Moving Forward (an update)

Hello blog! It has been so long.

Lots has been happening for me. I've been accepted to grad school (with scholarship WOOH), and I'll be moving across the country at the end of the summer.

Just like this:

No, but really, I'm so excited about the program and my future home/scenery next to very very beautiful mountains, but will miss all my loved ones here so much.

I've come to peace with a lot of the family stuff. I feel really happy about my relationship with my parents, like we are in a good place in relation to each other. I no longer feel so much pressure from myself to do/be everything for them. Ok that's a lie. I do feel a lot of pressure (loyalty?), and like I said, the decision to move to another state for three years was really difficult for me. But I do feel it will be good for me to make this leap and do something totally new and different.

Anyway, along those lines, I'm thinking it's time for me to get a place of my own (if I'm able to swing it financially - which seems possible in a city where property values are not quite so high as here). I'm at the point in my life where I feel I'm ready for going solo, living-wise.

• Socially I will be spending probably ten to twelve hours a day in classes, lab, clinicals, study groups, etc. so it will be really good for me to have a place all my own to unwind and relax on my own terms. Plus I just calculated, I've been living with roommates for TEN YEARS. Sheesh.
• Practically (or organizationally?) another self-reflection, realizing I have put so much work and effort and self-training into my home maintenance and organization skills over the past several years. I know now how to create a space that "works" for a particular purpose, how to effectively store items where I'd use them, how to evaluate what I need/want vs what I don't need/want (and to periodically go through my possessions and do so)... and I've gotten to the point where I actually take pride in keeping areas tidy and clean: doing dishes right after I use them, wiping down the counters before bed, having the bathroom sink empty of clutter, making my bed in the morning, and so forth. 

I really have come a long way, which is a source of pride for me. And I imagine that having an apartment of my very own, that sense of ownership of place will be a reward for all that I've become, but it will also present an exciting challenge for me. Will I be able to maintain these new habits with busy time constraints, with no pressure (even self-inflicted) of roommates "judging" me?

I hope so, I believe so!