Moving, stage one

My husband and I have decided to move. After five years, we've finally outgrown our apartment and are looking for something a bit bigger, with a few amenities we've come to care about over the years we've lived together in Los Angeles.

I'm lucky to be married with someone who appreciates going about such things in an organized way. We made a list of our non-negotiable items (two parking spaces, gas stove, hardwood floors, etc.) and printed it out so we can take it when we go to look at apartments. He's mapping out neighborhoods that we'd want to live in and cross referencing them with online apartment listings, so we can see two or three apartments at a time. Plus, we aren't really in a hurry, so we can take our time finding the right place, and in the meantime we've thought about how to pack and what we are definitely not taking with us (goodbye hand-me-down dining room chairs). Now is a stellar time to get rid of stuff we no longer need.

I'm looking forward to my first move with movers, and hope that we can maintain this non-stressed-out attitude throughout all the stages of the move!

Creative Commons photo posted to Flickr by Bob B. Brown

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com