Who'da Thunk It?

So, here I am, about one month into living at my new place and it's been interesting.  I've found certain parts of myself come out that I didn't know existed, while other things have either been refocused, intensified, or have disappeared all together.  Here are some examples:

1. I have a lot more of my mom in me than I thought.  I've become a compulsive "tidier."  I can't stand the mess and disorder of an unkempt house.  Especially in the kitchen.  I really don't like seeing dishes piling up in the sink, especially since we have a dishwasher right there that just simply needs to be loaded!  I used to let them stack up before, but that's because washing them was such an ordeal.  Now, all you gotta do is rinse off the plate or bowl, bend over, and put it in the washer.  Is it that hard people!?

2. I can't get enough of my front porch.  I've never lived in a house with a front porch before, and now that I have one, I don't know if I'll be able to go back to porchless living.  Each morning I have the pleasure of reading out there or sometimes I go out in the twilight hours to unwind.  I find that it has the same therapeutic qualities as a campfire or a waterfall; you can just sit there for hours and stare into nothingness.  People walk by, cars pass, the breeze rustles the bare tree branches, and your mind is freed to go wherever it wants.  Any time spent out there can rightly be called my favorite time of the day.

3. I love old houses.  I love the creaking stairs, the squeaky doors, the worn out hardwood floors.  I have no idea what my financial future will be, but man, I would love to buy an old place like this some day.

4. I don't mind having roommates as much as I thought I would.  Despite my mild annoyance at the clutter and mess, I enjoy having people to do stuff with in the evening.  It's like having a group of party planners at your disposal whenever you feel like using them.  If I want a quiet evening I can always retreat to my home office, or to my room, or to the front porch; but if I want some company, there's always something going on that I can jump into.  It's kinda nice.

5. I want to get married and have a family.  I already wanted this, but now I want it even more.  With my anxieties about living with other people having been allayed, I'm beginning to imagine how much better it will be when I actually love these people like a family.  Despite the friendship that is shared between my roommates and I, this situation still feels very transitional; a halfway house along the way.  These friendships are temporary alliances, forged out of convenience among disparate elements in the interest of companionship and self-preservation.  There's no real desire to invest much into it, to try to "build something" together.  But at this point, I kinda want to build something.  Dang it!  Where is she!?