Fixated much?

As one packs up ones life and attempts to shove it into whatever sized cardboard box is nearby one gains a certain perspective on the inventory that defines the material aspects of ones life.

Or in laymans terms I have tons of stuff. I live in a former shed that was converted into a cottage, we are talking maybe 400 square feet here yet I have managed to fill it to the brim with things that make me happy. Now the hard part is taking all those things and putting them in boxes, then putting them in cars, then putting them in my parents garage, then putting them in a U-haul or a Shag Wagon whichever comes first, and then driving 945 miles and then putting them in a new home. Actually when I put it that way it seems relatively simple. Its not really though. I tend to think too big picture and right now I am being very logged down with logistics. How does that get where, do you really need that, and then the mantra of my family going through my head 'simplify, simplify'.

Its not that I am a hoarder or anything I don't have twelve cats and eat spoiled food, its just I develop certain sentimental attachments to random things and I can't imagine getting rid of them. Wait that kind of does make me a hoarder doesn't it.

I don't know how that happened my parents are extremely minimalistic and we weren't really raised on knick knacks and such. I am laughing in my head now imagining what my parents would have done if at an early age I had decided I wanted to pursue something as gauche as a snow globe collection that would need to be displayed in a massive china hutch. I would probably have been raised by a completely different family forced to wonder the rest of my life "why am I the only redhead in this town?" .

Luckily I was able as a youth to curb my natural urges, I had a souvenir pencil collection which could be easily concealed when company came. Genius. Now as an adult with my own bank account and place to live far from the Pledge soaked socks of my youth I have let myself run rampant.

I have a lip gloss 'collection' that has overflowed and when I counted last night I have 116 different colors, brands and types of lip stuff. I barely even wear lip stuff. I usually forget and I have always been the girl who gets it all over my teeth. Yet everywhere I go I buy it. Some have not even be opened. It is sick. Now I have to ask myself where does my lip gloss shrine fit in to my new life?

Similarly I have never been really comfortable in pants and have a body more meant for dresses which means that instead of trying to pack my trusty old blue jeans for the journey I have been packing dozens upon dozens upon dozens of dresses. They are everywhere these dresses, cocktail, evening, slutty,church dresses, work dresses, painting dresses, cleaning dresses, sundresses. So. Many. Dresses. I think I might have a problem.

Some are addicted to the rush of roller coasters or the high of catching that big fish (ahem) but not this girl I am addicted to the glitz and gloss. Its not like those high end fashionista addicts though with massive credit card debt and designer handbags these dresses range in price from 5-19.99, with the most expensive items being my 'signature' pieces that my mom bought on one of our shopping trips where we got some gorgeous thing 75% off.

I don't really think about my dresses or lip gloss fetish as a problem, I am actually proud of the fact that at any given time there are at least five lip glosses in my purse and I never, ever feel under dressed. Yuck, that would be terrible. I am however at a loss as to how to pack and maintain this collection to ensure that it gets to Illinois where it will be rendered null and void because apparently there are no martini bars or musical theater in Carbondale. Sigh. So now what? Do I ween out my collection that has become my security blanket? I can't bear to do that. So I pack it all. I will figure it out when I get there.

I have kind of made peace with being too sparkly and too much for my new town but I never thought of the fact that my stuff was too sparkly as well. Thats a whole different ball game.
I will tell you what though I will have the sparkliest, pinkest U-haul truck ever. I clearly have a color scheme that I have embraced and it is evident even peeking out of ugly paper boxes. Its a good thing that there is a basement at 2011 Elm St. because I am going to need it. I also might need another closet.

What can I say, its who I am.