falling into place. (well sort of)

As the fall season will only be around for a few more fleeting weeks, I am finding myself trying to find a routine and rhythm in living on my own, buying groceries, cooking dinner, budgeting, having a life outside of work. Some weeks it is easier, some days it's harder. I take it as it comes. I haven't had a manicure in a few months and haven't had a pedicure in what feels at least 6. When working in scrubs 80% of your life it is truly a blessing to be able to put on clothes that I want to wear, that are cute, and fit the season.

It truly is the little things. My apartment space is feeling about 60% complete, but 100% liveable. I do not have a couch or a dining room table, my full length mirror has not been put into the wall, I still need to put up black-out drapes in my bedroom (off shift nursing I tell ya), I still need to buy utensils or bake ware in order to cook a full meal,  I still don't have flour/ sugar/ to make cookies if I wanted to. I sometimes wish my TV was bigger, and that there wasn't what seems to be a nest of crickets living in my basement. I am happy though. I am proud for as far as I come since graduating from college, and look forward to what is to come.

As my facebook and instagram news feed starts to turn into engagement rings, home ownership, and birth announcements. I am learning to live into what my life is right now, and trust the process. Slow down and learn to enjoy the now.

Now over the next few days my to-do list is very grown up and has taken a life of it's own, I will try to avoid having to turn on the heat for just a little bit longer. I mean, I am a Minnesotan girl at heart, right?!

new normal | | finding routine in transition

Sorry for the iPhone pano this is my kitchen "before" I moved anything in.

Today is the day, I go back to work - and because I don't have large amounts of PTO saved up (I'm only 8 months into my current job) I will be working the next 9 consecutive days in a row to make up for having the last 9 days off. I jokingly texted my friend saying back to work - hopefully I didn't forget how to be a nurse! In all seriousness it was entirely beneficial and came at a perfect time to take some days off. It allowed me to fully move into my house and find spots for everything, as well as make way too many trips to Target in order to get this place into working order. It's entirely stressful starting off on your own knowing all the money spent is coming from my bank account and will need to be held accordingly to budget. It's really been a good experience overall and I truly have the most awesome friends and family that helped me move, transition and feel at home in the new space. While I continue to figure out this whole "homemaking" thing out I hope that I can start to find balance and routine. I plan on trying to cook my own meals - eating all the "food groups".

Part of my internal struggle is trying to hold true to my values and goals of living simply, with the mantra "quality over quantity", but also knowing it's okay to wait for somethings and my apartment is a continued work in progress. I continue to remind myself that as I live in this space I will begin to figure out what works for me and what is necessary. I plan to continue to sort and purge quarterly and make sure I keep with the essentials. The biggest bonus of my new place that I didn't anticipate is that my apartment is within walking distance of my brothers school, so he can come over whenever he would like and hang out between activities or just say hi. I am so thankful for this because he's a senior in high school and I am anticipating that he won't be in the same state as me for college - and I want to soak up all the "lasts" as I can while he's still here, just as I did with my other brother. Maybe sometime in the near future I will make a post about moving and the best and worst things I did in the process, also maybe hints on when to splurge and when to save around this place. You can also follow me on instagram with the hashtag #Apartment1forone

In keeping with the theme of crappy iPhone pictures:

I am standing in the "dining room" when taking this photograph, left door is my itty bitty bedroom, then the kitchen, bathroom, and the main large closet, behind me is the living room area. Voila, that's my space!

independence isn't for the weak of heart

Can't I just live with my parents forever?

...I'm only mostly kidding. I have everything except my bedroom moved into my new place, partly due to logistics and not getting a vehicle until Saturday to help me move everything else. I also am thankful for this last full week off of work and sleeping at my parents house for the last time in my room. I cannot be more pleased at how awesome my new place is for me, it's exactly what I had imagined. On the flip side I didn't anticipate feeling a little sad saying goodbye to everything I had being surrounded by my family. A very similar feeling of moving onto campus for my undergrad, this feeling of closure and saying goodbye, and if you know me, you know I am horrible at goodbyes.

So I am starting a new chapter living on my own, and spending my last night in my childhood room tonight for potentially the last time calling this place "home". I am thankful. I am thankful I have been able to live into each of these times of change and chapters of life.

It is bittersweet,  however I feel at peace choosing to move at this point in my life,...it's time to put on my big girl pants. 

one week || my own place

Found it on Pinterest. I do still need a good, comfy couch...this one would be nice.

My brother and I like to keep my parents on their toes, and the same week my mom goes back to school to teach her little preschoolers, my brother moves back to school (this time off campus), and my youngest brother starts his senior year of high school. I choose to begin my first least as a grownup on September 1st.

Thoughts on moving into my own place. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked, "are you sure you are really ready to live completely by yourself?", "you could save a lot more money living with your parents or at least having a roommate", "won't you get lonely living on your own", "you really should get a dog"....and first I want to say, "thanks but no thanks for your opinion - no one asked you". Then I compose my thoughts and say, "If I'm going to move out of my parents' house then I am going to live on my own. If I wanted to live with people my family are the best roommates I've ever had; that put up with me and I with them. This is the only time in my life I am certain I'll have the opportunity and can afford to do my own thing, discover myself, and live on my own". That's the 100% truth. Life is too uncertain to wait for the "right time", have "enough" in my bank account, or the "perfect" apartment. What I know is what is in front of me and I can plan accordingly and try my best to make smart budget decisions, but at the end of the day I have one life and for better or worse I need to make a choice and make the most of it.

Regarding a dog. I think it's funny when people suggest this - mostly because I didn't grow up with dogs, I've never owned a dog, I've never lived with a dog. Dog's are a lot of time, energy, effort, especially to train them properly and give them what they need to live happy dog lives. With the types of shifts I work, and the hours I know that I wouldn't have the energy to invest in a dog, and at this point it seems like more responsibility than I want to take on. Cats on the other hand...I'll see how long I can last without one or maybe two cat friends.

...now if only my laptop computer will behave itself long enough so that I can save money for a new one...

There's the update on moving, until next time||

all things housing || & young adulthood

For those of you who have been following along on my instagram feed, you probably have noticed I have been dropping hints of my apartment search. Even with what I alluded to on there it did not demonstrate how much time over the last 6 months I have been perusing the wonders of the internet to look for apartments in areas that I wanted to live. It became very obvious that if I wanted to find my own place and move out before winter I would have to start looking more seriously starting in June. I also had decided if I didn't move out of my family's lovely abode by September 1st I would halt my searches until next spring (moving in Minnesota winters is not a pretty site). Then I ran across this posting on PadMapper app and decided to check it out.

I knew that I wouldn't apply for anywhere that I couldn't picture myself living in for at least two years, and the previous day I saw a doozy of an apartment so I wasn't feeling too optimistic. Though I liked the landlords sense of humor when it said, "Notes: the exterior has crappy 1950s brown siding --not fixing this aesthetic snafu is what keeps the rent reasonable; the bedroom is too small for a king bed, and is very tight for a queen -- standard double fits fine."

Needless to say I set up an appointment and went to see the place and the moment I walked in the door I fell in love, I do say that the current tenant's sense of style and organization helped sell the place too,..so I definitely have a lot to live up to in this space. To make an even longer story short - I lucked out and was better than the original application and out-wowed 4 other applicants and was chosen! WooHoo. So officially my lease starts September 1st, 2014 - today I signed my first lease and put in a security deposit (yowza!).

So needless to say I am scared out of my mind, excited to live completely 100% on my own, and nervous that I can figure everything out. But needless to say this is another large goal that I had for myself to get to cross off my list of things I want to do before I "settle-down" list. So the next two months before moving in will be spent really being honest and reigning in on my budget/ finances. Saving as much money as possible. & starting to really think quality over quantity, but more on that later.

So thank you for everyone who has made yet another transition in my life possible, thank you for the love, support, recommendations, and being willing to vouch for me to my future landlord, I really appreciate it and look forward to what the coming months have to offer.

back of the house. off-street parking included in my rent!

(And if anyone has any recommendations in the twin-cities area of where to purchase quality housing stuff including but not limited to microwave, couch, black-out curtains, shower curtain,...etc. please let me know, also I am willing to pay for lightly-used items as well if you have any you would want to sell me, but I am trying to look for necessary/ quality/ items not just stuff to fill the space).