Where I've Been

Mostly, moving. Sure, I only actually moved for two days a couple of weeks ago, but moving is a process. For those of you who haven't put yourselves through this particular torture in quite a while, please allow me to refresh your memory. If you have a bit of a control issue, this will more closely speak to you in particular.

There is the sorting and labeling and organizing of all your worldly possessions before you even collect your first cardboard box. This will inevitably lead to the culling of your things, things that you thought just hours before you started were perfectly useful. Now they are just more things that need to be bubble wrapped, taped, padded, stacked or whatever, and sentimentality tends to lose out over the sheer amount of work it is just to move all that stuff from point A to point B.

9 pairs of shoes were sacrificed. Those ridiculous platform shoes I bought for $20 6 Halloweens ago to be hippy/mod chick? Probably didn't need to bring them the last time I moved. The lucky recipient of that Salvation Army box will be super groovy.

Once things do start making their way into (clearly labeled, organized by closet/room/use) boxes, it starts to feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. However, the oddest thing happens. That self-satisfied smirk gets repeatedly wiped off your face every time you open a drawer or closet door you haven't been in for a while and you see that there are 469 things you completely forgot about. Things you need. The boxes start to multiply and if you're even a bit of a procrastinator, you will find yourself on moving day, watching the bulk of your items be lifted out of the apartment and into a truck while you unceremoniously start chucking "last minute" things into even more boxes.

My kitchen alone was packed into 9 boxes. My new roommate is a chef. Besides his clothes, the only material possessions he brought to the move were kitchen related. Thank God for the large amount of kitchen cabinet space in my new apartment.

Other things that are awesome about my new apartment:

Soaring ceilings, large rooms, including bathrooms. I have so much cabinet space in my bathroom, I almost felt sorry that I threw away so many unused hair/skin products while packing. I have a good excuse to go buy more delicious beauty product now, though. I can't waste all of that good cabinet space. That would be irresponsible. There are children in China with no cabinet space!

Patio. Not some tiny little apartment balcony, but an actual patio, with a table, 4 chairs, and thanks to my man and my very sweet father, my brand new grill. The patio is large enough that with all of that stuff and some planters out there, there is still plenty of room to play fetch with my dog every morning. It's huge.

Even though this place is temporary until my man and I make our way into our new place together, I really like it here. I'm certainly not looking forward to making another move anytime soon, but it will be even more worth it next time. My roomie will be someone I can't wait to wake up next to every day, and for that, I will subject myself to the cardboard box torture. Besides, I'm totally going to make him do all the hard work.