The Beat Goes On

Let me start by stating the obvious: I was thrilled by the job offer.

But.  There was one teensy problem, and it went a little something like this:

 Umm.. have I mentioned that we share a car?  And that we don’t live anywhere near public transportation?  Soooo in the midst of my job-finding glee, there was a dark cloud hanging over that was bellowing YOU MUST FIND NEW HOME in a deep, somewhat worrisome monster voice.

Craigslist and I became total BFF(FF!!)’s for the weekend, and we found a grand total of one, yes one apartment that we could afford in the neighborhood we were lusting after.  So we went to an open house that Sunday, and oh friends, I should have taken pictures.  You and I could have sat in a coffee shop and just laughed and laughed over these pictures.

We had to duck to enter most rooms, including the bathroom.

There was one coat closet in the entire apartment. I have an awful lot of shoes, ya’ll.
We had to climb three flights of very narrow windy stairs to enter this dreadful place.

So, we left.  And I worried.  And I checked in with my new BFF(FF!!) and he told me about this other place that was just posted two hours before.  I was on that phone number like a hungry rat on some stanky cheese. 

The next day, I suckered a friend into visiting said apartment since hubsud was off being responsible and working, and even though it wasn’t my dream home, it felt like a good fit.  In a good neighborhood.  At a very good price.  I sent the boy some pics and one day and one application fee later, it was ours!

I’ll post some pics at some point, but can I just tell you that I’ve slightly fallen in love with this new home?  Here’s a list of reasons why this apartment makes me happy:

• The hot water only lasts for about a 20 minute shower.  Water conservation, anyone?
• Our cat careens around corners on the wooden floors chasing hair bands and balls made out of aluminum foil.
• I’ve already had two neighbors introduce themselves and two others shared a significantly friendly smile with me.
• We have natural light.  Finally!
• Storage space in the basement?  Bring on the creepy smells and spiders!
• The floor has a slight bubble that makes our bookshelf lean perfectly against the wall.
• The walls are the strangest colors of green, yellowy-tan and rusty orange.  You can't help but shake your head and hate it, but kind of love it at the same time.

And the neighborhood, oh my heart.  When out for a run, I ran past sayings someone wrote in sidewalk chalk.  They said things like “Isn’t the sky beautiful today?” and “Stop texting!  Look around!” and they made me smile. 

There’s a park a block from our house where people go on sunny days with picnic blankets and good company.  We sat on our couch with the windows open and listened to a concert in said park last night.  Beautiful.

And this?

Feels like home. <3