My first #spiritsunday in my new neighborhood!. After the past two completely full days, I was determined to make this a day of getting organized and enjoying my new digs.

The movers came late Friday, had me moved in in no time, and didn’t want me to lift a finger. You think every time you move you should get a little smarter to the process, but why is it that your tool box is always mysteriously packed away in the last box you open? Or the screws to your headboard are packed deep in a box?

I had to run my errands on Saturday for post-move essentials (wine) because of the mandatory day of rest that is the second day of the weekend.

The Home Depot of Germany is right down the block from me. I think it’s really owned by Home Depot because it’s the same colors and font for the logo. So imagine going into Home Depot looking for a measuring tape. It’s a bit of a challenge, right? Big store…lots of aisles…tons of stuff. Now imagine going into Home Depot looking for a measuring tape without words on the aisles to direct you where to go. That’s pretty much how I felt.

As if German Home Depot wasn’t exciting enough, I decided I’d take a trip to Ikea. It’s probably a 30 minute drive, but I took the train to the bus; an hour there and an hour back. Let me just say I am never taking the bus to Ikea again.

German Ikea is pretty much the same as American Ikea—it’s still Swedish, and it’s still packed with families and screaming kids playing in the faux room setups. The differences I noticed were the kitchen design area and the bedroom closet area. This is because many of the apartments here come without kitchens or closets, so the renter has to build his own.

I am in the market for a kleiderschrank myself, but will have to have it delivered or borrow a car from someone to go pick it up. My apartment only has a small coat closet in the entry way. Other than that, there is no storage space. And four drawers and two cabinets are the extent of the storage space in the kitchen. Luckily, I’m used to living in small spaces that require creative planning. I’m up for the challenge.

Once Sunday rolled around, I still had a lot of boxes to unpack. I put on some music (iPhone in a bowl), and got to unwrapping. The movers in California wrapped EVERYTHING in thick paper. Every single piece of furniture had to be unwrapped.

Moving in is a little like Christmas. You get excited for what you’re about to unwrap, wondering what it could be. And then you’re either happy or disappointed. Yay! My favorite tea cup and fruit bowl! Why did I move a broken bobblehead halfway around the world?

So of course #spiritsunday involved a lot of introspection on the topic of “things”. It is such a comforting feeling to have my “things”. It was magical when my apartment started to smell like home and it’s comforting to have familiar “things” around. My new place filled with memories of friends and laughter and mystery as to who the new friends will be. It’s not those things that got me thinking.

It was all the little things that spend their time tucked away in closets, or in the back of a shelf, that never get used, but are there, just in case. I questioned bringing all of these things. And every time I opened one of them, I cursed myself for packing it. Especially with the reality of no closet space sinking in.
When I dropped my glasses from the Kentucky derby, I can’t say I was all that upset.

Remind me again why I need 15 coozies?

How on earth could someone need so much Tupperware??

I moved these things downstairs to the basement and I made a commitment to myself. I will get rid of the things I don’t want immediately. If there is something that I think still might be useful, or if I can’t part with it, I will give myself six months. If it hasn’t left the basement by then, it’s out. Surprisingly, when forced to pick my essential kitchen items, the space was filled perfectly.

I took an afternoon break to walk to the river for some sun and reading. I can’t wait to start #spiritsundaypicnics at the river!

When I got back, I baked my first batch of muffins in my new apartment.

Yesterday, I stumbled upon an extra drawer under my oven. I was so excited to find this hidden space! When I opened it, I was even more excited at the contents. There was parchment paper, a rolling pin, cookie cutters and muffin cups.

I am in love with the karma of this place.