Happy Summer everyone! It has been too long since I have posted; a lot has happened in the past four months. First order of business, I moved! This has been a huge change in my life. It was a pretty amusing move and I wanted to share some of the highlights. After living in the Woodberry house seen below for many years, I made a decision to leave the comforts of familiarity and make a new home for myself.
It was time, after switching jobs almost a year ago and enjoying a healthy relationship, I knew I had to take a leap in a different direction. Michael, my boyfriend, and I decided to move in together and so began a search for a new neighborhood. We began our search in April, planning on moving in at the beginning of June. The neighborhoods we looked at ranged from Roland Park to Mount Vernon. Weighing pro’s and cons along the way and figuring out how to compromise on our individual criteria, it was difficult to feel confident that any one neighborhood or apartment was the perfect fit.
Luckily, our future home fell into our laps. After looking at several underwhelming apartments in Mount Vernon, we were led by an agent to an area that became more familiar with each step. I mentioned that it would be funny if the apartment we were about to look at was one I had spent time in before. Sure enough, the leasing agent led us to a space that a friend of mine had occupied. A spacious one bedroom located in historic Mount Vernon.
I knew this apartment would not last long before being swiped up, high ceilings and a washer/dryer! We had to make a decision as soon as possible. After looking at one more option, that had its perks, we decided to go with our instinct and put in our application. We were one step closer to our move. We felt good about our decision, the apartment was beautiful. However, there was one big downside: our latest move in date was a whole month earlier than we planned.
Ok, so let the hilarity and madness begin. A big part of moving is assessing your belongings and deciding what can stay and what must go. I was about to share my space with a significant other, and I had a lot of baggage, literally! I am a hoarder in some respects, the type that will hold onto an old skirt from three years ago or that feels each and every bag I own has a particular use. It was time to start sifting through all my stuff and part ways with some dear old friends. Hoping to make the experience more fun, I asked my friend Anna to document a full day of sorting and saying goodbye. Feel free to have a nice laugh!
Do I need all these coats and bags?
Random stuffed animals? Oh, hey there E.T!
Shoes?
Did I mention all the bags? I let my friend Katie-Red have her pick.
Nope, time to let go. I divided my collection of items into piles for keeping, selling and donating. It is hard to let go of certain things for sure, but the excitement of a fresh start made it a lot easier. My future closets would be shared and I was ready to make room for that.
Moving day arrived and Michael and I were lucky enough to borrow a truck and obtain the help of some amazing people. It took two days to fill the place with all our big items and I spent the next three weeks getting the rest of my stuff out of the old house! Once again, how does one acquire so much stuff?
It is now two months later, we have sorted through most of our things and made the space our own and are recovering from a successful housewarming party. Pictures coming soon!
Living in Mount Vernon is helping me rediscover Baltimore, I have lived here for over ten years now. The neighborhood is a walkers paradise, with places to eat and drink just minutes from the apartment. I am excited to be biking more as well, very close to the harbor and fifteen minutes from Hampden.
Future entries will focus on my Baltimore discoveries, hidden gems and a new appreciation of old favorites. Please let me know if you have a favorite spot in Baltimore that I should check out and I will mention it in my upcoming posts!
ilikeallthesethings 