After two months of hunting and Craigslisting and wishing and hoping, I have finally found the most perfect little studio apartment in Midtown East. I’ve been reluctant to blog/brag about it until the keys were in hand, but I have officially signed my life away and the movers arrive tomorrow morning!!

It is particularly bittersweet because, while I am sincerely ready to experience living “on my own” in New York, it was hard to say goodbye to someone who has been a constant in my life for the last three years. Whitney and I have experienced a lot together as roommates — most of it awesome, some of it tough — but through it all, this only child found the sister she always wanted (to torture), the other half she needed to come home to every night and the best friend she’ll have for life. Whitney has been my guardian angel since she stepped foot in our city and there’s no telling how often she has made a hot mess into a not mess.

Whitney also loves wholeheartedly and unconditionally, and with that, I knew she would fall madly in love before I could even figure out how to successfully not ruin a first date. So I was prepared for this next chapter in our lives — with her living with a boy and with me adapting to a life with less distraction. It is an adventure we are both thrilled to begin, and I believe it is one that will change us more so than we ever thought.

I had two goals before embarking on this October 1st apartment search: To live in a building with at least ONE amenity, and to live in an environment where I could spend hours on my writing, uninterrupted. It sounds easy enough, but New York was holding out on me this summer. Luckily the love-at-first-sight-studio showed up two weeks before my expiration date and surpassed all of the requirements. It is a humble haven with several perks (doorman! laundry! elevator!) and a spectacular 12-foot window, perfect for inspiration.

As someone who has never lived alone, I have concerns about the obvious solitude that comes with a studio. I am a social little bee by nature, and living with Whitney typically fulfilled that need to physically be with someone and laugh with someone and play with someone on a daily basis. I am capable and happy to experience things on my own, but this is the first time I will do so in such large gulps.

Nevertheless, I am bursting at the seams with excitement, and as long as I stay positive and productive, I’ll have nothing to worry about!

Here goes nothin’ everything.