Home Update: Moving into our Midwestern bungalow

We've been here for just over three weeks and I'm pretty happy to say that in addition to Ev and I acquiring employment, we're already all moved in to a cute little bungalow. Our very own house! Granted we're only renting for now, it's a step in the general direction we figured we want to go in.

Isn't it cute? After a whirlwind of looking at other houses and apartments for rent, each of them turned us down because the landlords feared that five people was too many for a three bedroom (??) or my tiny cat Stella would cause an obscene amount of damage.

We went back and forth between buying and renting. The housing market in Ohio, and more specifically in the community we live, is still in the buyer's favor. There are several hundred foreclosures in our city alone and many people are already underwater on their mortgages. Some who are still able to maintain their mortgage but perhaps have moved on (like our current landlord) have decided to rent out their places because currently, the rental market is in high demand.

So after an exhausting search, I stumbled upon this little gem on Craigslist and we all went to check it out. Landlord was great, thorough and most of all accommodating. She had no fears that the five of us could comfortably live in this house and I'm happy to report that we are getting along here just fine.

This house has everything we need, and many things we want. Like a big backyard.

That area on the left along the fence gets sunlight all day long, the perfect spot to start a garden in the spring. And the firepit/outdoor stove? Needs to be fixed up a bit and the hazardous brush trimmed, but it's a nice feature.

Not to mention, the house is on a QUIET street. I can't stress that enough. We moved from a complex on a busy road, so the change is very welcomed.

This place has lots of potential, something we weren't slow to pick up on when we first saw the house: an attic just screaming to be finished into a gorgeous master suite, a partially finished basement that needs a bit of a facelift, hardwood floors begging for a refinishing, and overgrown trees that just need a little TLC. Things that we'd love to dig into if this house were actually ours. I guess we'll see where we stand once our lease is up, so for now we're just settling in and making plans to furnish and redecorate to make this place feel like home.

In the meantime, Nan's cooking and some Hob Nob wine will do.

Cheers!

The eagle has landed

Good news: We're alive.

Eight days ago, after approximately 13 hours on the road, we pulled in to the city of Parma, Ohio. No GPS needed - I just followed behind Ev the whole way and we communicated via walkie-talkie.

This little girl braved the trip in my car.

The first couple hours were rough for Stella. Anxiety Cat, as I lovingly referred to her, parked herself in my lap causing my body temperature to rise a few uncomfortable degrees as the sun was blazing through the driver-side window that day. But I sucked it up for her sake. After about 5-6 hours, she relaxed and made her way to the back of the car where I intended her to be.

We visited Ev's mom at work and enjoyed a few beers and some pizza before crashing here for the night:

After the long day we had crammed in our cars which were literally jam packed with the remainder of our belongings, the only thing that mattered was that we had a place to lay our heads and get some shut eye.

The next morning I was greeted with a plate of deliciousness:

One of the best things about living with Ev's mom, Nancy, is that she is an AMAZING COOK. I kid you not, we have been eating like royalty this past week. And I've been visually bragging about it via my new found love of Instagram (follow me @ afcraig).

Cheers to the good life!

I'm pretty pleased to say that after only 8 days both Ev and I landed jobs and we've already begun the house hunting process. I'll be posting soon about the success that was my very first yard sale including some tips from my lovely mother, who happens to be the Yard Sale Queen.

Until then I'm still acclimating to this new place. I've been battling the relentless heat and a steady migraine to go along with it, but still chugging along. After a crazy rain storm last night, today's weather is a beautiful 65 degrees and I'm enjoying the relief that should follow over the next few days.

And I'm happy to report that Stella is settling in quite well.

Laptop Cat says "no more internetz for you"

Until next time...