While I’m in the process of moving my things — and my life — from my condo into Mike’s house, I’m still navigating the controlled chaos of living in two different places. I’ve been splitting my time between our respective residences for about a year-and-a-half now, maintaining my own living and office space in my condo while spending most weekends with Mike.
My critters are now housed at Mike’s, which makes things easier (especially in terms of putting my residence on the market), though I miss having my kitties and dog to keep me company in the condo. There’s an emptiness that comes with not having them in this familiar space — curled up with me on the bed or by my feet beneath the desk.
It’s a strange balancing act, packing up my life to make the condo easier to sell while also leaving enough furniture, supplies, etc. for me to be able to be comfortable and productive. Both times I’ve been in the market to buy a home, I’ve opted for spaces that were unoccupied and un-staged. And both times I’ve sold, it’s been while I’ve had my belongings (and my life) still in residence.
I’ll be glad when the condo does sell and I’m able to fully move out. It’s still an intimidating proposition — moving in within someone (even temporarily) when I haven’t even had a housemate since 1996.