Wednesday, January 13, 2010

here we go

we went through 4 apartments today. all of them were the same basic ciriculum - a 3 BR half double either in clintonville or glen echo (which is kind of a suburb of a suburb in my opinion)

the first was a trainwreck inside but it was very affordable (duh), in a nice neighborhood near friends and it had a garage, which we need for davids motorcycle. do not want that hanging about on the street or out back unprotected from the elements and ruffians. it also had a tiny backyard.

second apartment was VERY cute inside, affordable, but the kitchen was outdated (avocado green and not in a good way) and small. the bedrooms were a good size and it had a third floor area for storage or a playroom which was nice. but the neighbors were described as "avid recyclers" when i commented on how much stuff they had sitting around. i took that as code for hoarders. do. not. want.

third apartment was in an ideal location, within walking distance to the school we hope to lottery augustine into for kindergarten, our church, and several friends. it had a claw foot bathtub (+++) but the bathroom itself was kind of cramped and the closets in each room were teensy so we'd have to get dressers for both kids. the kitchen was adorable and it had a mud room which i thought was cute. again, no garage so we'd have to purchase a shed (already approved with the possibility of bartering to leave this someday and trade off some rent per month). oh and it had a nice, albeit shared yard.

forth apartment was really nice, the biggest of the lot for sure. the kitchen was adorable, it even had an eating nook complete with the original table and chairs from the 1920s. the yard was small and shared (with two large dogs next door) and it was pretty expensive. but it also had a claw foot bathtub, was in a great location, and had comparatively enormous bedrooms. but the price was over the top and when we haggled a little they came down a whopping $10. whoopie!

(btw in my head this entry reads like suzanne whang from house hunters)

we submitted an application today for the third apartment. this was a tough choice because we are only able to leave this place before our lease is up (~april 1) as long as someone is in the application process to take over the lease. but this place is adorable and we both felt confirmation in it when we sat around talking to the old man who owns the property and he was a near spitting image of davids recently passed grandpa! and he said when he first purchased the home (in what i estimate to be the 1940s?) he and his wife & 4 children lived there and i just loved his sense of nostalgia as we walked through the rooms. for what we are getting it's a steal and so we are putting down a deposit and to hold it until march 1. best case scenario someone moves in here and we are out nothing. worst case, we have to pay rent here and there for 1 month. not too bad & worth a little loss to get a great place. it really stood out amongst the others as being "the one". so much so that we canceled other walk throughs. the kids will continue to share a room until they "need" their own and until that time david and i will have a much needed library and office. YAY!

and, not directly because of the break in but certainly a little bit. i think im going to (finally) allow david to get a dog. first and foremost the guy is my freaking hero for how he handled the break in and i am in the business of giving credit where credit is due. not to mention he's always wanted one. i grew up with a dog but he was ill tempered and nippy, high maintenance, and just plain not a very fun animal to own sadly. at least from the perspective of a kid. so i have a kind of warped view of dogs and dog ownership. lastly, i'd love a dog so it could bark if someone ever tried to break in again.

so, here we go!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

If this apartment is to be, God will see that it happens-will be praying for the answer-Jane A

meridith said...

ok that is awesome! i never heard back on that other one as for the price so maybe it wasn't meant to be.

Anonymous said...

Man, CRAZY having your place broken into! I'm crossing my fingers that everything works out well for you guys in getting the new place. And the new dog ;)

Anonymous said...

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Judy said...

I am with you on the dog situation. I was less than excited. I ended up folding and love this little guy and all of the joy he brings to the family. CHA is a shelter in Westerville that has fantastic dogs up for adoption. Cant beat the price either for a spayed/nuetered, microchipped, vaccinations and a bag of food!

Olive said...

i really should amend or rather add that david is pretty much only interested in getting a boxer. when the time comes im sure we'll look into a rescue first. however, having little positive associations with dogs i am going to insist on getting a puppy so i can have a "blank slate"

Anonymous said...

Get a dog for sure! with the right one they will protect your family and love you to pieces!!

Sarah said...

i just want to throw out there, that most rescues have detailed background info on the dogs they have, and adult dogs don't need all that training!

Anonymous said...

Jenny, Jonathan and I are planning on rescuing a dog as well sometime in the future, possibly this summer. All of the boxers I've met are absolutely wonderful animals. If you want, I can put you in touch with a family who owns two boxers, both with two differnt personalities but both loving and adorable. Let me know if you are interested!

Kath

Violet said...

Oh my!

We had someone break into our detached garage last weekend while we were out.. I can't imagine someone actually coming in while we were home. I'd have freaked out, too! Maybe it was God's way of giving you that one little push that you guys needed to move out of your current place and into the place you're suppposed to be next.
Glad everyone is okay. <3


We're apartment hunting, too. What a fun little hassle! I hope things work out with the place you've put a deposit on.

Happy weekend!

xo,
Violet

Olive said...

kathy- i will totally keep that in mind!! we dont know when but i wonder if we'd like to give each other a dog for our anniversary in june. i feel like winnie the pooh here. *think think think*

violet - i couldnt agree more about that little push. we were already talking about moving and yes, BIG PUSH that confirmed it.

Alia said...

Yay DOGGIE! They are GREAT deterrents. My Lyka was an absolute cream puff, but she looked so scary, folks never came near...plus adding a nice big "beware of dog" sign helps.

I love the idea of a rescue dog...but there is just something about a puppy...

Its always about the personality of the dog. And your willingness to train it--it is almost as much work as a kid. And especially with a BIG dog, it is really important to have it be well trained, just from a doggie ambassador standpoint. I loved being able to completely change peoples minds about the "dangerous breed" concept when they met lyka, and that is easier to do when the dog really repects it owners.