things are moving a little... okay, a lot... faster than i had expected! wow.

plans have changed slightly. instead of being 100% certain that i'm moving to a new house when i get up to washington, i'm now considering an apartment, for various reasons. they're cheaper, it will give me time to get a feel for the various communities in the area (to see where, if anywhere, i want to buy a house), i'll have a better chance of meeting new people and making friends if i'm not immediately stuck out in the 'burbs next to newlyweds and new parents, the more things i can reach by foot, the better, and it's closer to uni.

so, moving into an apartment is looking really promising at the moment. a house hasn't been ruled out though. really, it all depends on what it's like when i fly up there next month to check out the scene.

can i just say now that i'm shocked and amazed (in the best ways possible!) that there are apartments up there that allow two large dogs?! i mean, wow! around here, most places won't allow any pets, especially dogs, and when they do they have a lame 'under 15/20 pound rule.' phffft. in washington, not one person i spoke with seemed to 'bat an eye' when i asked if they'd accept two large dogs (one being reeeeally large). i'm really thinking i'm going to love it up there. :o)

oh, and a few seconds ago you may have asked yourself, "uh, excuse me... TWO dogs? doesn't jenz have FIVE dogs?!" indeed! however, i realize how terribly impractical it is to expect to find a place that allows five dogs, be they big or little. (even if i did move into a house, it'd be likely that i might encounter problems in how many dogs are allowed to be registered in certain counties, etc.) aaaanywho! twinkie and buster will be living with my mom. my mom who is terribly allergic to dogs. but her boyfriend wants them (i think he loves them as much as they love him! :o)), and we're thinking it won't be bad at all really, because the twinkster and b love to spend all day out in the sun, and all night snuggled up in the beds. (read: not in my mom's face.) they're not necessarily 'antisocial' but they prefer their own company to that of others for the most part. ;o) i think it will work out fine. besides, twinkie is getting up there in the years, and i really don't want to haul her off someplace where it's much colder than here... she deserves to 'retire' and buster is her little buddy, so that's the deal. and then, either chocolate or karmel (i haven't decided yet, as it's one of the hardest decisions i've ever been faced with) is going to be living with a friend of mine; thankfully not too far away so i can still visit. so yeah. :o)

whoosh! it's going to be crazy going up there, starting at a new college (although i am a little sad that i won't be able to go to uw right away... tuition is way too expensive (for my budget, at least), if you're from out of state. i'm going to spend two semesters to finish up as many classes as i can at the area community college, and then transfer to uw after a year, at which time i'll officially be a resident in their eyes. ;o) plus, they all say they're much more willing to take transfers from local community colleges rather than outside ones, so yay for getting a foot in the door! :o))

new home. new friends. new school. new job? (i haven't been at my job long enough to officially transfer, but i can get a good reference and hopefully use it to gain a position back at the bank i work now, or a different one. or hell, maybe i'll go back to working in a bookstore... that was fun! ;o))

so much newness! even christmas will be new this year... another slight change in the plans, as i'll be living in washington by mid-october. wow.

is this really happening? am i really moving away from all i know to start fresh somewhere else? this person within me making the decisions... she has a lot more confidence than one would think. she sure had me fooled.

any thoughts? (0)����������������