It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life...

Ok, I promise I'm going to get better about blogging. Refer to my Lisa Frank post of last year if you think me taking breaks is an unusual occurrence. It's not you, it's me. I'm sorry.  But guess what?

I MOVED TO RICHMOND!
(Insert obligatory "Finally!" comment here)
:)

Now for all of the questions I know you're wondering:
1. Why?
2. When?
3. What's your job situation?
4. What does your place look like?
5. How do you like it so far?

1. WHY?
I have always wanted to live in a city. And, thanks to a certain long-distance relationship, I've gotten to know the city of Richmond very well over the past few years and have a lot of friends here. Having my wonderfully supportive friends and bf down here definitely made this big life change seem less scary and more appealing.  Plus, my job in Northern VA was winding down at the end of the summer and I decided that it was time for a change-- new scenery, new adventures, new job opportunities.  BOOM. Let's do dis.

2. WHEN?
I started seriously looking for places in the beginning of July, found one I loved at the end of July, got approved August 8th, and moved in August 19th!  Whew! Don't worry, I was calm and collected about the entire process...


Cooool as a cucumber, as per usual.

3. WHAT'S THE JOB SITUATION?
Funny story, actually. I moved without a job prospect or definite plan to secure a stable means of income... WHO AM I?!? 

Basically, my goal was to move, find a job down here, wrap up the last week of my job in Northern VA and live happily ever after. That would make a very short and boring blog post. Don't worry, that's not what happened!

I got down here, applied for jobs, went on one rather distastrous interview (another story for another day), and kept telecommuting to my current job. They've extended me well past my original end-date, and I am happy to keep doing it as long as they have work for me.  I'm still actively searching for Richmond jobs, since I know the NoVA one won't last forever... so if you know of anything let me know!  But for the moment, I am still gainfully employed. Whew!

4.  WHAT DOES YOUR PLACE LOOK LIKE?
It's awesome. It's a 1 bedroom (with plenty of room for air mattresses for visitors... HINT), downtown. Yes, I live alone. Yes, it can be terrifying.


Nerves of steel.

This is my crib:


Top left: Living room, as seen from standing on my kitchen counter. 
Top right: also LR, as seen from my foyer.
Bottom left: fireplace and dining room (there's also a tiny built-in desk next to the table that got cut out).
Bottom Right: The BEST CLOSET EVER.

I promise, there are actual decorations around the place and my closet looks a little less atrocious now, but these are the pictures I had handy. (Don't worry, I also have a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom... but they're pretty standard)

5. HOW DO YOU LIKE IT SO FAR?
I LOVE it. Because I get to spend time with awesome people and do fun stuff like this:

Yes folks, Richmond starts their Oktoberfest in September. I'm gonna like it here.
Also, our favorite bars include an Irish pub and a joint called Bandito's... so I'm expanding my cultural horizons too. Bonus!

And I get to be near this guy without weeks of planning in advance:

Sorry... too lovey-dovey? My b.
But it's awesome.

And, it's relatively close to this:

Train station, holla!

...which makes it easy to go back and visit this:

aka the greatest family ever, who I miss a lot.
Especially Bella, even though she refused to let me kidnap her in my backpack. Rude.

So that's been my life for the past two months. Hope that explains why I've been AWOL lately! Soo yeah. When are you coming to visit?? :)