Square One: The Tour! {Plus Major Bombshell!!}

(Heads up- I drop a major bombshell at the end of this post!)

I survived our first week after moving in, and have the pictures to prove it! And if that wasn't enough fun, I caught me the stomach flu on top of that.

Holy toilet clutching, Batman.

observation on puking: 

Throwing up is the great equalizer of mankind. There is no possible way to look cute, or sexy, or macho whilst heaving one's breakfast into the loo. We all look exactly the same at that horrible moment. Think about it.

And now back to our regular programming.

We-Haul
Over the weekend we loaded up all our worldly goods in the back of a U-Haul and bid farewell to our house.

After laughing at ourselves for ordering a truck "waaaaay too big" for our "little bit" of stuff, we were lucky the door closed behind it! I can testify that the size guide on U-Haul's website is WRONG. Our 3 bedroom house barely fit in one 24ft truck. Tuck that away for later.

And now for the Grand Tour!

I'm excited to show you our new place! We got a townhome in the OC, which we really love. I realize this now makes me a real housewife of Orange County. My botox, lipo, and hair extension appointments are scheduled for next week.

I took this vid with my phone, so apologies for the jumpiness. Hopefully it gives a good idea of the layout of our townhome, and you won't get motion sickness and end up clutching a toilet like me after watching it.

Video comments:

• Apparently I'm really into echos. Call it a singer thing.
• Please don't judge me by the outfit you see at :44. Some things should never be captured on film. : /
• My adjective of choice is "cool", and I only use it about 16 times in this video.

And Some Peechurs!
Walking in the front door, to the left you'd see our living room. There's some great warm brown laminate flooring in this area, plus 6 inch molding, and framed windows with 2 inch slatted wood blinds. Talk about upgrade town : D.

Straight ahead from the front door is this wide hall. We're not sure what to make of this, as it's not exactly a room, and not exactly a hallway either. A haroom. I'll be using it as my music studio.

If you go through the door on the left there, that's the garage. On the right is the master bedroom.

It's got a nice big closet all along that far wall, and it's own outdoor area we think is called an atrium?

          

The master bath is a tad small, but we'll cope. That really means I will take over the space and Jason will have to shower elsewhere.

Back out of the master bedroom and to the right of the front door is our formal dining room. I love the great big window which lets in tons of light. Now I'm realizing how dim and gloomy our previous house was!

The kitchen is also upgraded. Marble countertops, tile backsplash, and white cabinets with brushed steel hardware. We really were so blessed to get this place! I'm planning on whipping up an island for the center of the kitchen, for extra storage.

(I like taking "Before" pictures because I don't have to clean up first.)

At the back of the house is our family dining area. There's tile in here and soft green paint. We'd like to add a small table plus desk area for bills and mail in here.

Behind the family dining room (you can sort of see it through the windows) is our patio. Not much to look at. I'd love to do a cool treatment to the wood slat fence, add a patio set, get a bbq. There's also a fun window ledge for adding potted plants!

And now for the Clever Nest bombshell.

Try to stifle your screams, and refrain from throwing your computer screen out the window.

We Didn't Buy This Place. We are Renting It.

wait, WHAT??

I know, I know, hold your horses. The dreaded "R" word of home design. Jason and I decided to rent for a while, until we know better what our next big phase of life will look like. We definitely plan to own again in the future, we're just not sure yet on the particulars.

But what does this mean for this blog???

Sure, renting comes with some different challenges and constraints than owning, but I'm excited to step into these shoes for the time being.

Maybe you rent too. Ever feel like renters get lost in the shuffle in the DIY/Pinterest empire with it's blowing out this wall and knocking out that kitchen?

Well I believe there is ALWAYS a way to make a place fabulous, whether you rent or own.  I'm stepping up as a champion to us renters and saying, I will fight for you!

(darn I look good in spandex)

(told you there'd be a bombshell at the end of this post)

Thanks for coming along for this next phase in my crazy DIY ride! I promise this blog will be just as crazy/informative/fun as it ever has. Off to lasso some more boxes! Ca-cha!
<3 Alyssa

Get on the crazy train!

Photo source here

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