The following post was sponsored by Uncommon Goods. All opinions are still (as always) 100% mine.
Last week I started sharing exciting stories about my six weeks’ travel this summer in Europe, but I haven’t quite told you why it’s taken me so long to start blogging about it. Well, now that it’s November (say what?) I can finally tell that it’s because…I was busy moving into my shiny, big new adult apartment!
Now anyone who has ever had to do a “big move” knows what I call the Five Necessary Stages of Moving Out Grief:
1) Denial: For the first two weeks after I gave my one-month notice to my old apartment, I simply sat on my merry butt acting as if nothing needed to be packed, cleaned, or thrown away. It wouldn’t take me that long–I was just one tiny person living in a tiny studio. How bad could it be?
2) Anger: Okay, so “anger” is probably the wrong word to use here. Let’s say “well-seasoned panic with a dash of intense frustration” at just how many car trips it took to move all of my stuff. Read: It took twenty trips. HALF of those were for my kitchen supplies…
3) Bargaining: Six days before my old lease ended, I was still on the phone with my previous property manager trying to negotiate a late end date, if needed. Thankfully, she was amenable to it and said I could take as long as I needed. Which lead me to…
4) Depression/Despair: On the eve before my extended move-out date, I was sitting on the floor of my mostly-emptied apartment playing fetch with my cousin’s dog. Said visiting cousins walked in around 11 PM to find me lolling aimlessly on the floor and had to haul up my sorry butt. By 4 AM, we had finally finished peeling the last glow-in-the-dark star off the ceiling (no thanks to me).
5) Acceptance: HA. After moving out, please cue the Five Necessary Stages of Moving In Grief. Go to Step 1, do not pass GO!
But as with any big life change, there have also been some INCREDIBLE moments along the way. Apart from having company nearly every weekend to help me unpack, buy a brand new couch, reassemble furniture, clean, and throw ah-may-zing housewarming parties, I’ve begun to take advantage of the increased square footage by redecorating my living space completely! So far I’ve set up my Banksy canvas art, some mint green cartoon animal canvases for my aqua-themed bathroom, and a Ministry of Magic toilet decal that cracks me up every time I catch a glimpse of it. So when Uncommon Goods asked if they could send me one of their many beautiful items to light up my new quarters, I knew I had to say yes!
If you’re not familiar with this wonderful company, it’s basically the sustainability-friendly version of online gifting that you’ve always wanted and never knew you needed. After browsing their extensive (and I mean extensive) catalogue for days, I finally settled on this color-changing cinema lightbox, which has interchangeable letters for easy message-swapping and absolutely lights up my evenings as the days get shorter! With December right around the corner, I’m even considering grabbing all of my Secret Santa/White Elephant gifts from Uncommon Goods because everything is just so. Darn. PRETTY. Hold my drink!
I have no compunction whatsoever in saying that these flashing letters are the literal highlight of my holiday season decorating and gifting, and that you guys should check them out here as you plan your mass-shopping route this year, too. And if nothing else, just know the infinite joy and amusement that I experience every time I walk into my living room nowadays and see my self-denigrating humor at its finest:
Hahahahaha. Some things never change.
Long story short: I’m finally done moving and have some more awesome updates coming next week. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and check out Uncommon Goods for yourself here!
Love,
Congrats! Love your new digs..,
Moving is the pits, isn’t it? I’ve done it way too often in my life! Always fun to get settled in, though. Your new place looks great. 🙂