OK, it is official.

The new apartment is AMAZING. Our bedroom is so, so, so big. We might have to get an area rug because there is a big open area in the middle. We haven't even begun to think of what we're going to use in the living room.

It's so funny because most people's idea of a tiny residence is 850ish square feet, but we feel like we're living in a McMansion.

We had groceries delivered tonight. I feel like I might officially belong here now. Also? FreshDirect is cheap, y'all. I mean, we bought A LOT of food for $120. I mean, A TON.

We needed food because no one in my new office goes out to eat. Everyone eats at their desk. Whoa. That's a change. Anyway, I've been hungry the past two days, but now I have groceries so that's amazing.

I'll try and get some pictures up this weekend. Our real internet is installed on Saturday, so that will be reliable and fast--not words I can use to describe my stolen wireless.

So, that's that. I'm still transitioning to actually doing lots of work at work (which is AMAZING, btw), but it's strange to have to juggle home things with checking my personal email. I'm still reading--bit by bit. I promise.

Coming to you live...

Through some sort of internet magic, I am sitting on the couch in the new place typing this. Whaaat?

Anyway, I am beyond in love with the new apartment and looking forward to unpacking lots and lots of boxes today!

Moving day!!!!!!!

Obvi, I've been away for a few days packing, packing, packing away. We've enjoyed many great meals with friends, but after 3 straight days of pub fare, I am really craving salads and veggies. Thank goodness we're staying with Yankee BFF and her family tonight and she is preparing a yummy eggplant dish. We're also going to hit the New Jersey Target tonight and hopefully buy one of those fancy, million dollar Simple Human stainless steel trashcans. We're excited.

Last night around 1 am when we ran out of bubble wrap, Nathan and I just started laughing at what being grown-up and married is like. Not that I don't love almost every minute of it, but it is really funny to find yourself sweaty, packing and discussing trash cans and heartburn with the love of your life. When we were first dating we always looked good and we had a lot of fun. Lately, I feel like all we've been doing is a lot of work. I'm excited to get back to having a lot of fun.

Of course, see above, having a lot of fun now involves eating vegetables and going to Target to buy trash cans. Haha. Oh well.

It should only take 4-5 hours to get to New Jersey and we'll move in to our new apartment tomorrow morning. I'm so terribly excited. I can't wait to put up pictures!

We both have to be in our new offices on Monday. I was sent a questionaire from my new company for the "fun and unique new employee welcome celebration" that asked what my favorite karaoke song was. Oh boy. If I have to perform on the first day...

I'm so excited to start with this new company. I think it's so great that I'm going to work for a company that most of you have probably heard of and a lot of you probably utilize their services. I've heard it mentioned a number of times in Blogworld.

So, I'm waiting on Nathan and my brother to bring back the truck and another thing of bubble wrap. The movers should be here in a hour and then we'll hit the road!

Catch you on the flipside!***


***Our internet won't be set up at home until next Saturday, so I may be off the radar for a bit!

On the 9th day of packing...

I went to Target and said good-bye to my co-workers.

You don't even want to know how boring the 8th day of packing was. I think I fell asleep at 8:30 or somesuch.

Still, the 9th day of packing was great. Granted, I didn't actually pack anything, but I bought some stuff for the new apartment and bought some clothing and cute shoes and my best friend got a JOB and I'm so ridiculously proud of her and sort of jealous because her job sounds incredible.

Oh, and I said some sad goodbyes and some not-so-sad goodbyes at work and we had a party.

And now, I am packing my little heart out. I was hoping to be done with everything today, but now I have dinner plans too--yet another goodbye--so I'm now hoping to finish packing the bedroom, bathroom and living room and save the kitchen and foyer for tomorrow. Oh, good word. Maybe I can get Nathan to pack some things too, although, let's be honest, he is great at so many things, but not really packing or staying focused on repetitive things. I said that yesterday and I think some people at work were miffed at our unequal balance of work, so let me preemptively defend Nathan. He sweeps, he washes dishes, he hangs things, he reaches up high things and he carries heavy things--all without questions. So what if I do everything else.

Also, I wanted to answer a few questions that had been asked in the comments.

Lisagh asked if I was switching to a new blog name post-move and the answer is Yes! I haven't had the time to make it at all pretty yet, so I'm holding off on the reveal for a few weeks. I will tell you this though--there are no places in the title! We apparently have problems staying put, so even though we think NYC is our final destination, I got smart and changed to a thematic name.

Laura asked about my commute. I'll be working in Chelsea and living in Washington Heights, so the commute will not be so bad. The trains run express and you can be in Midtown in about 30 minutes. We have 45-50 minute commutes now, so we're used to a bit of ride. It is a straight shot down the island though, so not having to switch trains is nice. Also, I'm embarking on a bit of an ambitious project that I hope to discuss more on the new blog that should fill my commute time.

So, that's that. I need to get back to packing. The countdown is almost over! Wow!

On the 7th day of packing...

This is not a lie, I accepted a job in New York City!

Oh yes, y'all. It's true. I am now employed in the Big Apple. Oh, I'm so excited. I interviewed for this position weeks ago and was set to have my second interview on Monday. However, they called me today and asked if I would just like to start the job on Monday. I accepted and I'm so excited!

I know I don't talk about work on here, but I will say that this position is poised to offer me many things I don't have at my current company: a dynamic position, responsibility, room for growth and promotion. I'm really, really excited.

So, I really am poised to have one of the craziest weeks ever. Move in on Sunday, start new job on Monday.

Also, could I please give a shout out to my friend, Lilac? She is incredible, y'all. I highly recommend that everyone find someone that they relate to really well who is 10 years ahead of the them in the job process to bounce ideas off of, freak out with and look up to. She's seriously one of the things I'm going to miss about Boston.

The others? My friend Alicia. Y'all--check out her blog. She is amazing. She is traveling to India this summer and TREKKING. Seriously--how awesome is that? She is going to do the thing that most people only talk about. I'm so proud of her.

Obviously, I'm going to miss our family here. Also, my friend Rachael who has no blog because she one of the busiest people I know, UBurger (still incredible), my very short walk to the T (it's a bit farther to our subway stop in NYC), a very accessible Trader Joe's and that gorgeous view of Boston from the Charles I get to take in every morning.

Still, New York is very, very exciting. I have an apartment! I have a job! I have friends! Already! (Side note: one of my friends who I've known since we were 10 who lives in NYC just commented that this will be the third time she has assisted in some way with a move of mine. Seriously. Could we just stay put?) Broadway shows! Tribeca film festival! Kosher Indian food restaurants that deliver! (I love the niches of NYC eating) I have a chalkboard! And a huge kitchen! And an elevator in my building!

So, yes, today is a great day. Also, I haven't packed any boxes. I'm waiting for Nathan to come home so that we can celebrate properly and then we'll pack something. My sis-in-law told me I only had to pack two boxes tonight. She also said my apartment was the size of four dorm rooms. Very true. That helps me feel better about packing it all in two days.

On the 6th day of packing...

if you can believe, I folded 8 million loads of laundry.

Yes, we washed EVERYTHING today so that it will be clean for life/packing/donations. EVERYTHING. I just folded it all.

I re-watched Season 2 of The Hills while I did it. I mean, I only made it through half of a season, but it was enough to make me sad that The City had its finale last week and make me excited for the next season of The Hills. It's such a great guilty pleasure.

Also, I was reminded again of how upset I get with the whole Heidi/Spencer thing. She KNEW he was bad news and still continued to be with him. WHY do girls do this? I mean, they do it all the time in real life too.

In other news, what's with the blog wars this weekend? Ladies, WHO CARES if someone does or does not like to wear Lilly? I mean, aren't we all friends in real life with people who are not exactly like us in every small way? Isn't that the beauty of blogging--getting to know people you otherwise would have had no contact with?

In college, I always used to tell potential new members that this was my favorite thing about my sorority. Through Alpha Xi Delta, I met women who I would have probably never met or gotten to know around campus (even though I went to a tiny school) because we were different majors, lived in different buildings, were members of different extracurricular activities. That's the beauty of it.

Blogging is much like that. Seriously--I read blogs of people who shop exclusively at thrift stores, those who have more disposable income than I and shop at high-end retail shops and a lot of blogs authored by people who share much the fashion sense as I do--look good, but do so cheaply via ebay, outlets and sales. Women who are stay-at-home moms, college students, high-powered executives can all pen a blog just as well as I can. I pick up tips from people who are better cooks, bakers, home maintainers, career women than me. I read blogs of people who are WAY more liberal than me and WAY more conservative than me. That's the beauty of it.

Anyway, sorry to join in the rant, but, seriously people, does any of this REALLY matter when it's all about building community and sharing our lives with each other?

On the 5th day of packing...

I packed EIGHT boxes!!!!!

Buh, buh, buh, bun.

On the 4th day of packing

I went shopping with my friend who's trekking through India this summer.

Great, we're back on track with the lyrical posts. Try singing that one. It works.

I bought a pair of 50% wool gloves and that's it. She bought a backpack and first aid kits and all other kinds of travel/trekking goodies for her amazing adventure this summer. I'm so bummed that I won't be able to zip over to India for a week to travel with her.

We ate at Wagamama and then played with perfume and body scrubs at Sephora and then, like good little old ladies, went home at 9 pm on a Friday. Go us.

Also, does everyone else love the Fresh products as much as I do? I want to buy them all and wallpaper my house with their packaging. Love it.

(**Yes, I know today is really the 5th day of packing, but I forgot to post yesterday. Wait, is today the 6th day of packing? Oh good word, I'm so confused. Here's today's update so far: I bought boxes, experienced TERRIBLE customer service at UHaul, have decided I hate my tape gun and have so far packed up the bookshelves. I am a terrible packer. This is going to be a long, hard road.)

On the 3rd day of packing...

I trained my replacement at work, went out with co-workers and anticipate coming home very late.

Sorry this isn't quite as lyrical. I'm going on a co-worker's blind date tonight (part of the entourage) and I'm so excited!

On the 2nd day of packing....

My sis-in-law reminded me: I haven't called to set up utilities.

Yes, you can sing that out. It works. I practiced at my desk.

I also worked out 30 minutes longer than usual and so didn't get home until 8:00. Now, I go to bed in the 8:45-9:00 range, so you can guess how little packing was accomplished.

12 days of packing

On the first day of packing, I was incredibly lazy and went to the gym and then washed a bunch of dishes and then read back issues of Domino.

I didn't pack a single box.

I did, however, make plans to pick up boxes this weekend, reserve a moving van, book movers, change our address and BOUGHT A CHALKBOARD.

It's a beauty (I hope). Nathan's brother and his spouse will be picking it up tonight.

That list made me sound less lazy. Go team.

We'll see how these 12 Days of Packing go. I'm guessing that no real packing will happen until after I procure those boxes on Saturday. Stay tuned!

Well, good readers, you are enjoying my 201st post. I wanted to do a fun giveaway, but seeing as I am moving in 12 days (!!!) you have to content yourselves with my musings and the promise that I will do a giveaway at 250 or 300. Pinky promise.

This weekend, I was involved in my own version of What Not to Wear. I went shopping with two dear, older, more professional friends who helped me to begin the process of overhauling my closet. This means I now have to get rid of many older garments. I'll probably donate most of them, but I do have a Lilly dress that just doesn't fit me correctly that I'll be putting up on ebay. I'll let you know if you are interested in it. It is so, so cute, but it's not a petite and I'm just not tall enough for it. My torso looks really quite terrible in it. If you are at least 5'4" though, it might be the perfect dress for you!

Anyway, I purchased dress pants and blazers and little jackets and some summery office-appropriate shoes, so I'm feeling ready to take on the big bad world of professional New York.

Also this weekend I laughed harder than I have laughed in a while. Nathan's best friend and his
girlfriend were staying with us and it was just so great to be with them. I love watching Nathan and his friend interact. They are so, so funny together. We went out to eat Saturday night with them and one of our friends here in Boston and it was just so great to sit for a few hours and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh.

But now they are back at school and we're back at work (only a few days left for me!) and it's time to buckle down and start packing away. We won't be able to pick up the boxes until this weekend, but organizing is on the schedule for this week.

I've also fallen in love the past few weeks with Flickr. Are any of you over there? I LOVE the inspiration. My favorite groups are: The New Domesticity, The Frugal Kitchen and Very Small Houses.

I'm dreaming away of the new space and desperately trying to find a chalkboard to hang up in the kitchen. Nathan needs a space to sketch out his math and I think a board in the kitchen sounds fabulous. I have been searching Craigslist to no avail. I might have to paint masonite with chalk board paint and frame it , but I hope not. Chalkboard paint does not seem to work as well as a real chalkboard. Any other ideas?

I would love to write about all the other crazy things going on, but I have a strict "don't blog about work" policy. My word though, y'all--the things I could share.

So here's to Monday--let's have a great week.

Any of you watch 30Rock? I'm about to say something that may shock some (especially people who know me sort of well): I love 30Rock more than The Office.

There. I said it. I think it's funnier. I love Jack and Liz and Kenneth and Tracy. I love Werewolf Bar Mitzvah. I love that Jack dated Condoleeza Rice. (Side note--I also love that part in The Departed when Alec Baldwin's character yells about how much he loves the Patriot Act). I love the Liz is creepy and funny and awkward. I love the Rip Torn is the CEO of NBC. Love it, love it, love it.

One of my favorite episodes of this season was Retreat to Move Forward. It reminded me so much of all of the leadership retreats I've been on in my life--silly acronyms, weird "team building" games, etc. Y'all--I planned those retreats for my sorority and for the orientation leaders. They are intense.

Last night I realized that I need a Retreat to Move Forward. Pretty much every area of my home life has slowly been slipping away into disrepair since Christmas. Busy schedules, planning for the move, the doldrums of winter--they have all taken their toll on us, logistically, as a family.

So we sat down last night and played with some numbers, gained some confidence in ourselves and resolved to make a fresh start of it in New York. Menu planning, daily cleaning, whole foods eating--they are all coming back full-force. The new kitchen will help facilitate lots of this. We have much more storage and space in the new place. We'll finally have cabinets, drawers, a full-size oven and fridge. I'm so excited. Y'all, we will have a linen closet!

I love(d) our little apartment in Boston. It has served us well. We made it work. You do what you need to. But now the promise of a better apartment has me re-energized to tackle our home life. I'm thinking I might "put up" some food this summer. It's been a goal for a while and the bigger kitchen, as well as an in-town sister-in-law interested in these kind of things might just make it possible.

So, post-move, I'm setting aside a weekend (or at least 4-5 uninterrupted hours) to bring all my research together and write out my goals. No longer will my 5 year plan live in my head. I'm setting it all out on paper: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly tasks. Goals for this year, the next, the next. It will be my retreat to move forward and I can't wait to document my journey!

Today, I am:

--rocking footless tights.

--anticipating the arrival of our friends this evening.

--planning Christmas 09's gifts for friends and family (I have resolved to get started early this year).

--dreaming of the new NYC kitchen that is HUGE.

--thinking of how I still need to prepare food in the teeny tiny kitchen for two more weeks--like pizza dough, cinnamon rolls and muffins for our guests.

--loving re-discovering my old/new again Dansko Mary Janes that I received on the occasion of my 19th birthday.

--loving that 3 comments from Laura welcomed me this morning. (Side note: I know someone out there must be planning for a baby or bridal shower or a grad party right now--buy some cute, personalized cookies from Laura. Seriously.)

--browsing Flickr for shots of inspiring interiors and dreaming of new decor in the new apartment.

--being ever so grateful that it is not chilly today--did I mention my footless tights????

Oh my. Do you ever have those days when you just feel trapped and you need to run to the beach? It's like my biorhythms need to be realigned with the tide.

I feel trapped today and I'm pretty close to the ocean. I could be there in less than 45 minutes. This is why I could never live in the Midwest. How do y'all do it? How is it possible to live more than 4 hours from a beach?

Anyway, I woke up this morning craving one of my college rituals. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, a sorority sister and I would meet for bagels and coffee. I miss having that dedicated time to hang out. I miss having control over my time. I don't really miss a ton about college--I was pretty burnt out by the end--but I do miss being the master of my schedule and the ability to do things when I wanted to do them.

I would say I definitely did not fritter away my time in college. Far from it--I was probably a bit too involved. I was always dashing from meetings to office hours to class to the library, but I made sure to always schedule some time for coffee and bagels or tutoring or watching Matlock with Nathan.

It was a good four years and I don't understand why I'm having such a hard time recapturing that now. Who knew sitting at a desk would be so exhausting? I leave work, work out and then, by the time we make it home, the day is over. Done-zo. At least, thanks to Daylight Savings Time, the sun is still out when I leave work. It's a nice change of pace. I still have to work so hard to come home and feel like getting things done.

I'm sure things will be better after the move and after the days get longer. True story: Sunday was an unbelievably gorgeous day in Boston and I got sick. I walked around outside for about 10 minutes before I had to come back home. I cried that night. I told Nathan that I'm pretty sure I deserved a spring day because all winter long I have not complained, I've bundled up without a word, I've found the beauty in the snow and ignored the slush. I'm pretty sure I deserved that day.

Oh well. At least I recovered enough to venture out into yesterday's snow.

I work with a lady who doesn't understand sarcasm. She just doesn't get it. Everything to her is literal. Now, most of us have picked up on it, save one person who just can't seem to adapt. Needless to say, they argue. A lot.

Anyway, I hit a point this weekend where I was wondering if I was the one at fault (not really understanding the gist of the words) or if the perpetrator was at fault. I guess I'll never know. I seem unable to wrap my mind around such things being normal.

Vague? Sorry about that. How about this? My pants today are too short. I'm 5' 2"--it's fairly hard for pants to be too short on me. A friend commented on this and I explained it was because I've had these pants since I was in the 7th grade.

The moral? I need new clothes.

Also, as an FYI--

As of today, I'm not "following" anyone. It was screwing up my Google Reader (which I am desperately trying to edit down anyway) so I just deleted them all. Please know that I am still reading every day in my Reader and I'll try to get better in a few weeks about leaving regular comments.

Anyway, because I worry about stuff like this--I just want everyone to know it's nothing personal. I'm just not all that blog-savvy, so this is way I've decided to go about taking care of my problem.

Hope you're having one fantastic Thursday!

Here's how things are going right now:

1. My in-laws are here. They came in Tuesday night and are here until Sunday. Good thing I like them. And no, I'm not lying. I do like them.

2. But still, 4 people + Miss Marple in a tiny apartment is hard at times.

3. I have seriously lacking some clean foundational pieces of clothing. Problem is, I don't want to ruin everyone else's plans (see number 1) by being a party pooper who stays home to do laundry.

4. I am so over a number of things in my life right now. And I know that if I were not moving soon and dealing with all entails, then things wouldn't bother me so much. But, as it stands, I am moving and all that entails and they are bothering me so much at the moment.

5. I need a plan. I am a planner when it comes to major, icky things I hate to do--ie, move. I'm not so much a planner when it comes to travel or weekends or things like that, but big things require a plan. REQUIRE. I am waiting on key pieces to fall into place so that I can make a plan.

6. Have I mentioned the house guests? Have I mentioned how more arrive next week? Have I mentioned how I haven't STARTED PACKING and haven't HIRED MOVERS because we're not sure what day we're moving.

I'm done, y'all. Overwhelmed and done.