I signed a lease for an apartment on Friday. I will not move in until August 5th. The commute from where I live now is about 1.5 hours to the hospital. Luckily with school out traffic has not been horrible. But it is surprisingly, somewhat tiring. I'm usually not motivated to do much when I get home, though I will now need to pick up the pace on packing my things.

I'm excited about my apartment. I've actually never rented an apartment, even in college. I've lived in dorms or homes that were owned (house, condo). The rent is expensive, but I wanted to be in a quiet, safe part of town. I will have 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. I looked at a 3rd floor model with vaulted ceilings. I ultimately took the 2nd floor apartment with better views. I was a little worried about electricity costs & my mom walking that many stairs when she visits. 

The grounds are beautiful & there are creeks and jogging paths that run through the property. It feels so peaceful. I will think about maybe getting a second job when I've had some time to settle into this job, but that may be at least a year in the future. For now, I will buckle down & budget to accommodate my increased expenses. The move was worth any increased expenses for me. Some things go beyond money, such as our happiness & peace of mind.

I am planning on taking some furniture and giving away or selling the rest. I would like to replace my guest bedroom, living & dining room furniture. I have picked out some not expensive replacements at Rooms To Go. Some things are available now, others have availability at the end of the year, though they could come in sooner. I'd rather wait to get what I want. 

I am praying that my condo sells quickly. I am having work done on Monday, then a few more things to do dealing with water leaks. It's just one thing after another. I'm ready to be free of all these issues.

My first week went well. It's a lot of new information, but I love point of care testing already. It's always interesting. 

My promotion took effect 2 weeks before I actually started the position. So I had increased pay this week, including holiday pay for working the new Juneteenth holiday. I also had increased contributions to my FSA take effect. My matching TSP contributions increased due to my new base pay.

Investments were up over $32k this week & my condo also increased in value a little.

Today was my first day in my new role at work. The commute to New Orleans is as really easy this morning. Unfortunately when I left - 20 minutes late - it was raining heavily & there were flash flood warnings. Even though, I made not bad time. I came straight to my evening job. This is my last week doing my evening job.

My first day was overwhelming. I was bombarded with information, but I think I will enjoy it. There's so much new to learn. One thing they are honest about is that they need more organization. And that is something I love to do!

I got the job! I actually posted that here on May 7th when they made me the tentative offer, but when I went to post it the blog disappeared. So I took that as a sign & decided to wait until I got my final offer. I got my final offer Monday & it was actually effective the day prior. I have one week remaining in my current role as lab supervisor.

A series of things has happened that has made me determined to sell my condo. I will then rent an apartment where my new position is located. Until then I will commute. I took today & tomorrow off to get ahead of moving out of my condo. I will take my time over the next couple of months.

I am really looking forward to my new role. It's a very exciting time for me. So many new things ahead!