January Jumpstart: It’s All About Home

It’s all about home: I have been pretty busy at work which has made it a bit difficult to get here and get these “diary entries” consistent. But it is 8:30 at night and I just finished work and I am determined to get this post out there. (I say as I go into the kitchen for a drink, get distracted putting dishes away and wondering what food I could eat… so easily distracted!)

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Many of you might remember that I moved back to the US again in August. At the time I didn’t yet know if I was going to stay long-term or if I was going to make it my temporary home, stay with my BFF and heal a bit before going off again, or what the plan was. But as time progressed, I knew it was time to put down some roots again. As much as I have loved my nomadic  life, the times over the past 6 years the I have been the happiest and most satisfied have been the times I had a home. A longer term location I could nest and a make home, accumulate a few of my own things, grow a tribe of friends, create a community of my own. These are things I need in my life. With the pandemic still raging, I made the call to settle here and make that my life, my home, here in the US.

Oh believe me, I will be traveling!  I am YEARNING for Berlin with an intensity I can hardly contain. If I can, I will be there for at least 6 weeks sometime this summer or early fall. Berlin will always be a type of “home” for me. I also miss one of my BFF’s- Andy- in Scotland so I want to stop over his way on the way home. And Costa Rica is home to my Costa Rican mom and enough friends that it will also be a priority visit location! But until all of that is possible? I am home, right here.

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One of my favorite things is making my house a home. I am a world-champion nester. From the time I had my first apartment at 21- I was determined that even as a single woman, I would make my house mine; Comfortable, inviting, open to loved ones. I have always known I did not need to have a man in my life to have my home be full and happy. I knew I did not need to wait for a relationship to start my life. I think that is less of a worry today with Instagram and social media showing off our homes like it was in the early 90’s before even AOL! I was a different kind of person from the rest then… I wanted to have a man come into MY space and think “This gal has her shit together, I think I love her!” HA! I STILL want that! (and I have it really… Dex has said more than once he loves my taste and style and has asked me to help him figure out how to do his office space because he ‘knows I have good taste’.)

During these days when we can’t really leave our houses like we used to be able to, having a comfortable, pleasing home is more important than ever. For me, it also means I have something to DO. I fuss about plants, I look online for the best way to decorate my mantle, I research wall photo galleries and spend hours pouring over my six years of travel photos to decide which images to use. I can’t tell you how many hours (and a few returns) and conversations with my mother (my design partner in crime) it took just to pick the right rugs for the living room! It keeps my mind occupied, it keeps my brain always moving. I am actually worried what I will do once everything is more or less settled and in place… what will I do!?

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My apartment is in a historic registry building. It was built in the early-mid 1700’s and George Washington stayed here (in my apartment) on his first visit to my town. (Living in the Northeast of the USA, has so many opportunities for cool historical stuff!) The ceilings are doubly high, there is amazing moldings, 100-200 year old hard wood floors and two fireplaces! They have done a lovely job of modernizing it and I was so thrilled when I applied and was accepted as a tenant. There is even a patio, which for me was almost the main selling point. After living in so many places around the world that had outdoor space (in Berlin I had TWO balconies and in Medellin our balcony doors were never closed and the balcony was simply an extension of our living room!) I NEEDED an outside space, and here I have one!

Home is feeling great these days. I have a ton of plants, it feels beautiful and comfortable and I hope someday when we can move around freely, it will be a place people come to hang out and chill.

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Due to the pandemic and lockdowns, factories have been so backed up that part of my sofa sectional, which I ordered in October, is now not scheduled to arrive until Feb 7th and my furniture sales lady has said I should plan for longer, because well… this is 2021. I id get great news today that my office loveseat is due this weekend! THAT makes me so happy. My office is the room I spend more time than any other room. It has my work desk, an art desk, a console table for my TV that is arriving tomorrow (and I will put it together ASAP) and soon, an awesome leather reclining loveseat. I do not have a TV in the living room, that space is for eating, visiting and hanging with friends. No TV for distractions! But my office? TV for work distractions and once I have the loveseat, that’s where I will hang out with any folks who I actually watch TV with. (Date with movies?) Also in the evenings, I will watch TV there so I don’t have to watch in bed. This is good news! It means that by Sunday- my office is more or less done. (I need a shelf for my artwork, but otherwise… done!)

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Anyway- all those random thoughts about building my home. I am so excited! Sometimes I sit at my dining room table (part of my living room) and look around and just sigh and think “I love my home.” I don’t think I can ask for a better place to be right now, especially considering where our world is right now.

What do you all think about home?

Are you nesting more now that our lives are so much more limited due to the pandemic?

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You might like this past post: I Fall in Love, Just a Little ol’ Little Bit

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Today’s photo is a view from the balcony of my home in Berlin. This photo was taken in early January 2 years ago. I lived right on a tram line on a busy street, but I could sit out on either balcony and enjoy the view and watch people in the street as they went about their day to day business.

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