a positive feeling.

so ....

i've been thinking ....

that i love my apartment. i have been in love with it since the first time i laid eyes on it. yes, love at first sight.

if you've been following the blog, you'll know there have been some recent issues involving the apartment vs. new realtor vs. neighbors trying to sell that i reacted to quite strongly with, "well, i guess i have to move." but i really don't want that to be the case.

what i want is for the house to sell and fall into new (hopefully better) hands. that way, it won't need to be shown anymore and i can relax a bit more. at best, they won't hate my houseplants and leaving things out on the patio to dry in the sun (umm yeah, can you believe it?).

i've been casually looking at apartments, but not finding any in neighborhoods i want to be in. the ones i am finding are too expensive, or are less expensive but lacking some vital component.

so i have a plan ....

if my landlord will allow it, i'm going to take on a roommate for the second bedroom, thus cutting my rent in half. if that doesn't work, i'm going to spend a little money (money i would have paid movers) and get it turned into a permanent guest room that can be for rent as a sublet, meaning i can take on renters at whim. this is even more money than i would save by just downsizing to a smaller apartment.

i also have plans to get rid of even more STUFF (i love that sparse, zen-look to a space) and tweak my living and dining rooms to give me a crafting space, maybe a yoga space. i don't know. it's just thoughts at this point.

but i'm excited. saving more money will mean more money to spend on improvements to make the space great (and keep landlords happy).

it will also mean i can keep all 3 of my lovely cats. it's a tough, tough world out there for renters with cats.

perhaps in three years i will have enough money to buy and won't need to worry about the cats finding a home, too...or worse, giving them up to other homes.

i am excited about investing the time to make the place even more amazing than it is now.

i hope this plan will be successful.

in other news ...

this is my first full day back in Louisville, and it's been great. Lots of simply lounging about, and a great little block party on my walking court with live music. some knitting, some blog reading, some book reading, some unpacking. and planning, always planning ;-)

my friend who has a garden plot (not sure if i ever mentioned it)to share is ready for me to get my hands in the dirt! i'm excited because this is VERY close to my apartment and i don't have the space to garden here (save for my rogue basil and swiss chard plants, tee hee hee).

i'm dating a new guy who made me homemade carrot soup last night that tasted like it came from a restaurant. boy, is he awesome. am i a lucky girl or what?

i'll be back in the yoga studio and the classroom this week. two intense passions of mine. i can't wait.

happy 4th to you! i'll be eating grilled veggie burgers and watching fireworks.