Moving Right Along

It's happened. I'm actually in my new apartment. Woot! I still find it weird to look around and think, this is where I live now...
I had a bunch of wonderful people help me move and they only razzed me a little bit about all the books I own. (Since I used almost all B&N boxes to pack they seemed to believe I had bought out the entire store before I left :)
So we moved all the stuff in on Saturday and then I returned "home" to stay one more night so I could spend Father's Day with my Dad and then Sunday night I came "home" for the first time. (finding both places are now considered home which adds to weirdness)
I am so glad I planned on doing this because after people who helped had left and it was just family, Mom and Dad and sis asked what they could do to help, but I was just totally overwhelmed and couldn't even think, so Mom and I went shopping for things I realized I really really needed (like a kitchen trash can and a shower curtain) and I just left everything to start on Monday.
Monday morning I was up bright and early because my internet installation appointment was between 8 and 10 am. The Comcast guy came right around 8:30 and set everything up within about half an hour. He was super nice and I was relieved I didn't have to go more than half a day without internet (I may have a problem).
The kitchen was my first project and I kept a running list of things I discovered I still needed (like a step stool and sponge caddy). The biggest strain of unpacking the kitchen was washing all of the wonderful new things I go like all of my canisters, my new dishes and silverware. I did things in batches. Unpacked a couple of boxes until the counter was piled high, washed them, let them dry while I unpacked more boxes or ran to the store or ate breakfast or lunch. But I got most of the kitchen done. I have a few more boxes to tackle today and then I can move on to my bedroom.
Here are the "before" pictures of my apartment. As I finish or after I finish unpacking I'll post the after ones.

Kitchen 1
We did move the boxes
around the stove before we left

Kitchen 2
Love all my cabinets

Living Room 1
I don't have a couch yet

Living Room 2
So this is where a lot of boxes
ended up temporarily

Bedroom 1
Yay for closet space!

Bedroom 2
So grateful Mom made up the bed
Made Sunday night less stressful

Office/Spare Room 1
This is such a nice extra space for me

Office/Spare Room 2
Everyone was jealous of my
rolltop desk - my favorite
piece of furniture

These are pretty much all book boxes...

My first apartment!...now what?

1 week from tomorrow is my move in day. Into my first apartment. For the first time I will be living out from under my parent's roof. I am super excited about this, not because I dislike my parents, but because it means I get to pick the stuff that goes into the house and where to put it!

But as I contemplated this move, I began doing many interweb searches on what I would need when moving into my first place. Because there is a lot guys. So many things. And I found some really helpful lists and suggestions that helped me figure things out. For your edification, here is a list of the things I found to be most important or that I hadn't thought about at first that sort of compiles some of the other lists I found along with things I added.

Furniture - this seems obvious, but it warrants a little thinking:

• tv cabinet
• bookshelves
• couches/chairs
• side tables
• dining furniture
• bed
• dresser
• desk
• inflatable mattress (I got one for easy company sleeping)

Lamps and lights - there is, fortunately, good lighting in my apartment, but I will still need more of these than I had in one bedroom.

Kitchen appliances - If there is one thing I'm excited about, it's that I'll have my own kitchen. I like to cook and my apartment has lots of counter and cabinet space. But I'm going to fill that up with

• toaster oven (or toaster if you prefer, but toaster ovens are the bees knees and I can't imagine living without one)
• microwave (if you want those evil rays infiltrating your brain. Or to warm up food fast)
• blender
• bread maker
• crockpot
• mixer (whether stand or hand or both)
• you might also need things like a coffee maker
• rice cooker
• juicer depending on what kinds of things you like to cook

Other Kitchen Stuff

• pots and pans
• baking sheets and pans (loaf, 13x9, cupcake)
• spatulas, spoons, scrapers, etc.
• glass or plastic storage containers to hold all the delicious food you cook
• cooling rack
• measuring cups (liquid and dry) and measuring spoons
• paper towel holder
• dish towels
• dish cloths
• hot pads and/or oven mitts
• mixing bowls
• rolling pin
• whisk
• pizza cutter
• ice cream scoop
• cutting board(s)
• knives
• can opener
• ladle
• tongs
• peeler
• aluminum foil/plastic wrap/wax paper/zipper bags
• toothpicks/matches

Dining Stuff

• plates and bowls
• silverware
• serving bowls
• napkins
• placemats
• tablecloths
• salt & pepper shakers
• cups and glasses

Bathroom Supplies

• bath mat
• shower curtain
• towels
• washcloths
• hand towels
• toilet paper

Cleaning Supplies

• sponges
• toilet brush and plunger
• broom and dustpan
• vacuum
• toilet/glass/bathroom/all purpose cleaner
• trash cans and wastebaskets/garbage bags
• paper towels
• dish detergent
• laundry detergent/dryer sheets/softener/stain removers

Other random things

• first aid supplies
• extension cords
• picture hanging supplies
• hammer/screwdriver/allen wrench
• duct tape/super glue
• step stool
• q-tips
• clothes pins
• batteries
• light bulbs
• recipes

And I also gathered some food stuffs so I wouldn't be tempted to eat out every day during my first couple of weeks:

• spices
• flour
• sugar (powdered, white, and brown)
• salt
• baking soda/baking powder/cornstarch/yeast
• vanilla extract
• yeast
• non-stick cooking spray
• pasta/rice/couscous/potatoes/whatever starchy thing you like
• oatmeal/cereal
• bread/wraps/bagels
• canned and/or frozen veggies
• salad dressing(s)/soy sauce/worcestshire sauce/bbq sauce/ketchup/mayo/mustard
• butter/margarine/Smart Balance
• milk/cheese/eggs
• chicken/tuna/ground meat (turkey, beef, venison, or whatever)
• meals in a box like Hamburger Helper, mac&cheese, or other meal starters just so I have easy things to fix or throw in the crockpot while I'm unpacking and tired from the move stuff
• ice cream (because, let's face it, when you've spent all day at the DMV and come home to an apartment full of boxes you're going to want a little treat)

This is a list I've compiled over the last 6 months or so, but by no means is it exhaustive. Some of the stuff I've listed you might not need and you might absolutely have to have something I never considered. If you think of anything important I've forgotten please feel free to leave it in the comments! And I'll come back and add stuff if I remember anything (or move and wish I'd had it).

Dusting off ye olde blog

I put this blog into stasis mode for a while, trying to deal with a LOT of things going on in my life. BUT exciting things have happened and I had a couple of post ideas I wanted to write with nowhere to post them. And I have some people in my life who want to keep up with things that happen to me once I leave them so I figured, hey, I've got this blog - why not use it again.

Here are a few of the super exciting things that have happened in the last six month that I will be writing about or that have led to things that I will want to write about:

1. I finished my second Master's degree in December. Let's just say I had the most insane 3 1/2 years of my life before that. I was getting my Master's in English and working as a TA teaching college English and after a year I decided I didn't want to go for my PhD in English - instead I wanted to go for Library Science. Because libraries rock. And because I wanted to work with students, but not necessarily teach regular classes. So I started applying and got into an amazing online program which I jumped into the fall after I graduated with my MA. And because I'm insane I took 3 classes a quarter (while teaching 2-3 freshman English classes as and adjunct) so I could finish my degree in 5 quarters. The time flew by and the classes were amazing and I felt for the first time in a really long time that I was in the right field on the right path for me.
2. I got a job. So I had the two degrees - now I needed a job. I went through the process of preparing my resume and cv and writing cover letters and finding all of the random information about previous jobs that I never could have imagined I would need to know. I sent out dozens of applications. And I got what is essentially my dream job. I am so blessed and I praise God for His guidance in this every day because I never in a million years could have believed I would get this job as my first library job.
3. I am going to move. EEP. I've been living at home because my parents are amazing and let me live rent free while I'm in school. And I actually like my family. But the job is in the next state over. And I can finally afford my own place with the new job. And I'm ready to move out. (really ready). And I found a great little apartment and everything is amazingly falling into place.

So those are the crazy things that have been going on in my life since December. And I will be, at some point, writing about the things I learned about applying and job hunting and interviews. And I am narcissistic enough to want to post things about my new apartment and the crazy things I am sure will happen as I move out on my own away from everyone I know. So here they will be.

Ciao!