The Next Step

The decision was made. Buying a house is put on hold for now, and instead, we are renting. Saad has been living in a one-bedroom for the past year, in a beautiful and sprawling apartment complex about a 1/4 mile from work. It boasts of two pools, two hot tubs, a game room which includes a kitchen, pool table, ping pong table and video arcade, a home theater, a gym and get this, a free two-lane bowling alley!!!

After looking at a few other apartment complex's, it became evident that the current complex is the clear winner! When I walk into my apartment complex, I really don't want it to reek of cabbage and mold. I'd also like features updated some since their original construction in 1954. So, without any hesitation, a two bedroom in this complex was clearly the best option. It's clean. It smells good. And it's Beautiful!! Our apartment is 1,100 sq. feet, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, large kitchen with 2 pantries, in-unit washer/dryer, crown molding, fresh coat of paint throughout, and brand new carpet! The moment I walked in for our first viewing, I was in love!

The plan for the move? Well, since I'm jobless, with time on my hands, I decided that the first day we got the keys, I would single-handedly move everything except the furniture. Saad used his negotiating skills to convince the office to give us the keys a week early. The argument being, the first of the month was Halloween weekend, it was supposed to rain, that would be a crazy weekend to move, and um, well, I really wanted my own room, now! So, they pulled some strings and gave us the keys. Saad came home from work to see that I'd moved everything I physically could while he was at work. I really don't know why he was so shocked. Because,

A.) Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a hard worker and can accomplish huge feats in record time (no ego boosting here or anything....) and
B.) Sleeping in the living room/not having a bedroom, closet or bathroom for 2 weeks would motivate just about any girl to do whatever it takes to resolve that issue! and
C.) If I left it up to men, it would have taken a week to get done!

Hence, I put on my superwoman suit and did it! A couple buddies with a truck showed up after work to move the heavy stuff. Phew. All moved in. The sorting and organizing has taken a bit of time, but it's pretty much done and worthy of taking pictures. As I get a job and start producing an income, I plan on sprucing it up and furnishing it with a little more than just man stuff. So enjoy the pictures, but to get the full effect, you really need to come out and see for yourself.....

Our building. See that open sliding door? That's ours!

Another view of the building. There are a lot of buildings in our complex, hard to get a full view.

Looking out our sliding door at the bowling alley, gym, pool, etc!

My room, furnished with all thrift store finds! A work in progress.

Looking through my bathroom into my bedroom.

Part of my walk-in closet. It's bigger in person.

Living room

Laundry room. Obviously.

Saad's bedroom and into his bathroom

Kitchen. Again, it's bigger than it shows in this picture.

Looking from the kitchen to the dining room/living room. The far door is my bedroom.