moving on.

well, a lot has changed in the past few weeks. sometimes it seems like i will never get a break and life is a constant chain of events from crisis to crisis. in the end though i always seem to make it out alright so i am learning (and/or trying) not to get so upset. most of the time your obstacles turn out to be opportunities in disguise. i am especially keeping that in mind in this particular situation.

a few weeks ago the temperature in maryland dropped to the single digits for a few days. that, combined with the shoddy heating system (if you can even call it that) we have in our apartment, led to the pipes freezing and bursting in the first floor kitchen in our apartment. by the time we woke up and found out what had happened, a few feet into our living room was soaked and the kitchen was a mess. luckily nothing of ours was ruined.

unfortunately our current landlord is what is considered a slumlord. he is very wealthy and stays that way by being cheap. it took a year and a half of begging to get him to install some kind of heaters and those barely work. so when i called him to let him know about the water damage i was not expecting much. long story short, i finally got in touch with him after calling for five hours and he didn't fix a thing. he left the water in the carpet and the walls and i am convinced that both are now growing some pretty ripe mold.

so... we are moving. there is no way we can continue to stay in this moldy, cold apartment with a landlord that doesn't care. i am sad to be leaving fells point though. it is hard for me to leave things behind. i start to worry about if the next chapter will be as good as the last. it has been amazing living in the heart of fells point for the past two years. from the constant smell of bread baking at the h&s bakery to our awesome neighbors to the water at the end of the block to all of the shops and restaurants and fells point fest... not to mention this was jerrill and i's first place together.

at the same time, i think this is a necessary transition in our life together. we are moving from downtown to uptown, hampden to be exact. we managed to find a sweet one bedroom apartment above a shop right on the avenue. it will allow us to save some money, surround ourselves with creative people, and most importantly have a comfortable living environment with a decent landlord. not having to fight for a parking spot is a pretty good perk too! there are parks within walking distance and a bunch of different shops and restaurants to explore. moving into a new place will allow us a fresh start for new habits we'd like to adopt. overall, it will be a big improvement.

we will hopefully be moving this weekend. everything has happened so fast that i think it's still hard for me to grasp the idea that in less than a week this apartment will no longer be my home. i've loved this little house on the point. but it is looking less and less like my home lately, as we've begun packing everything into boxes. our art is off the walls, our bookshelf empty. i wanted to take a video walkthrough of the place one last time so i could remember everything but it all happened so fast. now it will just have to live on in my mind.

i saw this comparison between successful and unsuccessful people a few weeks ago and it makes a lot of sense to me. i have always been one to fear change but starting now i will begin to embrace it. if this is my only life i sure as hell want to experience as much as i can while i am still here. so i will accept this change with open arms and bring positivity and peace into my life! i can't wait to share photos of the new place and i'm getting more excited about it by the minute. here's to change, growth, and rebirth!

hello 2014!

happy new year everyone! i hope everyone had a happy and safe new years eve and are well into enjoying 2014. i was feeling a bit anxious just before the new year about time and mortality and how quickly years seem to pass. it made me think about how i currently spend my time and how i could spend it better. there are things i've tried to omit or limit in my life in order to free up more time. for example, we do not have television or cable in our apartment. i do watch some shows but i watch them online, without commercials and on my own time. that way there's no getting sucked into the mindless garbage programming on tv these days. despite my efforts, i still find myself not as productive as i would like to be. i will admit i can be lazy but that is something i want to leave behind in 2013.

that's why i want 2014 to be the year of MORE. do more, see more, live more, be more. gearing up into my 30s i want to be as productive as i can and i'm doing it for myself. i heard somewhere that your 20s are for you and your 30s are for everyone else. i'm not sure if i agree with it entirely, but i do feel like i need to make serious moves towards my life goals and the next few years are the most crucial for that. i took a year to get situated in my day job and now that i have that under control it is time to tackle the next set of challenges!

so here are a few of the highlights that will make up my year of more:

• go on more adventures. go hiking, biking, and exploring. geocaching has always seemed like so much fun to me but i've never tried it. i mean, who doesn't love hunting for hidden treasure? i hope to incorporate geocaching into my other hiking and exploring and being more active in general.
• write more. i love writing and really need to focus on this in the new year. i want to blog at least twice a week. writing lyrics and poems needs to continue to be in the spotlight.
• more music. the project i'm working on right now has been a long time coming. it needs to be released this year. i miss having band practice and i'm looking forward to it. for inspiration, i also want to listen to more music this year. i recently noticed that the majority of my music is from years ago. i have a few new albums here and there but it's a little embarrassing because i consider myself a music lover and avid listener. each week i want to listen to at least two albums that are new to me. maybe that will turn into a new feature of the blog! lastly, i need to go to more live music shows. i want to go to at least three this year. party on!
• read more. i'd like to read at least ten books this year.
• meditate more. in 2014 i'd like to begin daily meditation. i've meditated a few times but never made it a habit. i think it will be a good one to adopt this year as i continue to grow and learn about myself and the world around me.
• cook more. i cook meals here and there but by no means every day. this past year our household has made steps by relying less on fast food and carry out and cooking more but i still think there's room for improvement. i want to create weekly meal plans to help make grocery shopping, cooking, and financial planning more efficient.
• more business focus. in 2014 i'd love to see continued growth for my boyfriend's company creative king. i want to be part of that growth and want to contribute more of my skills and time to his endeavor because it is something i truly believe in. in addition, i'd love to start my own business making crystal healing infused jewelry.
• take more photos. take at least one photo a day.
• buy more for self. for some reason when it comes to buying things for myself i hate spending money. this is a bad habit because i end up wearing the same clothes all the time or depriving myself of the enjoyment of something nice and new. when i do finally get something new for myself the retail therapy excitement lifts my spirits and i feel great. this year i will put myself first every once in a while and splurge a little bit. i want to buy myself something once a month.

i'm sure there's more that i could add but i think focusing on these will keep me busy for a while! if you had to pick a theme word for 2014, what would it be?

the best of luck to everyone in this new year! i hope you and yours have a year full of love and happiness as this rock keeps orbiting around the sun.