I’ve lived in Minneapolis for almost four years, and I spent three of those years in the same apartment. I loved the house, the location, and my roommates. Last year the owner of the property became ill, and his family eventually had to sell the house. Since the new owners wanted to live in our apartment, a move was on the horizon for all of us. It takes a while for me to adjust to these kind of changes, but over time I became excited about the prospect of getting my own place. I knew that my new apartment probably wouldn’t have the natural charm of the old house I had been living in, which would give me a chance to jazz it up with some Pinterest-worthy projects.
Have you ever seen those rankings of stressful life events? The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale appears to be the most common. I looked it up because I thought moving would be higher on the list. It would definitely be higher on my personal ranking. I started looking for an apartment, perhaps earlier than I could reasonably expect to find a June lease, but I felt strongly that I wanted to stay in my neighborhood if possible. My obsession paid off when I found an early listing in one of my “ideal scenario buildings.” That was a weight off my shoulders, but I still had the actual move ahead of me.
During my last move, I was definitely less organized. I was also moving from one three-bedroom apartment (with roommates, obviously) to another, which meant I didn’t need to be overly concerned about having enough room for extra stuff. This time I purged old clothes and unused items in the weeks prior. Overall I felt a stronger nesting instinct than I had during previous moves, probably because this apartment was going to be all mine. The greatest evidence is that I bought plants—three small succulents, to be exact—despite my poor track record for plant survival. There may have also been a celebratory trip to Ikea where I gained a few possessions, but I didn’t go crazy.
Next came the exhausting days of packing and cleaning. I may have reached the point of labeling a box “Random Awkward Crap” in red marker. But eventually the pyramid of boxes was gone, and I was free to settle into my new home. My fantasy was to have an attic apartment that felt like a little den. I ended up in an ordinary (but undoubtedly cheaper) apartment building, but the space still feels very homey. I will share a couple little apartment projects in the upcoming weeks, starting with the gallery wall that I installed last weekend!
