So, I’ve been in my second apartment for almost a year now. I moved into  I’ve got posters on the walls, book cases, TV/TV stand, bedside tables, etc. 

But something wasn’t all the way there. 

When I got my pink couch, I didn’t open the boxes for WEEKS. 

Then, when I finally did, I wanted to send it right back. Not because it had a defect or anything wrong with it but because (*I*) was the problem. My one year lease still had three or so months left when I’d started looking at other apartments. It was how I had grown up.

I was born in, ahem, 1987. By the time I was twenty, I had lived in: 

Goodlettsville, TN

Ocala, FL

Somewhere in, Virginia

Greenbrier, TN

Cedar Hill, TN

Springfield, TN

Dieterich, IL

Goodlettsville, TN (house #2)

Lake City, FL

Tallahassee, FL

Once I moved out on my own, I lived with friends for a while. Then in a sublet apartment for a few weeks. Finally, I found my first apartment–a studio–in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I loved it so much and probably would still be there had my landlord not decided to sell the building.

But I ended up finding this great one bedroom in South Slope. There was/is no reason for me to move. I love my neighborhood and this is a great deal price wise for this area.

And yet, I continued to stalk Craigslist. I began eyeballing everything in my apartment and thinking maybe I shouldn’t have gotten that desk. My brain is hard wired to move. Like I said, even though I put stuff on the walls, it’s all able to be taken down in a matter of minutes. 

I have not fully committed to this apartment. We aren’t in an exclusive relationship.

I’m ready to be monogamous with my apartment now.  

Funny thing is that I came to this conclusion because of a find on Craigslist today. Someone in Park Slope was giving away a dresser. FREE. Just yesterday I had sold the pieces of a dresser that I’d bought 6+ months ago and couldn’t figure out how to assemble. Secretly, I had been glad that the dresser was so complicated. I didn’t want ANOTHER big piece of furniture to deal with when I moved.

But recently, I’ve become obsessed with home decor. I don’t want this just to be my “rental apartment.” I want, I need it to be a home for me, Bliss, Bella, and Khaleesi.

So I emailed Dresser Guy and said I WANT IT! I posted an ad on Craigslist asking for two guys and a minivan. Within twenty minutes I had a dozen texts and a guy named Andre already on the way. He picked up my dresser and dropped it off for a small fee. 

The drawers slide perfectly and none of the wood is chipped. There are paint stains on the top, but that doesn’t matter. I’m completely redoing it! I already created a board for it on Pinterest and am saving photos of dressers that I like. 

How awesome would that one be?!

 

So I can’t paint the walls. But guess what? Wallpaper decals exist! There are so many options.   These are currently my faves! I wouldn’t do my entire room. But one wall would be fun. 

When it fits into my budget, I’m going to redo my living room into a walk in closet. 🙂 Found PLENTY of inspiration on Pinterest for that!

One change that I can make anytime I’m ready is a curtain over my coach. This one is over the bed, but I’ve got a sheer purple curtain to go over pink and blue rods. 

So, yes, it took a free dresser to kick my “I want this space to feel homey everywhere” feels. I’m excited to start painting, moving furniture, and putting my pink hammer to work. 

I still have to remind myself that if *I* decide to move, my stuff goes with me! I’m 27 and I still have dreams that I move in the middle of the night and take only what I can carry. It’s more like a nightmare, actually.

It’s time for a home. 

Not a house. 

A home.