My Room

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I spent all day cleaning, rearranging, and decorating my room. It feels good to get rid of stuff I know I don’t need and start to surround myself simply. Over the years, I have gone from living in houses with my family to a duplex then an apartment with my single mother (which at one time or another also included my brother, his girlfriend, my boyfriend, and/or my brother’s best friend) to an apartment with my boyfriend to an apartment then a duplex with my brother and finally to a townhouse with friends. So, basically, I have had to move and reevaluate the things I have owned and have acquired or gotten rid of furnishings to accommodate for my new living arrangement over and over again. It has become quite the ordeal. I’ve collected and uncollected things throughout my life, and within the past two years, I’ve really made an effort to rid my life of the unnecessary. I still do have some trinkets and things that are not really of any use, but they make me happy. I made a promise to myself to keep it within reason; anything I keep is something I have to absolutely love or have true sentiment for it to make the cut.

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Things I love in ‘View 1’: 

• Gone with the Wind framed movie poster
• Mirrored birds found on sale at Kohl’s
• Pictures of my family and me at my high school graduation
• Picture of my brother and me on the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado
• Picture of my brother and me after we did ‘The Sky Coaster’ in the Dells
• Picture of my cat, Pandora
• Scattered Trees poster
• Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s autographed poster
• A little hanging knotted thread and beaded thing that my friend Stephanie got me when she was in Hong Kong this past summer that has a rat bead on it
• Handmade gray and red shawl that I got during an NIU Remembrance Day 

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Things I love in ‘View 2’: 

• New Orleans style plaster mask Dad brought me after a trip to Vegas
• Japanese themed tin Ben gave me one year for my birthday
• Various stuffed animals I’ve gotten over the years from friends, family, or myself
• A crocheted ‘pillow girl’ my mother made that has ‘Sarah Jean’ and my birthday stitched on it
• Eagle feather I found at our family cabin
• Pictures sent to me from my long time best friend, Heather
• Fuzzy skunk my aunt, Debbie, bought me at the Cranberry Festival
• White Lenox cat statue from my grandma, Jean
• Angel ornament that once hung on a Christmas tree at the assisted living facility where my grandma, Jean lived that I received after she passed away (it was hung in her honor)
• Musical statue my uncle, Mark, gave me years ago for Christmas
• Autographed Shout It Out Poster
• Autographed CD and ticket stubs collage
• Swell Season poster
• Moulin Rouge movie poster
• NIU blanket
• Harry Potter pillow
• I <3 My Cat Pillow that my step mom gave me years ago for my birthday when she was first dating my father; she had told me that year that she was so excited to finally have a daughter to shop for
• My ‘softie’ blanket
• A set of old skeleton keys I found in an antique shop
• A lamp I decoupaged, beaded, and otherwise crafted to make it more ‘me’

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Things I love in ‘View 3’:

• Purple string lights
• TOMS flag
• Guitar
• Skunk lamp from Urban Outfitters
• Small granite unicorn my father gave me years ago that he got on a business trip
• A tiny picture of my grandpa, Russ, who died before I was born in a miniature porcelain frame
• Small tambourine
• Paper lantern
• Moulin Rouge sign
• Old Kodak camera
• Take the Walk banner given to my friend, Kitra, and I to carry during one of the barefoot walks with Hanson, given to us by the band members
• Sound of Music movie poster
• Crafted sign that quotes Scarlett O’Hara “Afterall, tomorrow is another day’
• Old guitar strings from a friends guitar
• I <3 Hanson window cling
• Across the Universe banner that Ben went through a lot of trouble to get me (ask me the story)
• Stand Up Stand Up tote
• Packer blanket
• Red blanket from my old roommate/friend Natalie
• Plaster mask that I bought in New Orleans
• Fleur de Lis ornament
• Coldplay tote

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Things I love in ‘View 4’:

• Fleur de Lis and Paris plaque hooks
• Shelf my high school sweetheart made me years ago
• Swell Season tote
• G Force hat from my brother
• Many books I either love or intend to read
• Assorted polar bear statues
• Photo albums
• Picture of Taylor Hanson and me
• Hanson symbol sticker from ‘97
• Gone With the Wind book box
• The bouquet I carried for my friend Megan and Justin’s wedding
• Autographed pictures of LeRoy Butler
• Hogwarts penant
• Gold and red masquerade mask (it’s around the corner, you can’t quite see it in the picture…)
• Rose tree magnet I painted for Megan’s bridal shower
• Random white rug my dad gave me
• Tiny wooden black cat that I bought to remind me of my old cat Max (has a white ‘twin’ that reminds me of Pandora)

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What are some of your favorite things? Show me pictures!

Time for bed. Applications are open to fill the spot of either kitty… me being the other kitty… in the bed with you.. snuggling… and smiling.

(Source: jeremylees)