My apologies for the hiatus. I’ve been playing Tetris for 2 weeks (both literally and figuratively). You may have heard the good news…during the move I found my Game Boy so yes, literally I’ve been playing some Tetris. Then when we actually moved into the new house, we played a much more intense, way less fun, and equally competitive game of figurative Tetris.
I love this house. My grandparents have owned it since the 1960’s and I believe it’s been around since the 40’s. It has been the most difficult move because every nook, every drawer, every shelf was already full…of furniture, of silverware, of linens, of do-dads. Usually you’d move into a house and unload straight into the space. We had the joyous task of basically shuffling boxes around until we could unload an area and then unload our crap into the area. Here’s a visual for you (the two squares at the bottom represent the the counter space where your toothbrush goes and space for one surplus roll of toilet paper).My precious grandpa stopped by unexpectedly on our third day here and I tentatively invited him in because it got awkward leaving him out in the yard. By the way, it was 90 degrees out and he was wearing his finest fleece jacket, a lumberjack style LL Bean plaid shirt, pants, boat shoes, and a wool hat. When they lived in Phoenix, he used to famously (not like on TMZ or anything, but within the family) go for a run during his lunch hour. In 115 degree heat. I’m not sure what this has to do with the story really, but anyway. He comes in the house and takes one look at the PILES of boxes and tells me, without sarcasm, that it, “really looks great in here, Wallis.” What a sweet man. I was so worried that he and my Nana would think I’m trying to change too much. I put all of their treasures in storage so when we (eventually) move out, I can put everything back to the authentic mixture of 1960-1997 design aesthetic.
Because I like to keep my readers entertained, here are some actual photos of the house during the move. Feel free to print these photos, cut the boxes out, and play your own damn game of Tetris.
Here is an aerial shot of the boudoir. A queen sized bed fits perfectly in here, which is why we’ve decided to swap this one for our king bed. So now there’s no room for the bed frame I wanted to attempt to make, a dresser, or room for having anything unfolded or otherwise out of place. This room will be a challenge.
Here is the kitchen after we unloaded half of the boxes. It’s light and bright and ends up being the first functional room once we’ve unpacked. I took a lot of things to donation because who needs 4 salad spinners? I guess the real question is: who eats salad? That’s a funny foodie joke. I actually love salad. I even know how to say it in Spanish: ensalata.
Please note the expansive mop collection in the corner. I hate mops. We sold the gigantic microwave on Craigslist for near what we paid for it. After all the boxes in the house were unpacked, we were sad to find that our antique wedding plates somehow didn’t make it. Is it possible our movers STOLE them? How can this be? Where did they go?!
The house is looking much better but we continue to shift things around to better use the space. In the meantime, we have had two dinner parties (make these enchiladas…they’re delicious!), one volleyball practice, and daily beach walks to the pier with the sweet dog who has discovered he loves the sand.