A Labryinth, A Riverwalk, and Moving Day

Last week I missed all challenges because of Moving Day!

Here's the thing. I got a hankering for a new place along about the first week of March. Where I lived, though roomy, was sort of a slummy area (which was all I could afford on my salary, and just barely)... well, I got it in my head that I would start saving as much as possible every paycheck, to put aside enough for a down payment and buy my own house. Stay where I was for a few more years, and then just buy and move into Where I Am Going To Live Forever.

Then they raised the rent. And it was time right then and there, to MOVE. Long story short: a new apartment complex three blocks away has some HUD rent controlled units available, and I qualified. Almost $100 less per month, and a very much nicer place. Very much smaller, too. So instead of tangling, I packed and got my rear in gear, (and my mom's. And Wylie's---my feller---and a moving company thank you Mommy!) And let me tell you what: I never EVER moved so suddenly. I decided to move on April 1, and moving day was April 23. Whew!

Before

After

We got everything shifted on Thursday and I've been making this place homey ever since.
The top picture was taken at night, so you don't get the daylight in from the window, which is so dominant in the second picture. They are taken from the same angle.






Because my new space is about half the size of where I was, I have had to make some tough decisions, and culled things BRUTALLY.

This picture shows the box I used to have 20 years worth of pictures in, and the box I narrowed it down to (literally ha!)

My kitchen before >>>>>

 <<<<< and after/during.

 It feels really good to sit down and doodle a while, and I've already dived into the Diva Labyrinth Challenge 
(also, SuzyMosh, which I will post in another entry because this is already way long)

Walking a labyrinth is so eye opening. You go towards the center, and then curve away for a while. Sometimes the walk takes you for a long time, far from the center. You approach a few times, then curve away again. Walking a labyrinth is like life. Sometimes you are near, sometimes you are far, and you are always moving forward, and the center is where you will be eventually.

Going towards the heart.

 I shaded this with blue violet prisma pencil, and used a red micron pen to color the heart. The footsteps, and the pattern on the labyrinth are elements of Ditto. You see where it narrows, and the footsteps are single file?

Just for fun, I made the labyrinth string, and filled everything with Isochor (or Mr. E?) and it looks like a tunnel. It is so three dimensional! I thought it was very cool, especially after shading.

Maybe moving to this new place is a great big step towards my ultimate goal of buying my own place. Well, that's still the goal, now let's DO IT! Moving forward. Always moving forward.