My version of Spring Break

The last few days have been spent painting my new apartment. Quite a few people have expressed how crazy I am to paint a rental, but after a year of living in a place that has never felt quite right for me, I’m ready to be “home”. I figure I’ve lived here for the past eight years, meaning I’ve spent over a quarter of my life in the Willamette Valley, and more specifically McMinnville. Though I have plans for graduate school (someday), I think I’m at a point in my life where I am ready to put down a few roots… ok maybe not deep roots, but you know, I feel comfortable painting. I’m ready to settle in, plant a garden, put things on the walls, and make this new place my own.

It isn’t a perfect apartment… its old, and has some quirks, and as my father would tell you the owner is not a craftsman… there are oddities, and questionable repairs… and some of the trim is on backwards… but it has a lot of character. It’s the kind of place that you can just feel the potential when you walk in the front door. Not to mention the fact that I'm 25, and I love quirks, and character... And living in a unique space is really important to me. I’m sure I could be quite happy in an apartment complex somewhere with a working dishwasher and stark white walls… but it’s not the choice I’m making right now. The choice I’m making right now is for color, garden plots, front porches, and mis-matched trim. And I think my overall mood, and creativity will benefit. The apartment that I’m getting ready to leave has essentially been a place to keep my stuff, but it’s never been a place I’ve been thrilled to go home to.

I am not an expert painter, but the past few days have given me a chance to bond with the new space. Tuesday morning I popped in there before I went to work, and burned some sage and did my best to bring some  positive intention into the space. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a house blessing, but I did want to clear out any staleness, and encourage it to be a place of creativity, compassion, nurturing etc. My family thinks I’m pretty crazy, but I keep re-iterating to them that the apartment has really good energy.  I think they keep waiting for me to have “buyers remorse” but thus far, I have none. The only questionable decision was paint…. I’ve spent the last month pouring over paint swatches, and finally narrowed it down to what I thought were the perfect colors... I’m not sure how I missed the fact that the room next to the red wall in the kitchen was going to be a golden yellow, but the second the paint when up my hallway was reminiscent of a Ronal McDonald House… Oh dear god.  It was supposed to be a spice red, and neutral golden… but what went on the walls was more tomato soup, and double yellow line/ yellow curb looking. Does it get any more ketchup and mustard? Honestly, how did I not realize this before? The colors looked ok by themselves, but after some contemplating and polling, I decided to paint the nook area more of a terra cotta/ neutral pumpkin color instead. It’s still really warm (and a little bright) but at least it doesn’t make me want to order a happy meal.

Though I really should be packing tonight, I’m giving myself the night off. The last few days have just been a little nutty, and I’ve felt so scattered and all over the place. I’m totally in awe of all of my friends with children… lately I feel like it is a chore just to feed myself and take care of my work responsibilities, personal projects, volunteer stuff, moving, painting, writing… having a life (HA). I can’t imagine what it would be like to have the responsibility of a family, and everyone else’s needs and projects, and hunger… most days I can hardly pull myself together! So I feel a bit pathetic admitting that tonight, more than ever, I need a little time to catch up and focus on something besides work, projects, and the move.

Thankfully, I’ve got the perfect place to retreat to this week. My boss is out of town, so for the next ten days I have the vineyard house all to myself. Yes, taking care of the dog does add an additional stress element to the move, but it’s all worth it at the end of the day when I get to come home to a  spacious kitchen, spectacular view, and a bath tub big enough for two. (Not that I have two people in there, mind you). It is so nice not to have to worry about all the unsettling/ settling parts of the move, trying to cook in a kitchen where everything is packed, finding the box with the bedding etc. I can leave all of that behind me at the end of the day, cook myself a real meal, pour a glass of wine, crawl into the tub, and call it a night.  If there were ever a week that I needed a place to play house, this would be the week. I get to escape from the moving chaos, and for a few hours a day I get the luxury of making my own meals, sleeping in clean sheets, and not having to navigate the maze of boxes. What more could a girl ask for? Oh yeah, the coffee machine… I’ve written about it before… heart of my hearts… if there was ever a week I needed access to this much espresso, this would be the week!