Thursday, February 4, 2010

the end.



And there you have it. Our past life in California has been all packed up and the movers are coming tomorrow. Of course, it's bittersweet.



We have so many great memories in this house. And let me tell you - it's a gorgeous house. I've mentioned it before on here, but we rented it from our in-laws who owned it. We'll always be so thankful for their generosity for letting us live here (at a great discount!), but it's time to move on and really be on our own even if that means being in a one bedroom apartment for a while.

California has been great as well... the beaches, the sun.. but we are trading all that for a simpler life. One with a lower cost of living, four beautiful seasons and the amazing opportunity for me to go after my dreams.

But most of all, the saddest part of the move will be leaving my wonderful in-laws who currently live only an hour away. They really are my family and they are such an amazing support to both Matt and I. Although it is hard leaving them, I have a gut feeling we'll be close to them again in the future! Every time I see them I ask them when are they going to move to North Carolina ;)

Not sure if you are still with me after all that sappy rambling, but here are some pictures of the house through the years as I say farewell:

We moved in Christmas-time 2006, and almost all the furniture you see here came with the house. We just put up our Christmas tree!

[I have to admit, this decorating really makes me cringe now. But I had other things to worry about at the time, like planning a wedding!!]









I then went through a stage of many pillows and blue and green:



I never really liked the scrolly thing above the fireplace, so I finally replaced it with this mirror sometime in 2007 (I think?):



Christmas-time 2007 I decided it's time to paint our bedroom, so I did a pretty dark gray. I still love it to this day. This is right after I painted:



And here is the bedroom when I completed it:



One day in 2008 I got crazy and decided to paint the entire house from gold to greige. I'm still glad I did it even though we are moving. And the most recent pictures I have....










I case you are wondering, the majority of the furniture is staying in California because it was never really "ours"... meaning it came with the house so we didn't pick it out ourselves. And being an interior decorator now, it's time I start building a collection of our own furniture. We are bringing some of the furniture (our master bedroom bed, the dining room table, the couch) to save money. But I'll slowly be adding in more and more personalized items.

Next time I'll be able to post, I'll be living in CHARLOTTE! Catch you on the flip side ;)

47 comments:

  1. Did you know that "moving" is one of the top 3 stresses of life. Not that you need any added stress.
    Good luck with your move.
    pve

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  2. Have a great trip and I can't wait to read about the next phase in your life!

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  3. Love seeing pics of your house through the years and your improvements. I'm going to try and find pics of our first townhouse. You will die! It was awful and I thought it was so good :)

    Hope to catch up w/ you soon when you get settled.

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  4. Hi Bryn, I've been following your blog for a little while now but never commented....good luck with your move! I'm originally from the Charlotte area and hopefully you'll love it there! Hickory is right up the road (45ish min) and they have a fabulous furniture mart. It's still a little expensive, but they do have great deals for nice furniture. You should check it out!

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  5. Congratulations on completing the packing! It was fun looking at how your house has changed over the years ... you've come a long way, and now you're going even further :-)

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  6. Good luck with your move! And welcome to the East Coast!

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  7. You're going to love Charlotte... its hip and fun! Plus you'll be closer to Savannah, which is the best city in the Southeast ;)

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  8. go get em!!!!!!!!!!!

    happy and safe travels...

    glad to have you here in the south.

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  9. Congrats Bryn! Can't wait to see you put your mark on the new apartment. :)

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  10. It is bitter sweet when some life changes come around. Hope you have a safe trip and welcome to the Queen City!! You are going to love it!

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  11. I started reading your blog a few months ago and absolutely love it! Just wanted to write to say "Welcome to Charlotte" I moved to south Charlotte (Ballantyne to be exact) about 5 years ago from Boston and although orginally skeptic of whether I could love it as much as home, I have loved every minute of it and wouldnt think of ever moving back! Good luck in your new adventures and send me an e-mail (TaraSox@Hotmail.com) if you ever need any good recs in the area!

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  12. Good luck with the move! I'm sure you're going to love the other side of the country! Safe travels!

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  13. congrats on going after your dream!

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  14. Congratulations! Living in the South is great, and I'm sure you'll find many thins to love about NC. Hopefully your in-laws come often!

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  15. I promise you will LOVE the east coast.

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  16. Good luck Bryn!!!!! On to the next adventure!!!! Can't wait to see you when you're settled in. We living in NC for a couple years and LOVED it.

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  17. good luck with the move!
    what an exciting time. i loved seeing your boxes, all neatly stacked, with a smattering of cb2 boxes for a little punch of color!
    and i loved the tour of your home through the years...it's neat to see where you've "been" decorating-wise. i know the future holds great things for you!
    thanks for taking us all on the ride with you.

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  18. Good luck with your move Bryn and thanks for sharing your house through the years. Can't wait to see your new place!

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  19. How exciting! A new adventure, enjoy it! Janell

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  20. man, it IS a beautiful house. are they looking to rent it? i live in l.f. and we are looking to move!!

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  21. Enjoy North Carolina. We were stationed there for 3 years. We lived more towards the south, but we LOVED the Raleigh and Charlotte areas. I think I would have enjoyed living there much more if we hadn't been stuck in a little podunk town, so I'm very anxious to see what life is like in a "big-little city."
    Safe journies!

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  22. As a recent CA graduate myself, I know this...You're going to LOVE N. Carolina! Good luck in the move, and cant' wait for updates!!

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  23. good luck with the move - I've heard that Charlotte is beautiful! It's always hard being away from family - will you be closer to yours now? We have bicoastal familes (his here in san diego with us and mine out in rhode island) and it's hard but it is also so good to just establish yourselves and have each other

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  24. As sad as it is to be leaving, I know you are going to have a blast on the other side of the country doing what you love to do and saving money in the process. Have a safe trip!

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  25. I remember this day leaving our Austin house!! It's totally fine to be sappy!

    PS. What color greige did you use in the house? I think I just found out apartment paint color - ha!

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  26. What an exciting journey - Have a wonderfull trip!

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  27. You will LOVE the east coast - promise!

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  28. Good luck with the move. It is always so bittersweet to move on from a house.

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  29. Awww..... that has to feel weird.

    Good luck in your move! Be safe!

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  30. Good luck with the move! Cant wait to see pics of the new place with all your fun things in place.

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  31. i moved in and out and in and out of apartments, dorm rooms for the past 4 years and finally am settle and married. it really is bitter sweet.

    woo hoo! nothing better than the south. and please don't judge us by our funny accents and currently crappy weather...we are sweeter than we look :) and the city comes alive in the spring again.

    in the meanwhile, there's some great INdoor things to do when you're done unpacking i can give you some ideas, drop me a line!

    http://blueprintsofasouthernbelle.blogspot.com

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  32. I love seeing the progression of your house! Have a safe trip, Bryn, and we'll see you in "The NC" soon!

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  33. Good luck Brynn! NC is my dream place to live, I look forward to following your successes in NC!

    Karen

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  34. Good luck with the move, safe travels! The house was beautiful, and I am sure that this new one will be great if not better! And it will be all yours! Congrads!

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  35. Have a safe trip and welcome to Charlotte! I hope you love it here. :-)

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  36. OMG, Bryn, I got so emotional reading that. I love that house and loved visiting you guys there - always felt is was a true vacation. I can't wait to come see you in Charlotte! Love, Mom

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  37. Good luck with your move, thanks for sharing your house through the years.
    Can't wait to see your new home :))))
    xoxo,
    Raru

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  38. OMG, Bryn, I got so emotional reading that. I love that house and loved visiting you guys there - always felt is was a true vacation. I can't wait to come see you in Charlotte! Love, Mom

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  39. i moved in and out and in and out of apartments, dorm rooms for the past 4 years and finally am settle and married. it really is bitter sweet.

    woo hoo! nothing better than the south. and please don't judge us by our funny accents and currently crappy weather...we are sweeter than we look :) and the city comes alive in the spring again.

    in the meanwhile, there's some great INdoor things to do when you're done unpacking i can give you some ideas, drop me a line!

    http://blueprintsofasouthernbelle.blogspot.com

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  40. Good luck with the move. It is always so bittersweet to move on from a house.

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  41. As sad as it is to be leaving, I know you are going to have a blast on the other side of the country doing what you love to do and saving money in the process. Have a safe trip!

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  42. How exciting! A new adventure, enjoy it! Janell

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  43. I promise you will LOVE the east coast.

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  44. It is bitter sweet when some life changes come around. Hope you have a safe trip and welcome to the Queen City!! You are going to love it!

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  45. You're going to love Charlotte... its hip and fun! Plus you'll be closer to Savannah, which is the best city in the Southeast ;)

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  46. Hi Bryn, I've been following your blog for a little while now but never commented....good luck with your move! I'm originally from the Charlotte area and hopefully you'll love it there! Hickory is right up the road (45ish min) and they have a fabulous furniture mart. It's still a little expensive, but they do have great deals for nice furniture. You should check it out!

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  47. Have a great trip and I can't wait to read about the next phase in your life!

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