall decorations...

Which have made the Inn feel a bit cozier :)

I love being surprised by the views here, especially when we get storms...

But clear skies are beautiful too!

I especially love it here in the early evening...

And though it's hard to tell, this is a picture of the full moon, taken from our front porch.

And though it's a lot of work (I'm averaging about 50 hours/week), we're having so much fun.  Danny is helping me full-time now, and he is most appreciated.  His favorite chores involve driving the golf cart and 4-wheelers, and I can't say I blame him :)

And him taking a lot of the physical burdens off my shoulders leaves me time to focus on the "girly" details, like this bundle of lavender a guest requested in her room...

We're still getting to know the house, and I'm still finding neat little details I hadn't noticed before, like this incredible hardware on the door of the Linden Suite...

We've also been able to do a bit of exploring!  (More to come...)