This is pretty much what's going on in our house right now:
Our house is not huge by any means. That would have been silly to buy a very large house, considering it is just the two of us right now. That aside, I'm glad it isn't a huge place. The bigger the place, the more tempted we are as human beings to keep bringing in more items to fill it. As it is, Brian and I both need to downsize and get rid of a few things along the way.
I have been opening up a few boxes that I've had packed for a year. At our old apartment, there was no point in unpacking everything due to the lack of space and our intention to only stay there for a short time. As I am looking at items I haven't seen in a while, there are mixed emotions. Some things I'm really quite happy to see and enjoy again. Others I haven't missed, and it makes me ask the question, "Do I really need this?"
It is so easy for our stuff to begin to own us, rather than us owning our stuff. The last thing I want is a home that is bursting at the seams because we can't part with a few items. It is hard to get rid of things, whether it has some sentimental value (for ex: a gift) or some useful value (for ex: teaching files). I know I personally need to look at some of my things with a more critical eye and give them the old HEAVE-HO.
It will take us a while for our home to be what we want. We still have to move quite a few pieces of furniture from NJ, and when we have those, that will enable us to truly settle and unpack more items even further. I expect the whole process of getting settled to take a few months at least, while we figure out where this and that are going. This doesn't count the things we will do to improve our home (adding blinds, ceiling fans, etc.)
Until then, it is one day at a time, and I have to remind myself (or Brian reminds me), that there is no deadline here. It is a little bit every day that will enable us to cross the finish line. We're just happy we have a house and the time to take.
