On The Search

For the last few days I've been tuned into the apartment situation on Craigslist. Every new apartment that comes up in our price range is considered. We have a neighborhood picked out in Oakland. It is right by our church and we know almost a dozen people that currently live in the neighborhood. I called about 15 places this morning, of the few that answered, I made 4 viewing appointments. A few were out of the price range and the others I left messages with (still waiting!). Today we visited three apartments that were decent but not spectacular. I canceled the fourth appointment as soon as I actually saw the building in person. Yuck! So, one who has talked to me before about our apartment might wonder why I would want to move. Our current apartment has wonderful views, a fun rooftop, great neighbors, a unique charm and layout, a great size. But, it is too close to PSR, a community that is constantly disappointing us. So we need space from it so Grant's school will become more like a day job instead of a lifestyle choice. Also, if we move farther south into Oakland, my commute time to school will be shorter. Apartments are so expensive here. I'm easily paying twice what my apartment was in Davison, MI. My old apartment was wonderful. It had a deck that faced a huge green backyard of the house next door. I had my own parking spot. The kitchen was a separate room. The living room area was big. It was wonderful. Now we're trying to figure out what are the most important features. Does what we see outside our windows matter? Does the layout matter? Does ceiling height and the detail of cabinets and counters matter? Can I handle leaving behind the awesome sprayer faucet that we installed in this apartment? I'm glad that I have all of this week off from school to be handling this situation. Hopefully we'll find a place that we can both enjoy and be comfortable in. Send prayers and good thoughts our way!