It's the final day of July, and the first day I've actually felt somewhat relieved of stress. A combination of packing/moving/unpacking/work and many other events have affected how long it has taken me to complete the process of moving out of my parent's house and into my own. Don't get me wrong, I still have plenty of boxes, still full, in my closet, all over my floor, and in the living room. ...They're just all pushed to the side until I have the energy to find new homes for everything that had fit snugly in my parent's house before.

In the days before my move, I had a few meltdowns triggered by thoughts that I might be making a horrible mistake. I started to feel as though I may have never been ready to move out, and that this time was definitely not the right time. I went into child-mode and let my mom console me and reassure me that I was ready, and you know, that always works. It's just been especially hard because moving out has changed so much about the way I live. I've never been financially responsible for myself before, so work means a lot more to me now. In the last year or so, my mom and sister and I have formed a trio and have become such good friends. We've talked on the phone almost every day since the move. My dad, who's job has him travelling around the US, Canada and Mexico for most of the year, has had almost nothing to do with our move because he was gone from the time we were looking for an apartment, through our lease-signing, packing, and moving. I always thought he'd be around to do it all for us. When he was finally able to come see our new home, he was genuinely proud of us and came quite close to shedding tears, I think. That meant a lot.

I'm still getting used to taking out the trash to the dumpster almost daily (there isn't individual trash collection), paying close attention to how much water and electricity I use, and not saying hello and goodbye to my dog every time I walk in and out of the door. However, I'm really proud of myself for having taken the initiative to find a new home for myself, and actually follow through with my plans. I feel like an adult. :-)

Ours is the second one from the left.

My color-coordinated closet, and walls that I painted pink.

We still have sooo much to do, as you can see. This is our living room. The french doors open to a little patio area.