Every New Beginning...

... comes from some other beginning's end.

No one would believe me if I tried to claim that my move didn't make me sad. The House of Bad Kitties is no more, and it is most definitely the ending of an era. It was exactly what I needed when I first moved in, 18 months ago. I needed somewhere fresh and fun, somewhere I could go to begin a new life as a young, single, twenty-something woman. And I needed the support of a best friend by my side, who would hold my hand while I cried and listen to my problems. I found all of those things in that small apartment, and I cannot express my gratitude enough for those blessings.

But things change, and my needs now are different. I need a clean space to call my own, where I can be a mature adult and live my quiet life. I'm more independent these days, so while I still need my friends very much, I don't need one taking care of me all day anymore. (And thank goodness, because really? Who's going to want to sit around taking care of my sorry ass all day every day?) I need to take care of my finances and plan for the future. I've found all of those things in my new home, and I cannot express my gratitude enough for those blessings.

Yes, I have a new home, and surprisingly, it actually feels like home already. It helps that I unpacked pretty quickly and got everything set up the way I wanted it. What's that? You want to see pictures? Oh, okay then.

Here we see my awesome new bed set, which is much lighter and brighter than my previous navy blue one (which I still like, but is maybe better for winter). On the bed is Wil (the dog) and Juliet (the hippo). Please ignore the mess of electrical cords near the foot of the bed.

Look! I moved the pile of cords! My poor stuffed animals are being attacked by direct sunlight from the small window above my bed. What? Mature adults don't have stuffed animals? Say it ain't so!

You'll also notice that I have some books - I like books - and a semi-large TV - I like TV, too. That dresser holding up the TV is from IKEA, and I bought it when J. and I first moved in to our home together. I am proud to say that I put it together myself with only minimal help from J. Yes, I am awesome.

Not pictured is the closet, which is significantly larger than my last one - large enough to hold all my regular clothes as well as all my dance costumes (which used to be in a separate closet in the old apartment). And, of course, it nicely holds all of my shoes, too.

Oh, and speaking of shoes, I got four new pairs today! I had been working hard on saving money lately, no shopping sprees or anything. But then I had to move, and then I lost my job, and retail therapy was sounding really good. But still, I resisted. Today, I went to Target for some new-home essentials (hand soap, toilet paper, a bath mat, picture mounting materials, etc.), and I actually succeeded in avoiding the temptation of the clothing area. And the purses. And the shoes! And I figured resisting temptation merited a celebration. So I went to a shoe store and celebrated.

...

Yeah, just let that one sink in for a bit.

I spent an hour earlier this evening just chatting in the living room with my new housemate, and it was good fun. She's easy to talk to, and we get along well so far. I wouldn't say we're going to be best friends, but I think we'll have a good living arrangement together. She also has a beautiful kitty who quickly staked his claim on, well, pretty much ALL of my stuff:

"Who do you think you're kidding? Clearly, I am in charge here."

He's precious and VERY friendly. For reasons that would take too long to explain here, Batman has dubbed him Jigglyboo - while this is not actually the cat's name, I find it amusing enough that it might as well be now. Jigglyboo and I get along very well, and I'm glad to still be living with a kitty, especially one as handsome as Boo here.

So that's it from me. It's a nice place, huh? I've got another chance to make a fresh start with my life, and I'm eager to get started.

Does that make me crazy, or just naive?