A Process of Progress

Bare walls and cluttered corners; the smell of cleaning products and tousled dust bunnies pollute the air and the space where once our dining table stood is gradually transformed, brick by brick, into a wall of filled bins as the rest of our apartment grows sparser.  

I'll admit, I always get a little sad when we move. Even when the destination is much more desirable than the present, I can't help but let the end of a good thing resonate on my soul a little.  I don't really do well with change, honestly.  I like it but I struggle with it.  I used to say I didn't like change, but I've realized, over the last couple of years, that I like it, I just struggle with it.  I get easily attached to things: ridiculous things and worthwhile things. I'm sentimental and a memory-lane pack rat.  Both of which contribute to my difficulty with moving from one life moment to another. I am so excited about our new apartment, and it is way cooler than the one we have now, but it isn't ours yet, and this one is, and even if it is better, it isn't the same.  I sound like a crazy person, I know, but every time we move or make some considerable change to our life I have to give myself time to process, and even mourn, the change before I can fully be excited about what is to come.   

Simon has learned this about me over the last few years.  When my flowers die, it is sad for me to be done with them, throwing out the Christmas tree is always a ceremonious occasion to help me deal with it and he graciously allowed the pumpkins to sit in the hallway for a couple of days after we took all of the fall decorations down, so I could get used to them not being around, before we threw them out.  We laugh about it, because it really is ridiculous, and I am aware of this, but for whatever reason, it is something I need; Closure, in a silly way.   

All this to say, packing has begun. Our apartment is a jumble and Simon is working hard to get through his pre-china to-do list before Thursday.  We have about a dozen bins packed and ready for movin' day. It's funny how much of your stuff you decide you can live without for a couple of weeks when you are excited about packing.  

I'll pretty much be on my own for the majority of the apartment since Simon will, conveniently, be traveling the 2 weeks before we move. (He returns the 13th of August and we officially can move in on the 15th)  I am thankful we have only a one bedroom apartment full of stuff. That alone will be quite a job.   We will have taken care of the tall-person things and the strong-person things by the time Simon heads out so the rest is manageable. 

Well, that is all for now: just some thoughts and a little progress report, nothing more. 

Below is picture of our shambled apartment. Lots of people have asked for  pictures of our new one, but until the current tenants move out completely, I don't really want to take pictures.  I'll post some as soon as it is ours. :) 

Herb Garden Progress Report #2: Day 30

Well, 30 days in and I am pleased to report that 2 of the 3 herbs are doing well!  South Carolina has had an enormous amount of rain over the last month so I've hardly had to water them at all. I was a little worried they would drown so I pulled them further into the balcony occasionally so they could dry out a little.  I think they would be doing better if we'd had some more sun but I'm still happy with how they are doing.   

Oregano... I'm not really sure what has happened to him. If you look really closely there is a teeny tiny leaf peeking out in the front but other than that... Nothin'.   Maybe he is just a late bloomer, but I'm not holding my breath.   If nothing more comes of oregano than I'll pull up the seeds and the little bud so it won't be taking any nutrients. 

Sunshine has made its reappearance so they have been getting a much needed drying-out.  Okay now for some pictures. 

       

                                                                    The whole gang

Parsley. Still small but healthy. 

  Basil: Various degrees of growth but doing well.

A Sudden But Exciting Change

One of the many challenges we faced when moving to a new city was choosing where to live.  After studying the lay of the land on google maps and talking to several of Simon's coworkers, we chose Greer. We got really lucky because it enabled me to have a wide range of job opportunities, it is close to the desirable attractions and we ended up in a friendly, well kept, apartment complex.  We have lived here in Greer for 1 year and almost 2 months now and it has definitely become home.  Over the last few months we have been realizing, however, that most Fridays and Saturdays, as well as one or two weekdays, we find ourselves making the 40 minute drive to Spartanburg, where Simon works, to hang out with friends or take advantage of outdoor events going on there.   So, we began toying with the idea of  moving to a loft-type space downtown. We quickly found that online was not the way to find such places; it is more of a word-of-mouth community, quite different than our previous home hunting experience.   So we abandoned the googling and took to the streets, pen and paper in hand, and after a lot of messages, several rounds of phone tag and a LOT of looking at lofts, we finally found one that seems pretty much perfect.  It is smack dab in the middle of downtown Spartanburg and has the rustic character that we were looking for in a place.  We knew that if  we were going to go through the trouble of moving, it had to be for a place that we like better than where we live now. 

So, in 38 days we will officially be moving to our Spartanburg loft. We're both really excited, both about the apartment and about getting to live right on the square. Definitely louder and busier than anywhere we've lived before, but right now is the perfect time in our life to do that.   We didn't take any pictures or anything like that so we have nothing to show, but as soon as we get a chance to take some, I will post them.

Here is a picture I snagged off the Internet of Downtown Spartanburg. This is basically where we will be. Our building is on the other side of the square.   

 

So, that's our news. We're really excited about it and we'll keep you updated on the details of it all.  Even though we want to pack everything up today and get the ball rolling, in reality it will be here before we know it!