One Year

top photo: what it looked like the day after we move in

bottom photo: what it looks like now

Gentle readers. Sunday marks one year since Boyfriend and your MatchGirl took the leap and moved in together. And what a year it's been.

Experience: Intense Movers

Boyfriend and your MatchGirl hired Intense Movers! of Williamsburg to handle our move. As your MatchGirl had purged a lot of her belongings and the majority of her furniture, in order to create a home that belongs to her and Boyfriend together, instead of populated by the ghosts of past lives, the move consisted mostly of boxes of books and clothes and kitchen supplies - of which your MatchGirl has quite a lot.

The final count on boxes was about 50, of varying shapes and sizes - some procured from a shipment of swag at work, some from the pet supply shop and bodega near my old space and still more donated from friends who recently made the big move from Brooklyn to family friendly Maplewood, NJ - and a bit of furniture. There were a couple of small tables, a big vintage wing chair, a 60s style Lucite stool and a dresser, amongst other things.

Moving Day!

Today, gentle readers, Boyfriend and your MatchGirl take the plunge and move into our new apartment.

It's an exciting day.

It's a nerve-racking day.

It's the start of something new. Of something important.

The past several weeks, this blog has been about packing and purging. The logistics of moving and making wish lists. Now that we have come together - are coming together - it will become about us making a life together.

Wish us luck!

Logistics: Movers, Take 3 - The Final Cut

Gentle readers, your MatchGirl has written here, a couple of times, about her and Boyfriend's search for movers to move us from my apartment on the north part of Greenpoint's Manhattan Ave to our new place, about 7 block south.

It's been frustrating.

We're on a bit of a budget - trying to save our money for new furniture and to save money to, well, save money as we grow our life together. And while it's true that we could probably rent a U-Haul and move ourselves to save a few bucks, I think that will add a lot more stress than we need. Plus, as we are moving on Friday morning (yes, Friday morning, April 1st), most of our friends will be at work.

Logistics: Movers, Take 2

Your MatchGirl has spent several hours looking for movers within our budget. Maybe she should have called earlier in the month, but I've been exceedingly busy with work and projects. It's hard to find time during the 9-5 to make a million phone calls.

I've already written about FlatRate Movers and how they wanted to charge $850 to move 7 blocks.

Next I reached out to Arthur Werner, recommended by a friend. Garnet emailed me right away and then phoned me to follow up the next day, but I was in a meeting all day. I returned his email and promised to call the next afternoon. I spoke with him and received a verbal quote - $552 - which was followed up by a very professional and detailed written quote.

Logistics: Movers

One of the things your MatchGirl decided long ago was that she could not possibly move her stuff on her own, one more time. There comes a point in your life (for me it is now, at 35 years old), when it is simply too difficult to motivate a group of your friends with promises of pizza and beer.

Apartment Search: Manhattan at Eagle

This weekend, Boyfriend and your MatchGirl went on our first apartment viewing since we decided to move in together. It was a third floor walk-up on Manhattan Avenue near Eagle Street in Greenpoint, asking price $1750.

After we parted ways with the real estate agent, we ran through the pros and cons of the place. Those and more pictures after the jump.

Purging

Gentle readers, your MatchGirl has lived in the same Brooklyn apartment for about 6 1/2 years now. It's the longest I have lived in one place since I was 10 years old. And, while I changed rooms and got rid of a lot of stuff when my old roommate moved out and before the current one moved in, that was still three years ago.

In short, there is a lot of stuff. A lot.

The amount of stuff that Boyfriend owns pretty much fits entirely in his car.