Mike and I got a letter in the mail a couple days ago informing us that our landlord would not be renewing our lease when it expires at the end of September. At first, when I read the letter, my heart sank, thinking we’d done something wrong. Turns out, they felt that the renovations required on the house were too extensive to continue renting it for now.
This spring, when the snow started to melt, our little house sprung leaks left and right — you could literally touch the walls and feel that the wallboard was soggy.
The photo on the left is the corner of our master bedroom, which suffered some major water damage. The photo on the left is of the corner of the picture window in the living room, where the paint has started to bubble and crack, also from water leaking in.
Mike and I had debated on moving when our lease was up anyway, so this made the decision easy for us. We’re beginning to casually look. I’ve juggled our budget around a bit, trying to free up as much money as possible for rent while at the same time enabling us to keep putting money in savings and towards paying off our (*cough* my) debts.
(image source)
I have really high hopes … I’m dreaming of a kitchen that has more than 4 square feet of counter space to work on because I miss baking (especially pretty little cupcakes) and I miss all my wonderful kitchen gadgets that are stuck in storage. I’m also hoping for a kitchen that’s actually large enough to have a table and chairs (or even a dining room, perhaps!) because I really miss sitting down at an actual table for family dinnertime. I’m hoping for a nice little yard and a quiet street so that Ben and Gracie can run and play outside. I’m hoping there will be a little nook somewhere so I can do my freelance work but still feel part of what’s going on in the household (technically our third bedroom right now is my office, but I’ve found I never use it because I hate being completely closed off from the rest of the house). I’m hoping for laundry hookups so that I can get our washer and dryer out of storage and not have to pack up our clothes and go to the laundromat every week. I’m hoping for a basement so I can feel safe when the weathermen are predicting tornadoes.
It’s a lot to hope for on a tight budget, I know. When I realized we’d have to move, I had instant anxiety over it. Can we find a place we can afford? Where are we going to get another security deposit if we don’t get ours back? Will we find a place that will allow pets? (I’m finding Erie is much less pet-friendly compared to Nashville as far as rentals – hmph!) So much to worry about.
I’m trying to focus on it as an opportunity. I’m optimistic that the perfect place is out there for our little family.
If you could send some prayers or good vibes our way, it would be so appreciated!
xoxo
October 15th, 2010 •
Life
I got some very happy news today: we got approved to rent this sweet little house.
It has three bedrooms, one bath, and is a whopping 750 square feet. (Told you it’s little!) It makes me smile, and it’s perfect for our little family. It’s just so bright and happy inside and it makes my heart happy.
Going from the 2,000 square foot house in Tennessee to a 15′x20′ storage unit to this little place is going to force me to downsize, and I’m looking at that as a very, very good thing. (Not saying I’m going to like the process, but it will be good, just the same.) I’m looking forward to a more simplified and decluttered lifestyle. (Hopefully I can get there!)
I sign the lease papers Monday afternoon. The gas is getting turned on Monday evening and the electric will be switched over too. So it looks like next week has lots of heavy-lifting in store! I’m SO excited!
Hello? Is anyone out there? Sorry to have abandoned you for so long, readers. I’ve missed you. I’ve missed blogging. Life has just been entirely too crazy to write up till now.
The move from Nashville to Erie was stressful; thank God I had friends and family keeping me sane through the whole process. I left Nashville on Friday, April 9th, and started my new job the following Monday. So it was a whirlwind to get packed, moved, unpacked, and settled in enough to start work all in the matter of a few days. Again, thanks to my loved-ones, I managed to pull it off.
I’ve been homesick for Hendersonville and Nashville from time to time. It’s not so much the place as it is my friends and coworkers. I miss them so much. Thank goodness for the Internet/email to keep in touch.
Since I’ve been back in Erie, things have been go-go-go.
My new job is challenging (in a very good way). I’m still doing web development, but I’ve switched gears from Visual Basic.NET to C# … and I’m loving it. Though VB.NET and C# are similar, the syntax is different enough to be interesting, and I’ve been enjoying learning something new.
Family “stuff” has been keeping me busy as well. On April 15th, my grandfather was moved from the hospital to a special Alzheimer’s unit at a local nursing home. I don’t really even know what to say about it, as my grandfather and I never had an extremely close relationship. Regardless, it is a difficult situation for everyone involved. Alzheimer’s disease has to be one of the most heartbreaking conditions for a family to deal with and I’d never wish it on even my worst enemy.
On a happier note, I’ve been spending lots of time with my parents and my grandmother. It’s nice being home with them. It’s exactly the safe, comforting environment I was needing in order to get ready for a fresh start.
I’ve been seeing quite a lot of Mike too. This past weekend, I saw his band perform two nights at the Avalon Hotel for the Provocative Art Show (which, for the record, was quite an experience — burlesque, painted ladies, rock music, and art).
We also went to the zoo this past weekend and I got to see their baby orangutan, which is just too precious for words!
It seems that at the end of every day, I find myself absolutely CRASHING, mentally and physically exhausted. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I still have so many people to see and so many things to do. It feels great to be always on the go or always working on something. I have a notebook full of ideas and projects that I want to pursue. The possibilities are endless right now, and I intend to run with them…
I’m having a particularly melancholy day today. Though my last day at work isn’t until tomorrow, I cleaned out my desk today; almost three and a half years fit into two boxes. I’m an emotional sap, but it got to me. There are parts of me questioning that moving home is the right decision, but I have to go with my gut instinct. Maybe in a few years, I’ll return. (And the girls say I have to come back at least every three months to keep up my hair appointments with Benjamin…)
I guess I’m in need of a reminder of all the little things I love about home and all the little things I’m going to get to enjoy again. Just a few –
(1) Summers on Presque Isle. I think when you live in Erie your whole life, you don’t appreciate the beauty of Lake Erie or the peninsula. Leave for a few years and come back, and you’ll find yourself drawn there. I can’t wait to spend summers driving around the peninsula with the t-tops off the Z, then stop for a walk on the beach. Oh! And I must make a point of getting a fishing license for this summer!
(2) Enjoying the local wineries and Wine Fest. Northeast, PA has some amazing wineries and is particularly known for Concord grapes. It’s also home to Welch’s – as in, the grape juice and jelly company. Wine Fest, held every autumn, is the best way to sample all the local wineries all in one place. There’s also lots of great music and fun craft vendors.
(3) Getting to hang out with this guy. —>
He’s pretty darn cute and Gracie-dog seems to like him pretty well. Thinking I’ll keep him around for a while. (Ha ha.)
(4) Going to homecoming football games at my old high school. Everyone comes home for homecoming, but I haven’t been able to in quite a few years. Our high school football team rocked, and I was a varsity football cheerleader, so I guess I’m a die-hard fan. (I have a secret wish that if I ever have son(s) that they’ll play football at GM, or if I have girl(s), that they’ll be cheerleaders too.)
(5) Having an aquarium again. I know, very random. My mother has a 55-gallon fish tank with a nice oak stand just sitting in the basement because I asked her to hang onto it for me. I have grand plans for said tank, once I get settled into my new place.
(6) Photo adventures with my favorite partner in crime, Erica. When Erica still lived in Tennessee, we’d occasionally go on photo adventures (examples: one, two, three, four, five) — just load up the camera equipment and drive aimlessly until we found something interesting to take pictures of. Erica and her husband Alan moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania a few months back, so she’ll only be a couple hours away and has family in Erie, so you know we’ll be meeting up to recommence our excursions.
(7) Autumn in Pennsylvania — beautiful leaves, county fairs, pumpkin patches and corn mazes. There’s just nothing like fall back home. Crisp and cool and bursting with color.
(8) Fishing! I’ve lived on a peninsula for the last year here, but haven’t once gone fishing because I had no one to go with me. I’ve got plenty of friends and family eager to take me out back home. (I also may or may not have agreed to learn to hunt… but I have yet to decide whether I’ll stick to my word on that. Can’t quite feature myself stomping around in the woods wearing safety-orange…)
(9) Cool summer evenings. There’s nothing like a cool spring or summer evening on the lake. I’m looking forward to spending lots of summer nights at Kimberlee’s place, Rum Runner’s Cove, right on the water … sipping Rum Runners, of course. Who wants to join me?
(10) Most importantly, family. My entire family is back home. One of my biggest fears over the last couple of years was that I wouldn’t make it home to spend time with my grandmother. She’s suffering from emphysema and of course it is a disease that just gets worse, not better. I want to be able to treasure every moment I can with her. Of course there’s also my mom and dad, grandfather, and extended family that I want to make a point of getting closer with again. We’ve all gotten so distant in the last several years, and right now I feel like I need to draw them closer than ever. No time like the present to change things.
