Organizing Streak

Yesterday I decided that I couldn't stand the chaos anymore and started stomping around the apartment looking for hiding places for all the stuff that has consumed our living room for the past month. In the same way that a dog can destroy a flower bed in a matter of minutes when digging a hole for its most precious bone, I too made space in our closet. Crawling in on all fours, I started chucking things over my head -- shoes, bags, clothes, cleaning supplies -- all over the floor. Jesse stared bewildered by his desk, no doubt dodging a stray shoe or belt, and then decided to go on a run. It wasn't the most rational way of organizing, but the closet is looking a lot better.

When he came back from his run, we had dinner and set out a plan for fixing the mess and making our apartment feel like home. The first task was to either hide or eliminate the boxes full of books and cd's. Since most of our hiding places have been filled, the only option was to figure out where to put the contents held within the wall of boxes. We both knew what the next step would be: Billy bookcases. Stat!

As much as I have talked about having as little Ikea furniture in our apartment as possible, I am continually drawn there to seek out ideas and options for organization. So, we arrived at Ikea this morning at 9:30 sharp and marveled at the empty parking lot. The store didn't open until 10am, but we decided that the $1.99 breakfast would help fuel us through the trip. It was a relatively short visit. We found the Billy bookcase aisle and were in the checkout line by 10:30.

The bookcases are quite tall, so we had to fold down the front passenger seat to accommodate the boxes. As a result, I had to ride home in the backseat of our car. It felt totally weird, so we both pretend he was my chauffeur on the way home -- I would make outrageous demands and he would reply "as you wish." The rest of the afternoon was spent assembling the bookcases and unpacking books. Sunday will likely revolve around more organizing and shifting furniture.

Jesse said today that unpacking the books felt like being reacquainted with old friends. It's true. Having our books and things around is already making it feel more like home.