Just Moving

Why, hello again!

I never did a follow-up after that last post, huh?

Well, I got quite a bit of very sweet support, and only a couple suggestions. Both of which are/were for somewhat controversial and scientific/sociopolitical topics that I don't feel super qualified or safe to post publicly online! So I haven't written about them.

But! I now have something to write about, personally, so here I am!!!

 I'm planning to move! And then move some more. Basically, right now I'm getting started on fixing up my parents' travel trailer and making it pretty before I move in. 

It was actually my grandparents' trailer. I'm not sure how old it is, but my best friend did find a coupon in there that expired in 1997, sooo. . . it's probably a little old. It's in surprisingly good condition, all things considered. My grandparents used it to go down to LA for street meeting, which they would cook for. That was only an annual thing, and beyond that it was only occasionally used either for camping, or as a guest bedroom during family get-togethers. My parents have also been using it as an extra guest room, so I'm not exactly sure what they'll do from here on out.

This is what I'm starting with! The first thing I did was pull up the carpet in the living area. I also started taking out the panels in between the cupboard doors. They were covered in fuzzy, purple corduroy, which seems like a major allergen trap to me! Other plans include painting the walls white, adding vinyl flooring and a vinyl kitchen backsplash, and reupholstering the couch/futon guest bed. My friend, Hannah, also helped me take down the boxes that were over the windows, which really helped with lighting! I just want to put up simple curtains and blinds later. That way when they're open, I'll get as much natural lighting as possible.

I don't know if you can tell in the pictures, but the space is so much brighter already!

The next step, I think, is painting! I plan to buy some paint and primer in one, and do some swatch tests. If they don't go well, I'll have to save up for some gripper primer, which can be pretty expensive.

But for now I'm really enjoying just having a fun project I can always turn to. And I really appreciate having something to work on this summer while everyone else is occupied with harvest. It's always a really hard time of year for me, even though it's fun and exciting, because I can't really be involved anymore. (I haven't been kicked off the crew or anything, hahaha! It's just that driving in the same field all day can put me in a really dangerous mental space.)

Anyway, after all the fun renovation/redecorating is done, I plan to actually move into the trailer! I'm looking forward to a much smaller space and fewer things in it. I've just sort of realized that I'm not a healthy person, and I might never be one. Which stinks. But I want to put myself in the best possible position to cope. My biggest goal is to always be able to look around my home and be able to say, "With just a couple of good days, this could be back to how I want it to be." When I'm not doing well, I just sort of survive. Eating is my main priority, and everything else piles up around me. I want to have few enough things that even if almost all of them were in piles on the counters/table/floors/foot of the bed, I could still see a way to crawl out of that situation. Because at some point, that's always the situation I end up with. I'm not entirely sure why God lets me be this annoyingly weak and sensitive, but I do know that having too many possessions gets in my way when I feel like maybe He does have something for me to do.

Beyond just a change in lifestyle, There will hopefully also be some changes in location! The idea is that I'll stay with my uncle's family in Eastern Oregon for a little while over the winter. I'm curious to see if a change in weather/climate will affect me in any significant or positive way. Whether it does or not, I'm really looking forward to spending a lot more time with my cousins! We have some differences in our approaches to life and faith, but we share a lot of familial values, and I really respect my uncle and aunt and their family. I think they're selfless and hospitable, and they live what they believe.

So, those are my big, exciting plans! And also the slightly rambling explanation for them. 

At some point I wanna have a mini housewarming-type thing. Not like a huge deal, but a fun little get-together to celebrate a new adventure. I want to put in new cupboard and drawer handles, and I love the idea of having my friends and family paint them all! That way I get some fun, colorful, hand-painted things; but also I get to take a bit of community with me when I'm away. Also, I need advice about living in a trailer, cause I have no experience with that! I've already had some fantastic help and advice for the renovation plans, which I'm super grateful for! But I'm also thinking that gathering some people in-person, and letting them look around, might be good opportunity to pick some brains about this specific trailer situation. Also! A lot of the household items I've been using (pots, pans, brooms, etc.) were already in the apartment when I got there, so they don't belong to me. If anyone is planning to donate or get rid of stuff like that, feel free to let me pick through it, if you'd like! Or not. I won't take it personally if you'd rather avoid the hassle of me showing up on your porch and going through your donation boxes before you take them in, like I did at my Auntie Dorcas's the other day, hahaha!

I think that's all the news for now! This will probably become a trailer renovation blog for a bit, since that's what's on my mind more than anything else I would potentially write about. Thanks for reading!

~Dolly

Soon to be: Home, Sweet Home