It's Apartment Tour Time!!

Hi hi hi hi! I just came back from spending 10 days up north with my family for Thanksgiving. I had all of these grand plans for posting while I was away, but instead I just sat around eating turkey and spending time with loved ones. I'm pretty sure I gained about 500 pounds. Worth it.

Anyways, I'm back now and it's time to show off this kickass apartment we rented. The husband and I still haven't quite adjusted to how much cheaper it is to live here compared to New York. Sometimes I just look around and wonder how the hell we are affording this place. Then I remember that we're paying less than what we were paying in New York for three times the space and my head explodes.

Ok. So. Pictures! Yay!

The Drive

I promise this will be my last post on boring moving shenanigans. I am dying to share our new apartment with you and get back to what I do best... Pretending I know how to decorate and organize my shit.

It Is Your Birthday.

I'm taking a break from our regularly scheduled moving shenanigans to bring you this:

Well, no. Actually it is my birthday. I mean, maybe it's yours too, I don't really know. And if it is you should tell me, because yay! Birthday twins!

Anyways I thought today would be a good time to check out my 30 before 30 list, which I have severely neglected and probably not made any progress on at all, but I am all about keeping it real so we're going to look at it anyways.

Pack It Up, Pack It In

Let me begin...

To start talking about packing. Ugh. Packing.

I Like to Move It, Move It

Every time we move I swear up and down that we are never doing this again. If we choose to stay in Charlotte permanently our next (and last) move will be into a real, live single-family house. No more apartment bullshit for this lady. Honestly, I am just tired of being a nomad. In our eight years together the husband and I have moved at least ten times. That's just insane. Not only have we hauled our stuff in and out of two different dorms and six apartments (including our current one), there were also a few summers when we were in between apartments and we each temporarily moved back in with our parents. Oof.

The idea of moving is almost always fun and exciting. A new chapter, a new adventure... There's so much potential, and so much to look forward to! In reality, moving is just a frustrating and exhausting time where the husband and I are at each other's throats.

Ah, the stories I could tell you about our moves. Throughout the years, we've learned one thing: Just embrace the fact that something insanely ridiculous is most definitely going to happen to you and you will be okay.

So We're Really Doing This?!

The husband and I spent the entire month of August stalking our soon-to-be new apartment complex in Charlotte and going back and forth on if we were actually going to do this crazy move. And if we were, when we would actually leave?

We originally thought a move in October or November would be best for us, that is until an apartment with a super sexy floor plan opened up at the end of August and dropped by like $200 a month in price. We went back and forth for about a week, wondering when someone else was going to snatch it up and make the decision for us. Nobody did.

Exploring a New City

Sometimes I take a look around me and wonder what the hell we're doing here. I mean, we only took two short trips to Charlotte before making a final decision. We tried to plan these trips out as best we could, but after our visits we realized that the only way to really get a feel for a new city is to just take the plunge and move.

The trips we took were great, and I'm glad we didn't make the move sight unseen, but to be honest we didn't really know what we were doing. I made a ton of detailed itineraries (because I am a crazy person) but there were a few times when we just threw them out the window and drove wherever we felt like.

Making the Move to Move

Deciding to make a long distance move is not something we took lightly - especially when there was no job transfer on the table. There were years of light discussion. Wouldn't it be great to live in...? And then months of extensive research. Could we see ourselves living in...?

Most people end up where they are due to a job opportunity, proximity to family members, etc. Not us. We are just two kids looking to make a better life for ourselves.

Here are the facts:

Don't Call It a Comeback...

Oh hey there. Sooooo I may have let this poor little blog fall by the wayside for uh, what's it been? 8 months? Ouch.

What can I say? Life got in the way. And by got in the way I mean I just quit my job and moved 650 miles away from home. Yea, I was busy. But now that the move is over and I'm unemployed I've got some free time on my hands. And that means it is once again time to flood the Interwebs with my useless drivel on things like unpacking, decorating and living in the south.

Oh and job hunting. That's kind of a big deal. Have I mentioned that I haven't been unemployed since like 1999? My husband is already placing bets on how many days it will take me before I go stir crazy so if you're up to watching this train wreck unfold we'd both love to have you along for the ride.

Nice Rack!

So the husband and I have been experimenting with a few different layouts in our kitchen and I think we are finally honing in on the perfect setup. First of all, I am loving the extra counter space and designated area for my espresso machine and Keurig. The problem is, with the two machines, the coffee, sugar, cups, etc. I'm not left with much elbow room to maneuver around and show off my mad coffee making skillz. This became incredibly apparent when I attempted to use both machines at the same time and almost dropped an entire bag of espresso on the floor. (Note: almost.)

There is way too much going on here.

The original plan was to purchase a nice pot rack with a shelf. Theoretically, the rack part would hold all of the shiny new pots my in-laws gave us for Christmas (but are still chilling unopened next to my bed because I had nowhere to store them [yes, this is all a true story]) and the shelf part would hold extra coffee, sugar, cups, etc. Boom. Problem solved.

Finding Nemo

Let me set a little scene for you.

It's just another Thursday morning, you finally finished up a major presentation that took up most of your time at work that week and the weekend is finally in sight. You're more excited than usual because your long-awaited trip to Disney World is just two days away. And because you were a travel agent in a past life, everything has been perfectly planned. You made flight arrangements, booked a hotel, bought park tickets, rented a car in Orlando so you can bop around town while you're there... Heck, you even set up a day-by-day itinerary because you're the best goddamn travel agent control freak ever. You're looking forward to warm weather, some fun rides and a couple of days away from the office with friends.

So close, yet so far.

You've been hearing whispers all week about some snow coming your way, but you're not concerned. You'll be on a plane and in 80 degree weather before any of this becomes an issue... Right?

Mission: Accomplished!

Well, it took sheer determination and just a pinch of insanity to pull it off, but it's time to cross another item off of my 30 before 30 list. I just returned from five glorious days in Walt Disney World and even though I am exhausted beyond belief, I am filled with the wonder, joy and fun-filled memories that come with any trip to Disney.

I'm currently in the process of uploading eleventy billion photos so I can provide you with one of the most ridiculous recaps in the history of Romano traveling adventures, but in the meantime here's some shitty cell phone pic proof for ya:

Ah, I miss it already!

Salute.

You know what sucks?

What sucks is getting a call at work on a Wednesday morning that your grandfather is dying so you rush home to your husband and then you both rush to Connecticut, but it's already too late. So you spend some time with your family and then rush back home and work for two days -- if you can even call it that because you just lost a loved one and you are so numb and tired and confused that you're pretty much on autopilot. Then you go back to Connecticut for a wake and a funeral and three days of immense sadness and pain. Then the day after the funeral you are ready to get back to your routine, but your husband, who has decided that your life is not chaotic enough, comes down with the flu and you spend the next five days taking care of him all while working nine hour days with a two hour commute. Meanwhile, friends are calling to check in on you which you know is really sweet and amazing, but all you really want is just one quiet fucking second to yourself to process everything that has just happened to you.

And that, my friends, is what my life has been like for the past two weeks.

My grandfather was sick for quite some time and although it is never easy to lose a loved one, it gives me peace to know that he lived a long, happy, beautiful life and is no longer suffering. Today would have been his 90th birthday and I can only hope to live a life as fulfilling as his.

So here's to you Nonno. Here's to a man who sacrificed everything for his family. A man who came to this country with a wife, two children and one on the way. A man who started with next to nothing, but worked harder than anyone I know and built himself an amazing life in this country. A man who loved to dance, laugh, drink wine, play cards, walk along the beach and spend time with family. A man who will be loved, missed, cherished, remembered and celebrated for many, many years to come.

Buon Compleanno, Nonno.

Thanks a Latte!

Yes, horrible, horrible pun. I know. I just couldn't help it. You see, last night I came home to find a little bit of this happening in my living room:

A Mismatched Bedroom

Okay friends, I am in desperate need of some interior design advice. Because I have the world' shortest attention span I decided to make a quick change in our bedroom while simultaneously organizing the kitchen. Woo, productivity! As I mentioned last week, the mister and I recently upgraded our bedroom set. And when I say I upgrade, I mean upgrade. We ordered the king set, which meant a new mattress, new sheets, the works. We did neglect purchasing a few important pieces, including our duvet cover. Which means that we've been using a queen sized comforter on a king bed. Not ideal.

We never meant for it to go on as long as it did. The problem was that we just couldn't decide on a pattern. My husband and I have very different tastes and we literally spent months poring over all of our options. Every once in a while I would get rage-y at the amount of time we spent arguing over a freakin' duvet cover and neither of us would speak of it for a few weeks. Then one of us (me) would bring it up again so we would spend days searching for something we both liked and utterly fail. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Finally, finally, finally we found something (on Overstock of all places) that seemed to appeal to both of us. Before one of us could change our minds I purchased the damn thing and now here we are.

Five for Friday: Week of January 12th

Okay so it's Sunday, not Friday, but things have been a little crazy around here and I completely forgot to set this post up on Friday. Whoops! Better late than never, right?

1. You drove me to my doctor appointment.
2. You were so, so supportive of me when I received some bad news.
3. You let me have some "me" time when I had a rough week.
4. You sat through a "Boy Meets World" marathon with me.
5. You cleaned the apartment while I was away.

Simplify: Three of Thirty

Well, due to some unforeseen shipping shenanigans my latest kitchen update post has been delayed. Can't wait to share that story with you. Instead I've got another 30 before 30 update for ya because I finally simplified something tangible in my life this weekend!

I dedicated my Saturday afternoon to cleaning out my dresser and closet. Exciting right?! Not really, but I will be sharing photos of my hideous wardrobe so I hope you enjoy that (and don't use it as material to submit to What Not to Wear).

First up was the dresser. This thing is massive and completely full of my clothes. Jason and I bought a brand spankin' new bedroom set over the summer and I immediately claimed the dresser for myself. Since the kid owns like three shirts and a pair of jeans he didn't really complain. And I was nice enough to let him take the four drawer chest so everybody wins!

Anyways, I noticed my dresser was starting to overflow a bit...

Check out those awesome stars and moons PJs in the bottom right drawer. You know I keep those around for special date nights with the husband. Hubba, hubba.

Finding Kitchen Inspiration

So it's clear that I need to make a change in my kitchen. The question is how? I started stalking small space solutions and I think some ideas are starting to come together. The biggest thing I've noticed is that it's time to go vertical. We have two fairly large, empty walls that we're just not taking advantage of.

Something as simple as a few white shelves could help alleviate some of our storage concerns:

Image via Remodelista

Five for Friday: Week of January 5th

1. You brought home some new beers for me to try.
2. You hung out with our friends all day watching the playoffs, even though you hate football.
3. You comforted me when I received some sad news.
4. You made me feel awesome by thanking me for all of the hard work I've been doing.
5. You sacrificed video game time to hang out with me when I was feeling bummed out.

Cooking Up a New Kitchen

I am insane.

Okay, yes, we all knew that. But I am really insane because out of all the rooms in this apartment I have decided to tackle the kitchen first. If there was one room I could completely remodel it would be the kitchen. Now don't get me wrong, it's quite a lovely kitchen and much better than the galley style kitchens you see in many apartments, but it's lacking one key feature. Adequate cabinet/counter space.

Small Moves

I have been doing some soul searching recently. Mostly on my life goals and on the future of this blog. I am a Planner with a capital P and when things don't jive with whatever "plan" I've got going on in my head things get ugly. A few things have not been going according to my "plan" and it's been a bit difficult to deal with it, to say the least.

The most upsetting thing for me right now is the fact that we will most likely not be purchasing a home as soon as I had anticipated. This has led me to feel trapped, frustrated and downright depressed. I hate where we live and I absolutely despise renting. Home ownership has always been a really important goal for me and now that I am married and the wedding is over, it just seemed natural to start looking into purchasing a home with the hubs.

Unfortunately, life rarely abides by simple plans like this and there are just too many factors in our lives right now; factors that continually remind us that this might not be the best time for us to buy. And so, I took some time to think about it and mope about it and I'm ready to make some changes.

Part of my frustration stems from the fact that I never really considered this apartment our home. We moved here right after our engagement and in the back of my mind this place was always just a temporary solution until the wedding. I never actually settled in. Now that it looks like we will be here a bit longer than I thought I am determined to go through our apartment room by room making whatever changes I can as tenant to make this place really feel like home.

So buckle in cuz I'm about to show you the good, the bad, and the really, really ugly of apartment living.

Five for Friday: Week of December 29th

1. You came out to dinner with our friends.
2. You helped me get ready for our kick-ass New Year's Eve party.
3. And then cleaned up the place when everyone left and I was too tired to stand.
4. You took me out to see The Hobbit and didn't even bat an eye when I bought a gigundo box of popcorn.
5. You were encouraging when I was feeling down about my shitty student loan situation.

New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of year again. That time of year when everyone you know is vowing to be a better person while munching on celery sticks and walking as slow as possible on every god damn treadmill in the gym. I've never been one for making New Year's resolutions. The tradition just never made any sense to me. I get the whole clean start and all, but why do so many people choose to make changes on New Year's Day when there are 364 perfectly other great days to make a positive change in your life.

Anyways, I've already got my 30 before 30 list, but I've decided to give this resolution thing a shot. I'm keeping it short and simple and have three little things I would like to improve about myself: