Apartment hunting and the pictures I took along the way.

We went apartment hunting today. (Someday I'll fill you in on why we no longer go house hunting.) I grabbed my camera on the way out and thought, today I'm going to take pictures of everything and not care what anyone thinks! I am incredibly talented at caring what other people think. It's kind of a gift. One I wish I could return and exchange for something better. Like a pair.

Our first stop was Starbucks. Naturally. I grabbed my camera and as we were standing, waiting for our drinks, I turned to The Husband and declared my intentions. "I'm going to take pictures of everything," I said, "and I'm not going to care what anyone thinks! Now..." (glancing around) "...what should I take a picture of?"



In my defense, it was incredibly crowded. I was in the midst of several people when I pointed my camera at the stuffed bears and pressed the shutter. Were there other more interesting things I could have aimed at? Possibly. But that wasn't the point!



They always spell his name wrong.

We arrived early to our first appointment. The Husband didn't have his license (long story) and wasn't allowed to see the apartment. This was the only place that even asked for ID. Weirdos. I'm going to use this as the excuse for why we didn't rent from them.

It was up to me to take the tour and endure the used-car-salesman speech. The place was a complete bust. As we walked back to the car I tried to describe it as best I could, but I got hung up on the size, the old cabinets, and the sorry floorboards. This is when I asked, "are you sure we want to save money?"

The Husband and I are looking for a smaller place. Considering how often we entertain (we don't), our place is much too big for just the two of us. Our living room? Never used. The Husband spends his time in the den. Me? If I'm not watching TV with him, I'm in the dining room or in the bedroom. I love my bed. I love to sit at the end of it and watch TV while browsing the web.

And if I get tired, I can just lay down. Napping doesn't get more convenient.

(I love naps.)



This was the best part of apartment hunting. Seriously, everyone had candy. And I totally took this photo while everyone in the office looked on. Surprisingly enough, a couple of people we met engaged me in conversation about photography. Of course, they were just trying to sell me on an apartment, but still... I appreciated the effort.

The second place we looked at was near my dad. Which means I had to call J. Which means we had to swing by and pick her up first. There was more candy, another used car salesman. The apartment was super cute. So cute we put a hold on it before we left. Of course, it was right next to the Yogurtland J and I go to so, for me, it was a no-brainer.

Closer to J, closer to our favorite frozen yogurt spot, closer to work and it had all of the amenities I was looking for including marble counter-tops, crown moldings, upgraded cabinets and doors... Total slam dunk.

But we had two more appointments.



I took these pictures of J while we were waiting for our contact at the third place. She's so pretty. J. Not our contact. Although, come to think of it, she was kind of cute, too. I wonder how she would have responded had I asked to take her photo.



The third apartment, while in a great location, ranked a ten on the scale of meh. Moving on, thanks.

I didn't take any photos at the fourth, and last, apartment. I was too busy looking around, cracking jokes with J, and silently trying to convey my opinions to The Husband. However, this fourth apartment jumped into our number one spot. It was great. Great location, great space, excellent closet. And I knew it was a good sign when I started to envision just how I'd decorate and arrange our furniture.



I love bookstores. And romance novels. (And a little focus in my pictures. But just a little. Obviously.)

I dragged J along with me to Borders because last night I bought a book I had already read and still own. I worried I'd someday do that, but never thought it'd actually happen. Whoops.

Then I went home and sat down with The Husband to discuss our options.

And after all was said and done, we decided to rent a smaller place in the community where we currently reside. Go figure. We move in on the 17th. Moving is awesome. And by "awesome" I mean not at all. Luckily, we don't have to be out of this place until December 1st. So we'll have two weeks instead of just a day.

And I've decided to hang Edward in the kitchen. Which means I'll probably bake a lot more often. Or just stand in the kitchen doing absolutely nothing a lot more often. Whatever.