The time has to come to write all about our experience of temp home living. We move out of our Airbnb today and really couldn’t be any more excited to move onto the next chapter of this book. The genre of this story is a bit adventure, a bit drama, some thriller, (because I’m scary mom sometimes) and a lot of family.  I assume the lessons I learned from the past two months are still going to come to me as we move into our new home; but for now, here’s what I’ve come up with.

Thank goodness for the healthy relationship Curtis and I share. While he has had the giant undertaking of a new position with different people, different responsibilities, different location, etc., I wanted to step up. During this time of giant transitions, I felt I needed to hold the reigns of driving our family through the uneasy home life terrain for weeks to come.  When we first moved into our initial Airbnb I tasked myself with being the best support I could while at home. Meaning, I would take on getting the kids settled at their new school, grocery shopping, homework, meal planning, cooking, house chores, packing/unpacking, and being the stable emotional support that everyone needed. I quickly realized that these expectations I put on myself weren’t realistic. If I was the rock for everyone else, who was mine? Initially I took to writing out my feelings in a notebook because I didn’t want to weigh down anyone with my thoughts. Those pages became my rock for a couple weeks. But we all know that paper covers rock and eventually I was defeated. When I gave way to my feelings and expressed myself to Curtis he was completely understanding and ended up commiserating along with me about our stresses and uncharted feelings. We were able to move past the facade that everything was fine and be real. I know that may sound funny because it’s not so much that we were trying to trick one another, we were trying to fool ourselves. Truly, we feel very blessed by this whole situation – but that doesn't prevent the weight of the experience from impacting us. 

We have stayed at countless Airbnb’s in our past and have almost always had a great experience. Because of the late notice we received about move time, the availability of vacation rentals was not in abundance, especially for weeks at a time.  And because of that, these two homes that we stayed in during our longest Airbnb stays yet, were also the worst homes we’ve visited. May it be due to lack of supplies, beds, comfort, or style – this so-called purgatory felt like a ticking time bomb. 

Wow, I sound dramatic. 

Another job I put on myself was to stay busy with work and part of that meant keeping up with my social media and sharing this experience on my different platforms. I felt like giving others a look into our less-than-ideal living situation and how I worked through it could be helpful to someone. It was fun to stay busy and challenge myself to see the easy fixes in our temp home. I shared some of these tips on my Instagram. 

1. Swapping out the stock pillows on your sofa with pretty and personalized.

2. Creating art that can cover an existing canvas without ruining the frame.

3. A little cutting board DIY and adding style to an otherwise un-styled kitchen. 

4. Using linens to fix unsightly furniture.

5. Rearranging wall art to better suit the room. 

I think I deserve a pat on the back for the little amount of home shopping I did on this two-month hiatus. It’s easy to feel uninspired by a home that doesn’t feel like you. This leads to less motivation and home care quickly can become stagnant. At least this is how the process went for me. I felt especially hit by this as part of my job is to share home décor and the way I use it in my daily life. 

Before we moved, I set aside things that I wanted to bring to our temp living to make them feel a bit more like home. Items that aren’t just the necessities. I wanted to pack our own pillows because eight weeks without your own bed is long enough! I also packed our coffee pot, Ninja blender, favorite water bottles and protein shakers, my stationary bike, my bedside fan, a decorative and useful bowl, throw blankets, pretty throw pillows, a few baskets for kid’s toys, and a vase for some local foraging. Something Curtis and I both agree on is that the trees and greenery around here are gorgeous. Something we didn’t agree on was what to put in our short-term living boxes. While I shoved all the home décor inside (now I think he agrees I was right) I also packed all my clothes. That was not the right decision. I mean I don’t want to take all the credit for this poor decision because I felt pressed for time. The packers showed up at our old house while I was still in the shower and told me that I had all day to figure out the closet. A few hours later they told me to get it done “now.” So maybe bringing all my winter clothes to 100+ degree weather wasn’t considered light packing, but I’ve never been one to pack light anyway. Lesson learned.  

Ok so what did I really learn from this whole saga? I learned that we have a pretty high threshold for stress. We really can get by with a lot less than what we are used to. Having our own home is a luxury that we have come to take for granted. I value my personal space, but I value my family time even more. This time together where we only have one another to rely on was actually a gift. We had been given the advice years ago that the best thing to do for a newly married couple was to move away from everything and everyone. The idea is that this forces your relationship to an instantaneous bond that can otherwise take many years to build. That only having each other to rely on, to feel safe by and nurture; nurtures your relationship much more quickly. It only took us 10 years, but we made that move! I won’t speak for Curtis…who am I kidding, I always do. We both feel closer by this experience with each other and with our children. We have a stronger appreciation for everyone in this household and the intricacies that make our crew as unique as it is. 

I really must thank you guys too for hanging in with us during this time.  To know that we have had many hearts cheering us on while we made this scary leap has honestly kept me going. Some days keeping the routine of checking in on stories truly kept my sanity. Part of me feels funny admitting that these “strangers” on the internet help in motivating my work and day to day life. The other part of me is ready to kick butt and take names. Like; Painter’s White, Campfire Ash, Polar Bear, Cotton Sheets, Honied White…

Those white paint projects are coming up first. 

Xoxo,

Meegan