A self portrait, because it's been a while, and I don't want to lose myself in memories of this place. Nine days until we move into our home, and as much as I hate so many things about this apartment, I am beyond grateful for it. How much it allowed us to save in such a short amount of time, three and a half years of our noses to the grindstone while redefining ourselves a few times over. I taught myself how to be an entrepreneur in this apartment, I went back to school to study photography, and while living here I became a nanny, and a swimmer, and a homeowner. I turned 25, 26, and 27, which feel like the most defining ages so far. I remember the excitement of coming home with a new lens for the first time, it felt like Christmas, only better. And bringing our kitten home, who drove us absolutely crazy for the first two and a half years and now is the sweetest thing I can imagine, he surprises me with his sweetness every day. This is the only home he has ever known, and I can't wait to show him what else is out there (besides the landing at the top of the stairs and the contents of our fridge). The landscape of our lives is about to change drastically. This limbo period is strange, being physically in Oakland, but already dreaming about life in the mountains. In our garden. In our home. It finally feels like we're living our life, the one we have built for ourselves with the choices we have made, and it feels good.