I'm back

I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post.   Our move and traveling for work hasn't helped much, but it feels like things are starting to slow down you may actually hear from me more often.  Here is a bit of the things that have been in happening in my corner of the world.

-We bought our first home!  It took less time than we planned to get things moved over and we are unpacked in all of the common spaces.  I still don't feel comfortable navigating my way through the kitchen, but at least we have enough space for everything and my roaster doesn't need to be stored in the linen closet.
-I went to Cancun and Orlando for work.  I love to travel and Cancun was really nice, but being away while we were still in the process of getting settled was stressful.
-I turned 27!!!  More to come on what that means in regards to my 30 Before 30.
-Jake and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary!

our moving announcement

cookie dough cupcakes for my birthday from Jenn Cakes-A-Lot

things gone wrong

I had wanted to title this post, "Move Mishaps" but realized that some of the things that have gone wrong aren't as much mishaps as they are just plain unfortunate.  So, without further delay I'm going to share a few things that have gone wrong as a result of the the big move.

First, one of our place settings didn't make the trip to our new place.  Why?  Well, because we simply couldn't find it.  Jake told me I miscounted how many we'd gotten after the wedding, but I know myself and I would never have asked for nine place settings instead of eight or ten (everyone knows you're supposed to get them in even increments).  But just in case perhaps we hadn't received the even number we'd asked for, I went ahead and checked our registry online and I was right- we asked for ten place settings and that's how many we got.  Once I confirmed that one was missing for sure, I emailed Jake to  let him know that we needed to search our place again.  His response:

"I'm pretty sure if we've gotten by this long without using it we'll be OK.  Plus, now that I think about it, I remember that place setting walking off awhile ago... it was fed up."

I mean how am I suppose to take him seriously when this is how he reacts to big issues like missing place settings?  Needless to say, we never did find it.

While we're on the topic of wedding gift being broken, two other items fell victim to our move.  The first was one of my Mikasa goblets (I only had four to begin with) and the second was my matching Mikasa swirl pitcher.  The goblet broke in transit and can easily be replaced, but the pitcher shattered after being cleaned.  I think it had something to do with being washed with too hot of water and rinsed with water too cold... but I can't be sure.  I am sure though that it is no longer available (in the clear) to buy so its gone for good.

We've also had a few pairs of shoes get chewed while they waited for a more permanent home; our kitchen table has water marks from being rained on while in transit; and one of the feet on our TV stand broke off completely.  The shoes were tossed, the table's stains can be covered with a tablecloth, and we've positioned TV stand perfectly to remain in tact... it just can't be easily moved.  All in all, I'd say it was a successful move. Nothing extremely valuable got  ruined and I really love our new place... so it was worth it.

one room done

The kitchen in our new place is the only room I'd say is 100% done, and by done I mean livable and decorated.  All of the other rooms are still lacking in the decor department; they need pictures to be hung and items to find their permanent home... you know, last minute touches.

I'm happy though that the kitchen was the first room to be checked off our list since we spend so much time there and I really do love how it turned out.  Our color choice, "Pitter Patter" was a good compromise since Jake likes everything 3 shades darker than I do.  Judge for yourself.

Before

 

After

making progress, I guess

I don’t remember any of my moves in college or the one to our current apartment being this bad. I’ve made progress and we’ve gotten rid of a ton of stuff, but when I look around it doesn’t seem like I even made a dent. There are tupperwares everywhere and lots of the TJ Maxx and Marshall’s reusable bags stuffed with random things, but I’m still unsure of how it’s all going to get from point A to point B by Saturday night.

On a more productive note, we did pick out the paint color for the kitchen (which I’m keeping a surprise) and have made the majority of calls regarding our utilities, renter’s insurance, and all that other jazz. Jake has been a HUGE help with this and it’s been such a relief to not have to use all my lunch breaks to sit on hold and make these arrangements.

I’m off this later this week because of the holiday and really hope to have things close to well-organized before I get back to work on the 31st! Fingers crossed anyway.

boxes, boxes come out wherever you are

It's official... Jake and I are moving at the end of May!

While I realize the move from one rental to the next isn't as exciting as the move from renting to owning, this is the stage Jake and I are at and I'm not upset about it at all!  Actually, I'm perfectly content, its where we should be.

So, in two weeks we'll be leaving the 948 sq. ft. apartment we've come to call home for the past 20+ months for a townhouse in another area of VB- and I'm really looking forward to the change (I think we both are, which is a big deal if you know Jake).

Honestly, the only thing I'm concerned about is packing.  Everyone knows thats the toughest part about moving and we've only scratched the surface at this point.  However, I think having a place lined up and a set move date will help motivate me to do more than I have been.  I want to get started this weekend, but all I keep thinking about is what am I going to pack things up in?  I haven't been one of those proactive people whose been collecting boxes the past month and I wouldn't have the slightest idea of where to get some from.  Oh well, it'll eventually make its way over to the new house one way or another.

The only other thing I've been thinking about as far as preparation, and its minor, is what I want to paint in the new place before we start moving furniture.  We made arrangements to get our keys on Thursday so we'd have time to slowly move boxes over and paint before the big stuff gets moved but I'm not sure what I want to mess with.  Despite this place being a rental, its still very much our next home and paint to me can work wonders in taking a sterile space and making it warm and inviting.  At the same time, everything has to be painted back before we move out so I don't want to get too crazy with it!  For now, I decided the kitchen HAS to be painted and the only other space I'm considering would be the living room.  Currently the walls are stark white and the dining room is a dark tan... it's quite the contrast.

Here is a quick shot of the kitchen, nothing fancy but don't you agree that it needs a little color?  Any suggestions?

PS- Don't judge it as is... I have high hopes for this room!

sweet relief

Phew! My good friend Meredith's birthday was yesterday and I am relieved to say that she loved my gift. My relief may seem trivial to some, but I consider gift giving to be one of my love languages (except when it comes to Jake) and so the recipient's reaction is important to me... not to mention, I find Mere to be an extremely easy person to shop for! However, this year presented a unique obstacle, as she happens to be right in the middle of packing for a BIG move to St. Louis and it isn't the best time for acquiring trinkets, etc. This meant I had to make sure whatever I bought for her wouldn't be a nuisance to pack or move.

What did I get???

I ended up going with a variety pack of blank note cards (for keeping in touch) and the novel, Twilight. Before you judge me about the book, let me explain...

When I started reading the Twilight series Meredith mentioned that she was considering reading the books but was going back and forth about it. She told me that her hairdresser raved about them, but then later shared she was unhappy with how the series ended. This made Mere unsure whether or not she should read them at all. So truth be told, I wasn't forcing my love of the series on her out of nowhere- I just gave her the final push she needed to get started. Honestly, I thought a longer book was the perfect gift; she is about to move and have the summer off, affording her lots of free time. I figured if she ends up wanting to read the entire series she will have something to pass the time.

Also, please let the record show I checked with our friend Stacy before making this purchase. I knew everyone's first conclusion would be that I let the Twihard in me take things too far.

Decisions, decisions

Alright, I know I've been talking about this a lot recently in my blog, but it's that time for Jake and I to decide whether or not to renew our lease and it is proving much more challenging than anticipated! We've been going back and forth...and back and forth and there still has been no resolution. Here is the issue, plain and simple- I want to move, Jake wants to stay. Need I say more?

I've tried to make the idea of staying in our current apartment more appealing by thinking of the different things I can do with it, but at the end of the day I still find myself curious as to what else is out there. I definitely see where Jake is coming from and some of his points are valid, but so are mine. Usually when these types of decisions arise, if we're not in total agreement one party eventually comes around. With this particular situation, neither of us is budging...we just don't see eye to eye.

I know we're blessed to have the apartment that we have- there are worse things, but this comes down to that I need change. A home to me has so much more meaning than it does to Jake, and I'm seeing that now. I don't feel like you have to own something for it to feel like home...and I'm glad I don't think that way because we'd be "homeless" for the next few years!

Let's be honest, our current apartment provides everything we need...just not everything we want. Is it a crime that I want to have more than one bathroom? All I want to do is get ready in the bathroom (since there isn't space in our bedroom) without Jake pooping in there at the same time! Who wouldn't want that "luxury"??? I'd also like the option to grill when it warms up and it would be nice to have more than one story to create a sense of separation between common space and bedrooms (especially since those rooms are a WRECK). I don't think I'm a bad person for having these wants, I just don't.

For all you experienced renters and/or home buyers, any advice? Maybe you're recently married and have advice on how to approach this first-time stand off...if so, I'm all ears!

It's the little things in life

It's really amazing to think about the little things I get excited about...especially, when I look at how small and insignificant they tend to be, but how much time I spend thinking/obsessing over them.

For example, Jake and I are considering moving come May into a townhouse or condo closer to his new job. I am looking forward to this because:

1. I don't mind my commute to Norfolk, so as long as the highway is close by I am game for a new location.
2. I would NEVER complain about moving closer to the beach, it just goes against my nature.
3. I look at this potential increase in square footage as a decorating opportunity- I'm simply ready to shake our decor up a bit!

So what things have I started thinking about since we discussed moving? Well, of course my initial and strongest focus has been on lining future "homes" up to consider...give me some credit, I do know how to prioritize.

Next, I've started thinking about floors...will they be carpeted or hardwood (I prefer the latter); paint colors (Jake is a great painter); wall treatments (I'm adamant that I won't spend another year without curtains); wall art (prints we need for our current frames and what art I can find at TJ Maxx); a second bathroom (I've prayed for this in our next place and hope its a full bath so I can get a new shower curtain and dabble in a new color scheme for this space); grills (just in time for summer) and so forth.

As you can imagine my mind is racing with things to come and I predict I will have a VERY busy spring/summer ahead of me. As you also can imagine, Jake is perfectly content not moving and not spending a dime on decorations. Although I think he has come to terms that curtains are in store whether he loves the idea or not...