Sunday, June 08, 2008

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?

15 comments:

tpiglette said...

I love the new setup! And the new bed set looks very nice. Seems very Lara (I had to go back and retype that :-P) to me. I'm excited for your new beginnings. :)

(And I am royally bad at typing these word verification words. Man...)

Cate Subrosa said...

I don't think you're crazy or naive. Positive thinking is very healthy!

Mrs. Chili said...

I think you're neither crazy nor naive. Sometimes - often, even - a change in environment is required to make changes elsewhere. Besides, you clearly couldn't continue living in the environment you'd been in, so this was both necessary AND beneficial.

Does your housemate know you blog?

Big Sis said...

Fresh starts are great, and moving is an "easy" one. :)

tmb said...

Looks great! Can't wait to come and see it =)

flutter said...

it's a lovely space, is everything ok with you and Jitta?

Lindz said...

But I want to see the rest. Didn't you move into another place all together???

Congrats tho... I am about to embark on a similar journey. Finding a suitable apartment is rough.

Lara said...

mrs. chili - no, she doesn't know that i blog, and i'm going to keep it that way. that said, i also don't really plan on writing about her. (i mean, i think we can all agree that what i said here was painfully innocuous.) hopefully that should work out okay.

flutter - uh, no. not at all. and we'll leave it at that.

lindz - yes, another place altogether. i'm a little unsure of showing too many other pictures, though, since it's all my housemate's stuff that is furnishing the rest of the house. i'll give it some thought.

Maggie said...

Glad that you're getting settled. New starts can be tough - beginnings can be scary and endings are usually sad. But you seem to have found a good place to get a fresh start - can't wait to hear all about it!

michelle said...

It sounds like you have a very nice new set up - and really Jigglyboo.....what a wonderful name to be dubbed with! Can you post photos of the shoes next, seriously I love new shoes!

Anonymous said...

Have been quietly following along with your last few weeks. I know how much your friendship with Jitta meant to you and I am sorry you are weathering this break-up .

But it looks to me like you are doing it with a healthy perspective, positivity and grace. New beginnings are wonderful and I hope yours brings nothing but happiness.

I hope I don't sound too motherly when I tell you that I am proud of you. xoxo

Lara said...

michelle - shoe pictures coming soon, i promise. :)

sandra - thank you, lady. not too motherly at all. besides, you're much too young and sexay to be my mom. of course, my mom looks too young to be my mom too...

BetteJo said...

Well I'm definitely old enough to be your mother but .. I'm not. :) I'm just hoping for the best for you. I've been divorced, also in another destructive relationship for years and years, but some of the things that have hurt me most? To the very core? Girlfriends. Best friends, what ever you call them.

So, I'm glad you're being positive - and looking forward. You're a sweet soul, keep smiling. :)

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you're in your new digs - and looks like you can't escape the kitties, hey? :-)

Hugs!

Saffa Chick said...

I too have been lurking to hear what was going down. Darn, breaking up a girlfriend is SO much worse than breaking up with a guy. I'm so sorry.

Still lurking to hear what happened at your nanny job though? You sounded happy there :-(