Our 1st Disney World Experience! Part 1

We are BACK from Disney World, and I can honestly say, it was the BEST family vacation of our lives! 

Well, considering, we don't really do many of those, but of the few vacations we've done, this is the BEST one, and we hope to repeat it in the future! 

I wanted to do a blog post about it, simply because I felt so overwhelmed planning it, that I wanted to share what I learned on this trip. We absolutely went the 'EASY' route, and not the 'save money' route. I say this because I now see and know that you could probably do Disney World on a better budget, but since this was our first time coming, and doing this big vacation, we went ahead and booked through the Disney World website, and decided to buy a package deal to make it easy on us. I will say, it was TOTALLY  worth the money for sure! And maybe next time we will tweak a few things, to save a few bucks, but in all honesty, Disney World KNOWS how to do family vacations WELL!

When we booked our vacation, we received their "MAGIC BANDS" in the mail which is basically a wrist band, that has all of your hotel, park, and credit card linked to it, so that you don't have to carry anything with you! This magic band opens your hotel room, pays for your meals, and has all of your reservation info in it to enter the park! When you buy a Disney World package deal, you have an option of also purchasing their 'Memory Maker' pass which basically is taking pictures at the park by photographers that are strategically placed all over the park, so you can get iconic shots at the right spots, like in front of Cinderella's castle for example. This was something I purchased, not knowing too much about it, but so glad I did, and it's one way to save money, as you don't have to get it. Getting the memory maker photo pass does guarantee all the shots from the rides though, so that's fun!

*So we booked a Disney Resort Hotel, Park Hopper tickets (you can visit more than one of their 4 parks), Dining plan (Deluxe Plan) and the Memory Maker photo pass.

OK lets talk our resort. We stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside Disney Resort, and it's themed after New Orleans/Princess and the Frog, Bayou sort of situation. It's subtle though, so it feels nice, and not over the top Disney. We loved the scenery, and the rooms! We stayed at one of their deluxe rooms and it was simple, cute, and had just a bit of whimsy for Olivia and Matthew. We had two queen beds, and a pull out bed that had the character 'Louie' from Princess & the Frog on it. We could have gotten a more "theme-y" room, but you don't really stay at the room much, so we opted for their more basic rooms. Another little thing, was since this was our first time at Disney, they gave us some buttons to wear at the hotel that say "1st Time Here!" and tons of people at the park help you answer questions, give you a ton of info, and are just super nice and ask you how your visit is going. It's just little things like that, that made us really comfortable asking questions.

Little details in the room made this stay special. Like the Mickey towels being folded like this! When we showed up at the hotel, our check in time was at 3PM but because Steve was already in FL for the conference  and our tickets for the park started the day of check in, we called to see if we could check in at 7am instead of 3pm. Now we were told this was not a guarantee, but the moment we showed up, our room was READY! They got our room together so fast, and made it really easy on us to get ready for our first day at the park! Staying at a Disney Resort is super nice, because they have free transportation to the park each day! There are buses that run every 10 min to and from the park all day, so we just got ready, and went to the bus stop! This is also a great convenience because PARKING LOOKED LIKE A NIGHTMARE!

OK, this was the 'Memory Maker' thing I was talking about, or "photo pass" when we showed up at Magic Kingdom, we saw a bunch of photographers taking pics, so I asked if we could jump in, and they asked me if I had the "photo pass" so I said, 'yes' and then they told us, that the pictures will appear on our online account, and we had a month to download. After they take your photo, they scan your wristband, and two minutes later, you can see your photos online! The online thing also has an app, called 'My Disney Experience'  that allows you to view it, and has all of your dining reservations logged, so you have your itinerary handy. Also the app tells you how long the wait is in certain rides so you can plan your day. It includes maps, and descriptions of things, so you know how to navigate around the park. It makes your day SO EASY! Again, very well organized, and easy to follow! 

Oh, and having the photo pass also gave you access to getting photos with your favorite characters! This was Olivia after our late lunch at 'Be our Guest' restaurant! She loved all the character encounters!

The Disney Dining Plan was pricey and probably the best spent money in our opinion! You could totally go the cheap route, and take your food with you like sandwiches and sodas, but by buying a dining plan, you can eat at their sit down restaurants, and buying a Deluxe Dining plan gives you 3 meals a day, and two snacks. Each sit down meal includes an appetizer, entree, and dessert! We ate like KINGS! The food is not average by any means, in fact we ate at 'Be our Guest' Restaurant (probably the best restaurant at Magic Kingdom) and had an AMAZING 5 star meal! Steve could not believe how good the food was! This restaurant is themed after Beauty & the Beast, and it looks just like the Beast's castle. From the decor, you think it's all about atmosphere, but when you get your food, you realize they actually put thought into their menu! I had the BEST onion soup I've ever had in my life at that place! And then ate the BEST steak, followed by a delicious cheesecake/cupcake type thing. Matthew and Olivia were so impressed too! Matthew just kept eating, and eating. This is the restaurant that is ALWAYS booked! in fact, it was booked until the day we showed to the park! but by using my phone Disney app, I was able to book a dining reservation on a cancellation! It was the perfect situation, because it was the best place to eat.

Another place that we liked that was not super exciting as far as decor and atmosphere, was Tony's restaurant. It's Italian food themed after the Lady & the Tramp. Anyway, this is where we did dinner on our first day, and after having lunch at 'Be our Guest' we thought the food would go WAY downhill, but it didn't! this restaurant had amazing pizza, and great dessert too! I had some chocolate cake that was so good, I forced my full self to eat it, because it was so creamy and sweet! The only negative of the dining plan, is that it does NOT include gratuity  so you do spend on average about 15-25 dls tipping. But the dinner themselves are amazing!

The snacks that you get with the Deluxe Plan are 2 a day. This can be anything from a soda, fruit, to a pretzel, ice cream, or smoothie. The kids LOVED this! Matthew ate too many Mickey shaped ice cream sandwiches! No tipping is involved, and you just scan your magic band to get them! Easy!

Extras: 

I mean there are so MANY things NOT included with your Disney vacation package. These are all optional, and you can save by simply not doing them. Since Olivia's bday is in January, I wanted to do something special for her, so I booked a Fairy 'makeover' at the Bibbidi Bobbidy Boutique. This was totally separate from our package, and it was $60 dls. the crazy thing, is that it was the CHEAPEST package available! But well worth it! She got her hair, makeup, and nails done at the boutique, and got a sash, and a little backpack filled with make up stuff for her to keep. The boutique is inside Cinderella's castle, and she had a "fairy godmother" assigned to her. They also took tons of pictures that I now have from the Memory Maker pass. She REALLY felt special, as each person there is in character, and make the little girls feel like a million bucks. She was really appreciative of this experience, and that made it the more worth it to me.

So, our first day at Magic Kingdom was MAGICAL. Even Matthew who can care LESS about Princesses or anything girly, LOVED the lighting of Cinderella castle! They did a performance where Elsa from Frozen lights up the castle with her powers, and it's like a mini show, then the whole castle lights up, and there are fireworks!

The castle turns ice blue, and then all the "icicles" appear and it's really special. 

This is Steve and Matthew before the lighting of the castle. They bought lights because they got all excited. I'm sure they regret spending cash on those things! Again, for this park being so girly, the boys had a ton of fun! They did 'Splash Mountain', and several other boyish rides, that filled their cup for manly entertainment. 

Magic Kingdom was simply AMAZING. I could have spent the entire 3 day stay there! The next day we did Disney Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom on our last day. I will write about those two parks later, but in all honesty, the magic of Disney is in this park for sure!

So, just to review on how to save: 

-Book your tickets through a travel agent or look for discounts on websites for park tickets (that's if you aren't doing a resort) just keep in mind that you will probably have to rent a car, and pay for parking.

-If you are doing a resort, you can save by not getting the photo pass, and not doing a dining plan! But the dining plan is worth it to me!

Jazmin

Call us WILLAGIRLS!

Olivia & I signed up to be WillaGIRLS! 

So, if you know me, you know that I'm not into selling stuff. I just don't feel like I'm good at it, and it doesn't come natural to me. BUT if you know me, you know that I'm passionate about products that can replace what you already use and are gentle on the environment. I feel that as I mature, I care more and more about the part I play in the world and what I can do to make a change for the better. 

When I had Matthew & Olivia I started to care about how I could make this world a better place for my kids. Before my kids I never cared about recycling or anything having to do with conservation. I didn't care about anything or anyone but myself, and if you are a parent, you know that life changes the moment you have a family. All of the sudden I wanted to do better! I wanted to be gentler, I wanted to teach my kids to love the earth, and to do their best in caring for it. It's crazy how having children changes the way you see the world. When Matthew was a toddler, he would always point out balloons out to me,  I remember thinking: "WOW, there are a LOT of balloons in the world!" I have never seen so many balloons in my life! The reality is that there are still MANY balloons in the world, we just don't take the time to see them. Life with a little one changes your perspective. All of the sudden, I cared to recycle, to not overuse things, I cared about the diapers my kids wore and the impact they caused on the environment. I tried to change, and I succeeded in some areas and failed in others. But we all try our best each day, and now, we do it together. 

Matthew during his: "look, balloon!" phase.

Olivia wearing flushable "g" diapers. They were pricey but gentle on the enviroment.

Crazy how pets affect you in a similar manner. Before we adopted Riley our dog, I never cared about animal rights. When we lived in San Antonio we went to Sea World, and enjoyed the water shows with the killer whales. It never occurred to me, that maybe those whales are not thriving in this unnatural environment. I never cared to know if animals at the zoo where being properly taken care of. Of course, we need Sea World and the Zoo for our children to get to see and learn about these magnificent animals that we are blessed to have in the world, but I just didn't care. Ignorance is bliss indeed. After we adopted Riley, we found out about how many dogs, rabbits, monkeys, and other animals are used for testing out cosmetics, medications, etc. I know that we are blessed with modern day medicine and cures to many diseases thanks to the sacrifice of these animals, but when it comes to the use of animals for testing something that is not really that important or necessary, such as make- up, I have a hard time justifying the torture of these innocent creatures. Did you know they blind many animals during tests for cosmetics by measuring how long chemicals burn through a rabbits cornea? Did you also know you don't need to do that, as you can now drop that same chemical into 3D tissues structures produced by human cells? But what can you do? Simple, don't purchase any product that utilizes animal testing. This also goes for household products.  After 3 years with Riley I see how animals have feelings. Feelings like you and me. They care, they hurt, they love. 

As my kids get older and approach the tween years, I now face another stage where facial cleansers and acne prevention are thing I have to start thinking about. I have looked and looked and I couldn't find gentle, natural, ethical products that I was OK with Matthew or Olivia using on their face. There are products out there that state on the label that said product is not tested on animals, BUT that doesn't mean that the company putting them out doesn't have another product line that does test on animals. So, when a friend of mine started to sell Willa products I was intrigued. What caught my eye was they claimed to NEVER test on animals, and to be gentle, using only necessary chemicals in their product to be effective, but nothing else. With more research I have found this company to do as they claim. I went as far as to calling them and asking detailed questions about their process. 

You can read about their ingredients and about the company here.

After a few doubts, and thoughts, I decided to sell the product simply to make it more accessible to others that, like me, care about the environment, want the best for their family, and care about animal rights. Will I make money? Maybe, maybe not. But in all honesty, that's not why I want to do this. I really want to make a product available to a younger generation of girls that care about their appearance far more than our generation did, and instill good values while doing it. That you don't have to sacrifice inner beauty for outer beauty. That the best way to shine, is by doing it in an honest, conscious, and ethical way. In doing this, Olivia is participating in every step. She is using the lip gloss, and trying out the lotions and really learning about the product. And Matthew is already really loving the gentle skin cleanser, because dudes need skin solutions too! 

Want to learn more about these awesome skin products? 

Head over to Olivia & my webpage here:

Willa

They have an awesome, awesome deal this month that we are already using!!!

Buy one of their 3 step kit (valued at $68 & $58 dollars) for $35! 

Choose between their 3 step daily routine or the acne 3 step! 

And guess what? Although the target market for these great products are the tweens & teens, you too can use them! Especially their tinted SPF face sunscreen! I just put that on and the lip gloss and I look put together in seconds. 

Best part?! No added chemicals only the ingredients used to make this product effective and that's it!

 This ^ sits on our entry table, I like having it ready so I can apply and go.

Be sure to check out our page to order!
www.willa.com/wg/jazmin-and-olivia

I hope you stop by our page and learn more!

Jazmin 

Denver Apartment Pics

Denver Digs. 

Here are so pictures of our little apt here. I love it so much mainly because it gets a TON of light! I will do a "tour" once it's all done, I feel like the living room and the kids room is in progress, but for the most part we feel pretty settled. 

We ended up getting a storage unit because we had so much stuff! We went through our storage the other day and took several boxes to Goodwill making me feel a little better. 

Anyway, I have bought a few things here and there, and I wish I could get some rug and other accessories, but then I remember that this is a very temporary situation, so I don't think I'm going to add much more. 

Anyway, here are some pics. 

This is what you see when you first come in^ The apt is super open and airy.

If you turn around you will see our dining room/ "flex space" which has some shelves and I don't know what other things you would use that for. 

The apt has a to of little nooks that are useful, like this desk/entry table. We use it for keys, mail, and to put sunscreen and lip balm on. That's a ritual now, because this sun really dries our skin. 

The kitchen is kick butt! It's pretty big, and has great new appliances and granite countertops, which is really nice. We use this island as a breakfast space for the kids, and the dinner table for dinners or just to work on. 

This half wall is off of the kitchen taking you into our bedroom, but I needed some extra shelves for work stuff, so I found this shelf at Ross and it's working perfect! I didn't even measured but it works and keeps our office stuff in one place.

Our bedroom has awesome floor to ceiling windows! It gets the most light and I really like to spend time there.

This is in the kids room...and I'm still trying to figure out how to arrange it all. It's bigger, but has big windows, and we just got another dresser for Olivia because we didn't have enough storage, so once I get that room organized i'll take pics. 

Anyway, we like it here, and the neighbors are really nice! We already used the s'more pit and invited friends over, and the kids really like the park across the street, which is nice. 

Overall I'm happy we went for this place even though is a bit higher in price that we wanted. The central location makes it so nice for the kids and for Steve's job. Did I mention there is a Target within walking distance? Yeah, Steve should of thought of that detail before moving me here!

Jazmin

Denver Digs & Summertime Sadness

It's been over a week since we arrived to Denver, and already I have been hard at work hanging, unloading, and making sure the apt looks like our home. 

We've had a lot of fun since the moment we got here. We have enjoyed great weather, and today we got to hang out with my sister in law & kiddos as they came from Dallas to play in a soccer tournament here. 

Good times all around. After the tournament, Steve, the kids and I went to see all these model homes in our area! <-----that is literally the most fun for me. I just love to get ideas from model homes, and imagine myself living in them. Also, decorating model homes is the ultimate dream job for me! 

Anyway, all was well and then...I got really down. 

Like, I want to just break down and sob, type of down. WHY?! I couldn't understand! 

And then, it hit me. I want to be settled in a home so bad, and I just have never had that in my life. 

The most settled I have ever been was in our little home in Dallas. I know this all sounds very #firstworldproblems but the reality is, that my childhood was anything but stable, and all I ever dreamed of was having my own room, which happened for a very short period, before my mother and I had to move again. I also wanted a family so bad. My mother & dad had a complicated relationship to say the least, so the happy family home never happened.

Interior Design is absolutely my passion. As soon as Steve is done with fellowship, I will pursue that as my career. I think I have an eye for it, but I realized today, that it's more than just designing and making things  look "pretty". I truly long for a permanent house that I can make a home. A home where I can just settle down, and know that this is where I will be for many years. I want that for the kids too! I want a home where the kids have memories of growing up! We have moved for med school, residency, and now fellowship, and while the kids are seriously loving Denver (so much, that it's impressing me) I just can't help but to feel like I owe them some stability.  Decorating a home is just part of that equation. 

I knew the moment we arrived to this apt, that I was going to break out the boxes and hang stuff. I feel that our summer has been consumed by selling the house, prepping for the move, and finally moving that the kids haven't really been enjoying their time off.  I want to be settled asap, so that they get to enjoy some part of it.

So, I gave myself 2 days to hang pictures, mirrors, and unpack. 

I slaved for 2 nights making sure all was unpacked and hung in the right places. I even convinced Steve to make an Ikea trip with me on the 4th of July, because I had a list of very specific things we needed, and I needed his help to get said stuff in the car.

I knew I wanted lamps, we needed a small tv stand, and rolling carts for my craft stuff. He looked at me like I was on crack, but the apt looks pretty much done. Just have to tweak some stuff.

 I recreated our little gallery wall that I had back at home, here. It reminds me of Dallas. 

Anyway, I think I have to accept the fact that we still have one or two more moves after this fellowship, and I think I will have to settle for decorating other peoples houses instead of mine. Will I ever get my forever home? By the time we can or will, I think the kids will be too old to enjoy it, so no memories there! <---- I realize that there are many people in the world that don't have a roof over their heads, and that this attitude is very childish, but I just can't help but to feel like I have a hole that needs to be filled, and perhaps it never will be filled. Perhaps, I need to get over that dream? Maybe, I should let God re-direct those thoughts to something constructive... Anyway, I guess, I was just feeling so down today, that I just needed to vent. Maybe it has to do with my unstable childhood that I now feel like I have to make up for it?! Ugh! I need a shrink... or a different dream. 

Jazmin

Life Happenings

Life is a bit hectic right now, and I'm trying to absorb it all, but man is it kicking my butt!

We went from a relatively plain/ boring life to all of the sudden, too many changes in very little time that has my head spinning. 

For example: After 5 years of residency, Steve finally graduated! He honestly has been super busy, and will continue to be busy until he finishing taking the BOARDS.. does it ever end? Apparently, it does! And I'm NOT ready!

Here are some pics of the last few weeks.. more like days really.

Graduation! Steve is DONE being a resident, and is we are off to Denver in about 2 weeks! 2 WEEKS people!

Matthew turned 11 yesterday! I have a VEEEERRRRYYY long post on him, but I need to sit down to really put it all together... I just can't believe he's a pre-teen! And growing up too fast, which is giving me all kinds of anxiety.

Last week was probably the longest week of my life. I volunteered to help at the kids school, and even though it wasn't too difficult, I had lots of stuff and emotional baggage to get through add all the end of school parties and graduations.. I was barely hanging on!

Here is a pic of some props i made for Matthew's graduation photo booth.

The end is here! Again, more pictures of Steve's classmates as full blown Orthopedic surgeons! It was a loooooooooonnnnnnggggggg road for everyone.

 At Steve's class "ROAST" celebration. Basically a fun celebration with all residents and new comers. They are passing the torch sort of speak, and it's a fun time for everyone. Steve and his class made a super funny video for the party, and it was a hit! Funny, stuff for sure!

 We SOLD & CLOSED on our home! 

WHAT A BLESSING THIS HAS BEEN! The whole process was a packaged in a pretty box with a bow! Super fast process of selling, and closed on the house without any issues. I don't think this will happen again for a long time, but glad this was super smooth for us!

Oh, and Olivia fractured her wrist too... oy!

Yeah, I just feel all sorts of emotions. From wanting to move, only because I want to feel settled, but not wanting to move because I will miss all of our dear friends and family.. but I'm also excited to get going with our last year of "school" and I just don't even know how I feel about renting our house for a few weeks and officially giving up the keys.. just so much! I just need to pray and try to stomach it all. I will say though, that we are feeling soo blessed, and it feels almost like we don't deserve it!

I'll get back to you, when I feel l have my grip on things!

Jazmin

House Hunters: Denver

Last week was fun/stressful. Steve and I were excited to finally fly into Denver to pin down a place to live. At first, and due to all of our research we knew that we were going to have to downsize to a condo, or town-home. We were set on the area, and wanted to rent a town-home from an owner instead of a apartment community but Denver's real estate is booming so much, that there was hardly any rental properties on the market, as most decided to sell. So, we had to look into an apartment community in our target area. 

First of all, can I just say, that Denver is really pretty but it's also surprisingly pricey for Texas standards. We knew that we were going to pay more, but expected more space or storage than what we got. Thankfully, the area and schools really make up for it. We will be in the suburb of Aurora in Denver. It's a carefully planned community with tons of kid activities, great schools, and super safe streets. Bonus, is only about 10 min away from Steve's work! Steve is SUPER excited to cut his commute down! He's been known to sit in traffic for an hour on really bad rush hour days. So, off we flew early in the morning and arrived to some scheduled showings. 

Our criteria was the following: 

2 bed 2 bath

At least 1000 sq feet

First floor/ preferably

Had to belong to amazing schools

Needed to have lots of light (apartments can be so dark sometimes, I didn't want to be stuck in a place like that all day)

Dog friendly complex, so that we didn't have to worry about taking Riley. 

No. 1

The first place we saw was great, and immediately felt like that was THE apartment we should go for. It's a new complex, and all apartments had tons of windows. There was a lot of light, and was very airy. These are pictures of their 2 bed, 2 bath model, and if we wanted something like this, we needed to be on the second floor, as there is no 1st level floor plan like this... No bueno.

I love this little desk nook off of the entry. Perfect place to place keys, or even use as a desk for my laptop since I would have to sell my actual desk! Yep, not enough space in any of these properties.

LOVED how bright it was! And I also loved that had laminate floor, because I was dreading carpet during the snowy months, when we will have to take off shoes, and leave a slushy mess everywhere.

The kitchen was on point! But I think that's all properties in that area, because all of the places we looked at had a ton of counter-space and updated kitchens. Did not expect that from an apartment.

LIGHT AND WINDOWS! Yes, this place really impressed me! I loved the windows everywhere! I think I get seasonal depression when it's all cloudy, so I told Steve that we HAD to get a place with light, or I was going to be miserable. This apt had all of that.

 This complex was really dog friendly! Had a little doggy run and washing station, the only thing is that the doggy run, was truly tiny. The picture makes it look big, but it was more like a large bedroom size. Still is better than nothing for exercising Riley on really cold days.

Again, we loved the property, but still wanted to see if we could find a better deal. 

No.2

Second place we looked at was a 3rd floor 2 bed, and 1 bath. Was slightly cheaper than the first place, but not by much, and we would have to give up one bathroom. 

Already, I was like: "NO." I mean, 3rd floor?!

Apparently, those are the nicer ones, because you get a vaulted ceiling and a large porch that wraps around the place. And are slightly less expensive. 

I kept an open mind, but I was already thinking how miserable it was going to be to take Riley out to pee everyday, going up and down 3 flights of stairs! The bathroom thing didn't bother me, because Steve leaves really early, and we all have different times that we shower, that don't conflict.

I did like that the floor plan was very open, and bright.

The only bathroom was pretty nice size, so it wasn't going to be hard to share. 

The kitchen (not pictured) was long and narrow, but very nice and had a lot of cabinets, but not enough counter space. The apt lady suggested we add a little cutting board counter or something. 

This place had a GREAT dog run! More like a doggy park! and was closest to Steve's work, 5 min to be exact, that would mean we could take the kids out for walks, and bike rides as a family, which is what we are planning to do.

No.3

The third place we looked at a 2 bed, 2 bath in another property, but was at the very tippy top of our budget, and that made me feel uneasy. I mean, to just be moving to Denver for a year, I wanted to really enjoy all that the city has to offer, and not worry about budgeting, and feeling house poor, so I was kind of not even interested in looking at it, but it did offer the most square footage, and storage.

The pictures don't do it justice, but it was light and spacious. 

The master bath was HUGE!

This place had the most spacious dining room, and I liked that because I would be able to put my desk and dining room table along that wall. Again, it was pretty large, but my pics aren't very good.

The laundry room was nice. The other apartments have small dryer and washers. These were full size and brand new!

This was a small bathroom, but it was nice for the kids.

This place was nice, but it felt a little dated and the price was too much in my opinion, but they did have the first floor option.

So, which one did we choose?...

We chose No. 1! 

We will be in the second floor, which was not really what I wanted, but that promised the most uninterrupted light and a little nook that made all of the difference in the world to me.

Basically, the first level apt was exactly as the pictures above for the first option, but it didn't offer a closed off balcony, and didn't have this nook below:

This nook was only available on the second floors, and was only $50 dls more added to the rent. Now, that was important, because this is where we will have our dining room table/desk for me to work, plus it offers those little shelves ^ and a large corner closet (not pictured) for winter stuff, so those $50 bucks made it worth it to me for storage, and to not sale my dining room table, which would have bummed me out. It also saves us a storage unit that we were thinking of getting, saving us more in the long run.

Also, because it was a new apt complex, the rent is more on level with what we wanted to pay as they are just being introduced and had more available options.

So, although it's not huge place it feels open, and nice. We also plan on selling even more furniture, and that alone has really made me think of how I live and what I truly find to be necessities, which are giving me a whole new perspective on clutter and living within our means.

Remember, visitors are WELCOME! We can fit an air mattress in the living room, or there is a hotel 2 min from our place if your prefer to spread out.  The other plus about this complex is that we have a whole shopping and movie theater withing walking distance, and the rent includes the Stapleton Community Card!< that's huge, because Stapleton offers a Community Garden, 6 resort style pools, and dog parks that can only be accessed with that card! If we didn't have that, we would have to pay a membership for our family and that would have been a lot of $$$! 

So, it was an awesome deal in the end! 

Can't wait to start decorating the place! I really hope to make it feel homey and enjoy our year there. 

Jazmin