[Lynn]

We officially combined households almost four years ago. I bought and moved into a small house and then, a few months later, my partner moved in.

We are still figuring out how to work with our stuff. Her's, mine, and our's. We've gotten rid of so much, and yet the basement and garage are still full of things we are having trouble parting with. Boxes of things we might use or need.... Things we can hardly remember we even have, but we *need* them.

Our styles are pretty complementary. We both tend toward casual and lived-in. I've always wanted to have my home feel like a vacation house, and that meshes well with Candy's rustic, Adirondack cabin style. I have granted myself the last word on most decorating choices, though, and recently drew the line at putting the bobble head doll of the local news anchorman on the mantle. Sadly, though, he now lives in the entertainment center. We got him when we contributed to an animal rescue foundation, so he apparently must stay.

The most challenging thing about moving in and getting rid of stuff has been the awareness that it makes the possible task of untangling our lives much more daunting. Not that we want to do that, but I am acutely aware that this can happen, and the separating of stuff is as traumatic as the separating of people--it's kind of the metaphor.