Packing Woes

I've always thought of myself as a minimalist. Well, not any more, at least not in reality, in theory maybe. Although I would very very much like to be a minimalist.

We are moving this Friday. I've been packing for two days now and realizing we have a TON of JUNK. The conclusion I have come to is that hobbies = stuff. Michael Paul and I have too many hobbies.

We've always thought we didn't have near as much junk as other people. We have a tiny house. We visit friends houses and notice most people have things like multiple tv's (we have one), multiple beds for their multiple bedrooms (we have one), and other random things like china cabinets, chests of drawers, and loads of toys and baby stuff (some of which we would like but haven't gotten around to buying). Needless to say we've been feeling pretty confident we could move to NC in one trip in the biggest U-haul one can rent. "We don't have near the stuff most people have and people move everyday!" is what we've been telling ourselves.

I'm starting to face reality. One trip would be a miracle.

Back to my hobbies = junk conclusion. We might not have a lot of the things that 90% of middle class Americans have in their homes. But we have soooooo much junk that no one else has due to our insane amount of hobbies.

In addition to packing the conventional stuff that everyone has -dishes, clothes, dvd's and cd's, random doodads, clocks, wall pictures etc. - I have packed several hobby-related boxes.

Here are my hobbies and the number of large boxes I packed of junk relating to said hobby:

Scrapbooking: 3

Crocheting: 3 (I can't throw out a half used ball of yarn)

Calligraphy/ Art stuff: 1

Sewing: 2

Michael Paul contributes the following:

Leather working: 1

Wood working: 2

Building and Painting Models: 1

Collecting and restoring antiques: 3

Not to mention, his big hobby: music. In addition to several guitars and amps, there are no less than 12 boxes of pedals, strings, soldering stuff, guitar tools, music books, and I don't even know what half of it is but it is somehow necessary for his guitar hobby.

Our combined hobby of outdoor playing/ camping equals a ton of space in the truck dedicated to sleeping bags, camp chairs, camping stoves and equipment, rock climbing gear, kayaking gear, hiking backpacks and hiking gear etc. etc. etc.

I am soooooo over our hobbies!

You can't be a well-rounded person and a minimalist as well.