The Room Make-Over

This weekend we had a giant 12-hour, reality-tv show worthy make-over of my room! 

It was fantastic. 

Nate and I went to IKEA: also known as adult disneyland, at least for me. 

I love ikea.  I love decorating.  I love making a place a home.  

I can't wait to make a home for my family one day. 

Anyway. I invested. And I am extremely pleased with the results. 

The only thing that I kept is my bed, everything else was out with the old in the with new! 

Plus they were running a promotion where if you spend more than $100 you can deduct your meal from the ikea food court from your bill...which meant Nate and I indulged big time on ikea food.  

It was so awesome. 

It's things like this that I get much more excited about than the average human being. 

So without further ado, I give you...

The Before:

Oh, those plastic bins and flower rug.

The "college lamp" needed to go. 

My dumpster-diving dresser

cords, ugliness under my bed, and plastic furniture.

After:

New nightstand, new bed skirt, no cords!!!

New dresser!

New vase and pretty flowers.

Pretty flowers from Nate.

New lamp!

Framed painting I bought in Italy

Newly painted frame

New bed skirt, new rug!

Newly framed Italy painting.

Love them! 

I am a generally clean, yet cluttered person. 

Yesterday evening something inside me cracked. Big time. 

I had a massive freak out and realized I have been living in a huge dump and had the uncontrollable urge to start throwing my entire apartment into a trash can. 

This all started last week when Ashley and I visited our friend, who lives down the hall's apartment, and realized how disgustingly pathetic ours was in comparison. 

She had real furniture, tons of space, a real bed, real decorations. 

It lead me to also realize that every piece of furniture I own is either plastic or from off the streets of new york.

And that, to me, is no longer acceptable. 

I am a college graduate, I have a real job, is this is now my home.  

So it's about time it start looking like a home and not some college frat house. 

So I IKEAd it up, and will be purchasing some unplastic, unused, furniture later this week. 

I have reached a new chapter in my life, and am needing some serious re-vamping to go along with it. 

Old with the old...in with the new! 

My new furniture. 

"Real Life"

I want to say that the last two weeks have been life-changing...being on my own...supporting myself...starting my first full-time job ever.
But to be honest, they haven't been.

The transition from being a college student, living in new york city on a strict student-loan budget, with a part-time job to now barely seems like a transition at all.
It's been almost seamless.

I think because I am so ready to be here!!!
I love my job.
I love working hard everyday.
I love supporting myself.
I love that 100% of my coworkers are yogis.
I love having a schedule where I can orchestrate my life the way I want it to be.
I love that I work for an awesome company.
I love that I get to plan yoga events all day long.
I love that I get to hop into a yoga class for free, pretty much whenever I want.
I love that I am being put to good use.

The last two weeks have made me feel that I am exactly where I need to be, and that is an excellent feeling.

The Guest House 

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

~ Rumi ~