Saturday, February 1, 2014

Home Again

I know it's been way too long since I've posted. Thing is, when interesting things are happening, I'm much too busy to post, and when I have time to post, everything that was interesting seems to have happened so long ago, I can't remember it anymore. BUT! Not today.

Kam and I found a new apartment! Yesterday! And I'm blogging about it today! Ha ha ha ha! (read crazy almost maniacal laugh)

Mostly because I'm just so super excited about it, but we don't get to move in until March 1. And Kam and I are super impatient about that. So, what can we do until then to celebrate the fact that we have a new apartment? Well, I can blog about it. And we can go to Ikea tomorrow (which we are). And we even looked at internet providers yesterday, but that was mostly just disappointing because we won't be getting google fiber....

But anyway!

Remember that post a looooong time ago about how Heavenly Father has always blessed me to find the right place to live? I feel already like that's happened again. For months as Kam and I have been looking for apartments, we've just been really picky. We both knew that if we didn't like a place, or it "just didn't feel right" we could just keep looking. Because we had time. But in the past couple weeks we were starting to feel like we were running out of time. I didn't want to have to move during finals. And the complex we had always thought of as a fall back--it turns out they're really hopping, and we wouldn't be able to get in there in time if we tried. So I started searching for apartments online every day. And sending Kam to look at them almost every day. He often had to go see more than one in a single day, but he was always such a good sport about it. Then I found this apartment online, and just looking at the pictures and reading the description I thought, "This could be it." There was only one other apartment that made me think that. Kam and I worked really hard to get it, but in the end we had to bid in a silent auction with 8 other couples and it was just ridiculous and as we were driving home Kam was thinking, "I really hope we won the auction!" And I was thinking, "I kind of hope someone bid more than we did..." Because after we saw it in person it suddenly just didn't feel right anymore. It was a really nice place, but it wasn't our place. So I was a little nervous to see this place in person, but it just seemed so perfect! So, I (late as always) checked out the apartment (for about 10 min because we were on a tight schedule that I'd already messed up), and it still seemed really nice. It had that inexplicable, not wanting to leave feeling (which was unfortunate since we really needed to leave), but I had to be sure I wasn't the only one who felt that way (partly because I had only gotten to see it for 10 min and Kam had been there for about 20 min before I even showed up), but Kam felt the same way, too. All the apartments we saw after that, even the ones that were maybe a little nicer, or had this or that feature that "ours" didn't have, just didn't compare. Kam told me he had resigned himself to live in that apartment. So of course, I really hoped we would get to do that.

And thank goodness, I make a pay check! So they called us back in a couple days and asked us to come in for an interview, which we did, and then told us we could sign the lease, and Kam said, "So, I had heard there were other applicants. Just to be clear, does this mean you're choosing us?" And they were.

So, without further ado, I would like to announce that we are now the proud renters of a 2 bedroom apartment with a dishwasher AND washer AND dryer! It sounds pretty easy to impress me right now, huh? Well, trust me. It wasn't that easy. Kam knows.

For one thing, we always have to check that the size of the master bedroom will fit our bed. We have a California King, and it's freaking huge. Which is fantastic, because we both like to take up lots of space. But like I said, lots of space. There have been a few apartments where we've said to each other, "I think it would fit, but we wouldn't be able to close the door." Or Kam would say, "We could put it up against the wall on my side. I actually almost fell off the bed this morning because I thought there was a wall there to roll into for some reason." At this place--not a problem.

Also, freeway access is always a consideration. I work all the way in Murray and getting to Wymount has been a royal pain especially anytime there's a BYU sporting event. This apartment is in South Orem, close to the freeway entrance, close enough to the school, and bus routes (in case we ever do sell our other car, or worse...), and also easily accessible by alternative roads that will not get cluttered at game time. Plus, it's a little closer to Target, which could be a good or a bad thing for me, depending on how you look at it.

The neighborhood itself is a consideration for any savvy home-buyer. And also for picky renters like Kam and I. We were wary of renting anything too near the tracks in south Provo. The trains can be loud, and it's just not very pretty over there, at least not on 300 S where all those pawn shops are. Maybe I'm a baby, but I was getting nervous just picking up take-out over there. Our new apartment is just north of University Avenue, so there's some nice shopping over there. But it's just far enough that you don't feel like you're near a major road. We'll be in a cul-de-sac, so no traffic right in front of the house. And there's a park just down the street, and a church building just up the street. And another one on the other street... I guess that doesn't surprise anyone.

We also had a few perks in mind. You know, not deal breakers or anything. But boy, did we luck out. We were hoping to find a place with a living room large enough to play our dancing game on our new X-box One. Right now, doesn't really work so well. We have to rearrange all the furniture just to play it once. And also, I've been a huge kitchen nerd recently, baking up a storm. Ever since Kam got me that kitchen-aid for Christmas, you cannnnot stop me. So, it would really be awesome if we had some more counter space. Oh, and upgraded cupboards, and walls and walls of them? Yeah, that'll win me over pretty quickly. I'm pretty sure this kitchen is larger than the one I grew up in. We could make a whole extra guest room in there if we got desperate. Ok, maybe not really. Who wants to sleep in a kitchen?

But basically, I'm just really stoked about this new apartment. Once we actually move in I'll be able to post pictures. But for now, I just had to share how grateful and excited I am to have that "at home" feeling, and know it's not going to go away. Actually, it kind of feels like we have two homes right now, and we're just not allowed into one of them yet. Ha ha. So, now all we have to do is four more weeks of laundry at the facility, and there we go! Oh dear, I'm counting down in laundry loads and dish-doing turns...

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