In just the first week, I'm loving Melyssa's Weekly Wishes series at the Nectar Collective.

Last week, my wishes were to +develop and organizational system and +pick and purchase the floor tile for the mudroom.

I am proud to say, done and done. Okay, well for organization, I bought a planner (for half off!), still working on the larger system. But, we did decide on the tile and find the kind we wanted in the longer 3-foot version at a local flooring store. They have to ship it in and even though the tile itself costs more than online, the shipping was slashed (from $200 to $65 or less) and we'll get it quicker from people we can actually talk to. 

This week, Melyssa's genius idea was to focus on what we accomplished in 2013. It was an epic year for me and as much as I worry about the things left undone, when I really thinking about it, 2013 rocked.

Here's a quick look at what went down:

+Moved to Montana to live with M. 
+Started a new job at a new newspaper. 
+Bought a house.
+Started home renovations.
+Went home to Virginia to celebrate a dear friend's wedding and spend time with friends and family.
+Ran a canyon relay with friends.
+Redesigned and relaunched this blog with a new name, logo and plan.
+Turned 30. 
+Started skating and coaching again. 
+Snowshoed, kayaked, hiked and explored our way around Montana. Among other adventures.
+Started a garden with plans for much more next year. 
+Learned to drive through a snowdrift. Sort of.
+Took over the state chapter of a professional journalism organization. 
+Got the ball rolling on a Montana bloggers group. 
+Made mega progress in simplifying and become the person I want to be.

What were your major accomplishments of 2013? Are you looking forward to keeping the momentum going into 2014?

When I moved back to Virginia from Alabama in 2010, I was stoked to be going back to my mighty Commonwealth. But, as usual, it was a rush job. Packing a u-haul, towing my car, calming pupster, driving myself from Alabama to Virginia with said u-haul, car tow and stressed puppy.

There was an incident with a ditch in North Carolina that required a tow truck (remind me to retell that story one day), many books on tape and so much tension (because I was terrified that my car would fly off the tow, or that I'd hit something seeing how in that 16-foot u-haul, plus tow, I was basically a semi) that my knuckles were white and my hands hurt by the time I got to my parent's house in Yorktown. That's where I left pupster to take everything else up to Alexandria to meet my friend and soon to be roommate so we could find a place. 

Finding an apartment in a hurry in the D.C. area on a budget is a tall order. Especially one that allows pets and is metro accessible. 

We found one that turned out to be pretty overpriced and probably more trouble than it was worth, but for a year, it was home. 

For whatever reason, I decided I was going to paint my room and my bathroom. My bedroom would be a nice, serene green, but I was hell bent on a red bathroom. Pro tips: do not stand on dining chairs in your tub, while drinking red wine. Red paint will end up in your hair and it does not blend in with red hair. Also, red paint will end up on the ceiling and you will come dangerously close to breaking bones. And the chair. 

But here's what I came up with. All by myself. Before Pinterest. Before I bought home improvement magazines and watched home and garden shows. 

I spent hours agonizing over which shade of red to choose. Many, many trips later to Bed, Bath and Beyond, I finally picked out the shower curtain, that I still love, but alas, I left it in Virginia. 

That over the toilet shelf thing was kind of rickety, but I assembled it myself and hammered nails into the side as a jewelry organizer. Despite having painted the walls red, I was reluctant to put nails in the wall. Did I mention this apartment complex charged for EVERYTHING. Shockingly, they didn't charge much when we moved out for the blinds that Grover actually ate. 

When we moved and I didn't have room for the shelf thing, I just knocked the legs off and used the top shelf and cabinet for a bedstand. I only just got rid of it when I moved to Montana in January. It was a cheap, but trusty piece of furniture.

After I took this picture, I hung a white wicker framed mirror that my grandmother gave me over the towel rack and it double as a dangly earring organizer. Quotes and photos eventually rimmed much of the giant mirror and  I ended up really loving this bathroom. 

True, my edges weren't perfect, I never did master that blue painters tape, but it was my project and my first home DIY/decor success. 

Of course, when we moved out, I was hating myself something fierce for having chosen such a deep red paint. We had to prime the walls when we left in prep for a fresh coat of plain ole cream paint. Let me tell you, priming over that red took forever. And it didn't look nearly as nice as when I originally painted it so there was no satisfaction in seeing progress, only all the work left to do. 

I still have a pair of jeans with primer on them, and a shirt, and Grover's collar has primer flecks. Ah, memories. 

We might end up with a similar paint color in the Homestead, but you better believe we're staying here more than a year if I paint a wall that color.

Do you remember your first DIY/home decor project? What was it and what lessons did you learn?

Meet Alicia of Jaybird. Through the blogosphere, she's become a friend and always a source of inspiration, happiness and fun. If you haven't already found her, go make her acquaintance on Facebook and Twitter.  She has some of the best recipes and thoughts on life. Plus, she encourages me to make progress on Wild, which is still sitting on top of the reading stack.

Q: What do you love most about cooking/gardening/food?

A: There is something incredibly fulfilling about growing something in my garden, turning it into a meal, and eating it with the people I love. When planting seeds comes full circle to sitting around a table full of the wonderful people in my life, all sharing something together, I feel completely present and content.

2. I love the idea of creating a home in motion and have been in similar situations, but remember sometimes feeling very unsettled. Does that happen to you? If so, how to handle those moments?

Absolutely! It is completely normal to feel unsettled or adrift when you're traveling frequently or when you've just moved. One thing that helps me is to read old journal entries from previous moves. They remind me that I always go through those rough patches, but there are amazing experiences that make it worthwhile. I also do my best to stay connected to friends and family through phone or video calls and writing letters. 

Q: Where do draw your inspiration for traveling, cooking, moving and well, life in general?

Am I allowed to be cheesy? Seriously, my mom is my inspiration for traveling, moving, and life. She studied all around the world, learned seven (I think) different languages, served as a Peace Corps volunteer, and is always up for an adventure. Now she teaches English as a Second Language (ESL). I grew up meeting her students and admiring their clothes, arts and projects from around the world.

And of course, I get my inspiration from the infinite resource that is the internet! I love reading blogs by freelancers or people in location-independent professions, in particular Yes and Yes, Silly Grrl, and After Nine to Five. Cooking inspiration usually just comes from whatever is on sale at the grocery store or the brightest vegetable at the farmer's market.

Q: Moving/traveling a lot tends to create a huge network of friends of all types. Are there any who stand out as having taught valuable life lessons or just being there in those crucial life moments?

A: There are two groups of people who have been with me through almost everything, and funnily enough, those are the ones from my hometown in Virginia. Now they're spread across several continents and many different states, but even if we go days without talking, I can feel their love and support in even the most difficult moments. You know someone is a great friend when you can email them out of the blue with a random question or life upset and receive an immediate response.

Q: Top three tips for staying positive when it feels impossible to do so? (I loved your recent positivity post!)

A: * Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and then write down five things for which you are grateful. * Look for the positive intent. In certain situations, it can be really hard to find, but this practice has helped me be more empathetic and compassionate, even when I feel like someone has hurt me without reason. * Do something absolutely silly, ideally involving movement. Nothing dispels an emotional funk like a ridiculous dance around the room to 80s pop! It may only work for a moment, but that's a moment that reminds you that you have the ability to create positivity whenever you want!

Q: What are the most important things learned while traveling, to you?

A: When I studied abroad in Senegal, I became absolutely taken with their response to the equivalent of "how are you?"--it translates roughly as "I am only here." There are moments during any trip (and in life) when you feel overwhelmed or torn between a million different choices...but remember, you are only here. Be present in the moment to fully enjoy it and learn from it.

Q: If you could host the perfect dinner party, what would you serve and who (dead or alive, whole world) would you invite?

A: I would have to start with my dad, because he is a very curious guy and a great conversationalist...and while I was busy being starstruck by Arundhati Roy, Niki de St. Phalle, and Ruth Reichl, he could keep the conversation moving.

I'm not great with fancy food but given that there's a food writer in attendance, I would probably try my hand at roasting a rack of lamb. The side dishes would be solid standbys like garlic mashed potatoes, stewed tomatoes, and a raw kale salad with a zillion colorful and crunchy toppings. For dessert, I once made a chickpea-based gluten-free chocolate cake--it sounds weird, but it was AMAZING! Food is particularly great when it can also serve as a conversation piece.

Q: Looking back five years or so, did you imagine your life as it is now?

A: I'm pretty sure I thought I would be living in West Africa working in social services or education access for women and girls. After studying abroad, I realized that there was a ton of work to be done towards these goals in the United States, so I revamped my plan a little...after two years as an AmeriCorps volunteer working in education, I now work in nonprofit communications and I love it. Like anyone, I've always hoped to be happy no matter what I was doing, and that's one thing that has stayed constant.

All the hubbub of getting out of the rental last week had me thinking that I have got to quit moving.

Turns out, in the last decade, I've moved just about every year. Before that, I was a military kid and we moved every other year or so.

That kinda makes me a pro. But I can't say I enjoy packing, carrying heavy things, maneuvering furniture in poorly laid out spaces, not knowing where the one thing I need is at the moment I need it, and then the unpacking. 

Since we bought a house, I'm guessing we'll be staying awhile. 

Some of my bins haven't been unpacked in nearly a decade. Both of us have a handful of boxes we've just been carting around the country for years. It ends now.

But, in the meantime, I'll revisit a few of my moving horror stories. And there have been a few doozies. 

When my dad retired from the military, we got lucky and got to stay in Virginia. I was a sophomore in high school when he retired and didn't really want to move for my last two years. But, my parents bought a house and we moved a few miles across town. 

On the day our truck was supposed to arrive at the new house, it was pouring rain. Buckets and buckets and buckets of rain. 

The movers came with the truck just to say they couldn't unload. But, the truck got wet, then the crates sat in storage for two weeks. We sat in an empty house for two weeks. Somehow, I got talked into seeing "What Lies Beneath" with friends. Have I mentioned how much I hate scary movies?

So I was scared out of my mind, afraid to open closets in case there would be, I don't know, terrifying things in there. If you've seen the movie, you might remember the steamy mirror with the reflection of the ghost-thing. Yeah, I still won't wipe off a steamed up mirror. It's been more than 10 years. There's also things that appear out of fog in the movie. There was a lot of that happening on the way home from the movie and then there was a huge storm with flickering lights and high wind and I was home alone and I was terrified. I ended up at a friend's house watching Wheel of Fortune with his mom until my dad got home. 

When the truck arrived, a lot of our things were ruined. A lot of it was replaceable, but some of it was not. That was the worst part. 

Then there was the time I moved from Alabama back to Virginia. I packed and loaded a 16-foot moving truck myself, with some help from friends. I had wanted a smaller truck since really I didn't have that much and had to tow my car. Guys, I drive a Corolla. And was going to be the length of a semi with the truck and trailer. When they tried to give me a 20-something foot truck, I actually stood in the lot and cried. 

Smaller truck acquired, I headed north, toward my mighty Commonwealth. By myself, with my puppy, towing my car. The plan was to stop the first night in North Carolina. I missed my turn for the hotel and so I went a bit further and ended up in a residential area. 

I saw a sign for something lane and in my head, I figured it would be a cul de sac because my parents live in a lane and it's a big cul de sac at the end. Yeah, it didn't go that way.

The road dead ended, just up and ended into a bunch of trees. The road was narrow, with ditches and cars parked on both side. After a few minutes of crying, cursing and freaking out, I decided I was going to attempt to back up and turn around. 

I was at it for awhile when I decided that the yard on one side was huge enough and the ditch shallow enough that I could use that space to help me turn around. 

Wrong.

I got the truck stuck in the ditch, at 2 a.m., in someone's yard. 

Now there was a lot of crying. 

At one point, I even knocked on the door of the house that went with the ditch I was stuck in. They had big trucks so I figured there was a chance they'd actually be able to maneuver the truck and it looked like a tv was on in the front room. No one answered and I decided to try to Macgyver my way out of it. It wasn't working.

Eventually I got ahold of a tow company that wasn't hours away and wouldn't charge a ridiculous amount to get me out. It took awhile for the guy to get there, but when he did, more comedy ensued. 

I got out to talk to him and after a few minutes, he said he'd just get in and see if he could back it out. But I forgot Grover was in the front seat and wasn't even a year old yet.

They scared the living daylights out of each other. So much so that Grover peed all over the front of the truck. 

I got him out and we sat in the street, with Grover growling, while the tow guy tried to back up the truck. 

That didn't work either, but the tow guy took the time to move slowly and let Grover check him out so he'd simmer down and said that Grover was just doing his job by protecting me. 

Eventually, he got me out of the ditch and turned the truck so I could drive back out. He also called about 30 minutes after he left us to make sure we made it to the hotel okay. 

I white knuckled it pretty much all the way to Virginia, but didn't get stuck in any more ditches. 

The last week of moving was exhausting, but it didn't come close to horror stories, so there's that.

The last week has been a blur of cleaning, vacuuming, moving, fixing, scrubbing, disassembling and reassembling things, plus a very hectic week at work. 

But somehow, we got everything to the new house and got the rental spic and span. Really, boyfriend did most of the work at the old house. I got stuck working late and/or super early several days and was not especially helpful in the deep cleaning department. 

The rental house was never a house I loved, but we are both overjoyed to be done with it and can now focus just on fixing up, renovating and making the new place our own. See ya rental house! 

This week also involved me deciding it had been too long since I'd been running, so I thought I'd try Insanity. Mark has the dvds and I could do it at home instead of having to drive into town for the trail. The first day included me just falling to the floor a few times while doing pushups. The second day was better, until I was getting ready for work.

I may not have mentioned this, but I'm sort of a klutz. I was looking for a pair of pants or something and moved the free weights that were on top of the bin. As I set the weights down right next to the bin, I thought to myself, 'I am so going to smash my foot on those, better not leave them there.' Not five seconds later, I smashed my foot against the weights. My toe may, or may not, be broken. Either way, it's absurd how much pain your second to smallest toe can cause you.

That night, we came back to the homestead to find that there had been a shark attack in the living room.

We were not amused. After I was done being mad at the dogs and took more motrin for my toe, I went to check on the plants. I found that dogzilla had broken lose too.

Hopefully the beans recover. I added herbs into that barrel yesterday morning. Pups stood on those, too, so we'll have to rearrange or block it somehow. He really just wants to look out the window, but I don't want the plants to get destroyed in the process. 

But they look so cute when they think every passing car is their papa.

This week, popcorn ceilings, some gardening, more cleaning, unpacking and settling is in store. I really want to get the bedroom ceiling done and the Swan Lake bathroom knocked out since those rooms have been "in progress" for too long now. So I have this mess to look forward too again. Wet popcorn sludge all over the floor is really fun. It's still on my shoes.

Just for fun, here's a few spotted shots. One is just down the hill from the homestead. One was parked on our old street, at our old neighbors house, today. For a minute I thought I was back in Alabama or certain parts of Virginia. 

Have a great week everyone! 

That's the view we started the weekend, and summer, with Friday night. 

Saturday, boyfriend let me sleep in while he got to work cleaning and moving things. The tractor broke last week and he got parts ordered, but then needed a certain kind of grease. We spent most of Sunday looking for the illusive special tractor grease and ended up ordering it online. 

Then the washer broke. I met a friend for drinks and in that time, boyfriend fixed it. Lint was the culprit. 

We moved maybe one load of things from the old house to the homestead on Saturday. I should clarify that with, "we" did maybe one load. Boyfriend did quite a few, including moving the mattresses himself. He's a beast. 

At some point, I noticed this new addition to the garden. I'm pretty excited to say we now have another one!

Here's what one room in the basement at the homestead looks like. This is a significant chunk of our stuff. In one room, with super sweet carpet. 

To move bookshelves and free up some bins for moving more stuff, boyfriend created a makeshift library for me. I added more to it. This might be the best use of a linen closet, ever. Have I mentioned I have a book problem? This isn't even half of my book collection.

Sunday night we were waiting on Super Moon. We were exhausted and trying to go to bed early. While waiting, we caught a pretty awesome sunset. 

Monday night involved deep cleaning the house we're leaving. I really hate deep cleaning, but I am overjoyed to be almost entirely done with this house. Here's how Grover feels about deep cleaning. It looks remarkably similar to how he feels about rearranging furniture.