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| This is previous week when I let Ray float alone. When we float together or as a group, we head out past the boat house, drop a five pound weight and anchor ourselves. We catch the breezes if we are more out of the cove and can sightsee better. |
Sunday, June 30, 2013
CHATTING, FLOATING AND DAYDREAMING THE DAY AWAY ON LAKE ANNA
While Ray and I were alone at the lake house and had quiet time floating (and what another gorgeous Saturday it was!), I started telling him about a recent post in a blog I had read (so much for his quiet time!) by another virtual friend of mine (tombseekers by Cindy). Ray was getting a bit confused (my post here so I can write what I want) matching the real names of the person writing and that person's story during our conversation. So I decided a good way to help him out would be to start from the beginning with our real or virtual friends in Panama, name them, organize them to their blog and the new life they have made in Panama. It was a good way to wade the time away (sort of like playing the license plate game when on a long road trip as a child--kind of), and for us to confirm our thoughts and daydreams of moving to Panama out loud to one another. Then it was time to close our eyes, float and wallow in the sunshine. We are trying not to rush these days and past years sharingany faster than they are already have rushed by.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
DONATE, SAVE, TRASH, REPEAT
These are pictures of our basement. These are the piles we have started on with our daughter.
Carly hasn't been the collector/hoarder. It's been me. We just went through one Rubbermaid tote that had nothing but papers, drawings and art work that she did when she was in daycare (age 3-5!). Oh my. I did learn to take pictures of things as she got older and than I threw a lot more away. One tote had baby blankets in it that she swears smells like vomit. Did I wash this stuff right before packing it all up 20 years ago? I did just now. One tote has tee shirts that I just knew at the time she might want for her own daughter to wear (Disney, Hershey, Puerto Vallarta and more)--we are having someone make a quilt out of them. Another tote had my favorite outfits that I dressed her in when she was a baby to age five. Some totes have her dance costumes, tap and ballet shoes along with my dance outfits when I was nine. Ray's report cards from elementary school were mixed up in there (he talked a lot in school according to the teacher's comments). Carly is currently going through all of her American Girl doll "stuff". She kept all of the outfits in the boxes together. She is thinking she will save the dolls and some outfits and try to sell or donate the rest. I just looked up on Ebay what my Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys hardback books would sell for ($35 for a set), and a barely used sewing machine. She is sifting through two totes of beanie babies. Back in the day, she (or her dad with her permission) sold five hot beanie babies for $950 (and no, we didn't invest it in mutual funds!), so that she could buy a Persian kitten and name him Cody. The kitten, supplies and first year of vet costs were paid for by her and her beanie baby money. Now the beanies sell for a few dollars here and there. She is feeling a bit sappy in the musty basement. But she wants to get it done and make a few dollars :)
I have many totes to go through, also. My Barbie airplane and camper are in totes (they sell for very little on Ebay since they aren't in original boxes). I just found two dental hygiene books (but not from when I was in school--pitched those years ago--but from my teaching days). Ray is hanging onto his yearbooks for now. I am going to scan my pictures MAYBE. I have already scanned a bunch, and I think I know what I looked like in high school, so we'll see how motivated I get with the yearbooks. I am so done with the basement, I will probably start looking over things, calling my sister and asking what she wants back and then donating things. Or I may put items up on facebook for my neighbors (games, books) to view and take/buy. I DOUBT I will have a yard sale. I am unsure about this. Maybe in the fall. Probably not. The one thing I regret is that my mom asked me fresh out of college if I wanted any of the board games my sister and I had played when growing up. Of course I didn't. Where would I put them? And she didn't ask my sister (she was married at the time). So she pitched them. Now I want those games. The original games in the original boxes. Board games are just so cheesy these days. And here I am, just trying to unload. Not the good board games though!
The back of the basement has always been the "save" pile. Totes of Carly's things, and totes of ours. The side has always been holiday totes. Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations along with a tree (we stopped having live trees when our cat, Cody, came around). The other side of our basement is where we have profited by storing someone else's "stuff" for the past five or so years. He was paying $300/mo to store his things for ten years in New York City (it wasn't climate controlled). He has been storing mattresses, a couch, suits, clothing, tables and all things I am sure is still in such great condition (NOT) paying us $150/mo (our Panama money haha). We have him given him a "you need to remove your things" deadline of November 1 this year. (To clarify why he doesn't have his stuff with him...he rents one room of a house, and there isn't any space for all of his valuables that he hasn't seen in over ten years.)
My sister and her fiance used to have this part of the basement when she moved in with her fiancé (then when the space became available, we started getting paid by this one man to house everything here). Now my sister has an oval braided rug, a suitcase, and two boxes she needs to come and get OR it goes with the other stuff into one of the three piles.
I cannot blame either my sister or this man for holding onto things, since I have done the same for so long. BUT I have a clearer head now. And I know that a mattress standing on its side for ten plus years isn't going to be a comfortable mattress, and a couch that has had boxes dropped on it and loaded up all over it isn't going to be a comfortable couch. So my yearbooks that have gone untouched for thirty years, or my Barbie collection that Carly played with for a very short time is no longer of value to me. Lighting up the load, cleaning up the house, seeing things go to those who will appreciate them now are what is valuable to me. I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This feels good. It is getting easier. And once Carly gets into her apartment, little by little, I will make my piles in the basement and be sappy for a few minutes. Then I will snap out of it, want to give things away to those who need the "stuff", and look forward to my next goal of retiring/moving to Panama with just a few suitcases in hand and perhaps a box or two!
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| The possible sale pile starts here |
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| Saving the dolls pile |
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| Putting the furniture together to sort it out |
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| The "going to go through" soon pile |
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| Three bags of trash and seven now empty Rubbermaid totes |
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| Christmas stuff and I don't know what else stuff |
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| On the left is the space for holiday totes |
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| Games to sell or donate |
Carly hasn't been the collector/hoarder. It's been me. We just went through one Rubbermaid tote that had nothing but papers, drawings and art work that she did when she was in daycare (age 3-5!). Oh my. I did learn to take pictures of things as she got older and than I threw a lot more away. One tote had baby blankets in it that she swears smells like vomit. Did I wash this stuff right before packing it all up 20 years ago? I did just now. One tote has tee shirts that I just knew at the time she might want for her own daughter to wear (Disney, Hershey, Puerto Vallarta and more)--we are having someone make a quilt out of them. Another tote had my favorite outfits that I dressed her in when she was a baby to age five. Some totes have her dance costumes, tap and ballet shoes along with my dance outfits when I was nine. Ray's report cards from elementary school were mixed up in there (he talked a lot in school according to the teacher's comments). Carly is currently going through all of her American Girl doll "stuff". She kept all of the outfits in the boxes together. She is thinking she will save the dolls and some outfits and try to sell or donate the rest. I just looked up on Ebay what my Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys hardback books would sell for ($35 for a set), and a barely used sewing machine. She is sifting through two totes of beanie babies. Back in the day, she (or her dad with her permission) sold five hot beanie babies for $950 (and no, we didn't invest it in mutual funds!), so that she could buy a Persian kitten and name him Cody. The kitten, supplies and first year of vet costs were paid for by her and her beanie baby money. Now the beanies sell for a few dollars here and there. She is feeling a bit sappy in the musty basement. But she wants to get it done and make a few dollars :)
I have many totes to go through, also. My Barbie airplane and camper are in totes (they sell for very little on Ebay since they aren't in original boxes). I just found two dental hygiene books (but not from when I was in school--pitched those years ago--but from my teaching days). Ray is hanging onto his yearbooks for now. I am going to scan my pictures MAYBE. I have already scanned a bunch, and I think I know what I looked like in high school, so we'll see how motivated I get with the yearbooks. I am so done with the basement, I will probably start looking over things, calling my sister and asking what she wants back and then donating things. Or I may put items up on facebook for my neighbors (games, books) to view and take/buy. I DOUBT I will have a yard sale. I am unsure about this. Maybe in the fall. Probably not. The one thing I regret is that my mom asked me fresh out of college if I wanted any of the board games my sister and I had played when growing up. Of course I didn't. Where would I put them? And she didn't ask my sister (she was married at the time). So she pitched them. Now I want those games. The original games in the original boxes. Board games are just so cheesy these days. And here I am, just trying to unload. Not the good board games though!
The back of the basement has always been the "save" pile. Totes of Carly's things, and totes of ours. The side has always been holiday totes. Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations along with a tree (we stopped having live trees when our cat, Cody, came around). The other side of our basement is where we have profited by storing someone else's "stuff" for the past five or so years. He was paying $300/mo to store his things for ten years in New York City (it wasn't climate controlled). He has been storing mattresses, a couch, suits, clothing, tables and all things I am sure is still in such great condition (NOT) paying us $150/mo (our Panama money haha). We have him given him a "you need to remove your things" deadline of November 1 this year. (To clarify why he doesn't have his stuff with him...he rents one room of a house, and there isn't any space for all of his valuables that he hasn't seen in over ten years.)
My sister and her fiance used to have this part of the basement when she moved in with her fiancé (then when the space became available, we started getting paid by this one man to house everything here). Now my sister has an oval braided rug, a suitcase, and two boxes she needs to come and get OR it goes with the other stuff into one of the three piles.
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| My sister's pile |
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| The side of the basement that we get a monthly check for |
I cannot blame either my sister or this man for holding onto things, since I have done the same for so long. BUT I have a clearer head now. And I know that a mattress standing on its side for ten plus years isn't going to be a comfortable mattress, and a couch that has had boxes dropped on it and loaded up all over it isn't going to be a comfortable couch. So my yearbooks that have gone untouched for thirty years, or my Barbie collection that Carly played with for a very short time is no longer of value to me. Lighting up the load, cleaning up the house, seeing things go to those who will appreciate them now are what is valuable to me. I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This feels good. It is getting easier. And once Carly gets into her apartment, little by little, I will make my piles in the basement and be sappy for a few minutes. Then I will snap out of it, want to give things away to those who need the "stuff", and look forward to my next goal of retiring/moving to Panama with just a few suitcases in hand and perhaps a box or two!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
IT WASN'T TORONTO, BUT IT WAS WONDERFUL
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| Yummy tender beer butt chicken cooked on the grill |
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| Vegetable tian dish--so good |
Strawberry daiquiris with fresh strawberries were drank with our salads for lunch. (Two of us drank them, the other two sat it out--too bad, delicious!)
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| We drank them out of solo cups though. |
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| The pretty sight we saw on a neighbor's dock. |
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| What our neighbor across the cove from us (about thirty feet away) told us she saw last week in her yard. |
We talked about planning another trip to Niagara in hopes of actually seeing the falls, while we floated on the lake watching the boats and jet skis go by. We took time out to go for walks, pull weeds (okay, that was just me), play with the dogs, read from our E-readers, play cards, and share stories, since the four of us hadn't been together in a while. It was a wonderful mini-vacation at our lake house without any guests. Relaxing.
Once home, I washed both the cars starting with Ray's, since it is his day.
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| Happy Father's Day to Ray (with Carly, January, 1992) |
Soon, Carly and I will make him dinner. She made him a pie, while we were gone.
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| Ray's pie |
We chatted about her weekend (she also spent some time with her boyfriend). Yes, these kind of lazy day weekends at the lake house will be missed. But I know Carly especially and these roomies will visit Ray and I in Panama. (We hope to take Carly to Panama on vacation at some point first though if our schedules work out.) Then they will see why Ray and I have been researching and daydreaming about retiring to Panama for the last sixteen months.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
ALL PACKED AND NOWHERE TO GO.
Seems like ever since we went to New Orleans last year, our mini-trips that entail flying are not quite working out they way they are supposed to. Our long vacations to Turks and Caicos, Panama or to Seattle no problem (hope I didn't jinx future trips). But when we attempt to get in a four day weekend away and if it entails getting on a plane, problematic. I blame it on my dear friend that we flew to New Orleans with last March. She cast a voodoo spell of some sort on The Guinns. This couple can't catch a break whenever they fly. Flights delayed and canceled on them always. It is a given for them. For New Orleans, there were major delays due to rain in Cleveland. Nowhere else on the map showed rain except there. And as luck had it, we were flying north to catch a connecting flight to go south. We arrived to NOLA eight hours later than planned. Key West had snow trapping us. But with that trip and the tension of not knowing if we would get out of DC or not, we actually arrived earlier on the new flight out of a different airport. I am starting to dislike flying and the unpredictableness of it. But I love the places I can go! I will never give up on it. I just may make my four day weekend trips five days from now on.
This trip we had planned was to take us to Niagara Falls (staying on the Canadian side) and Toronto. We were going with our Lake Anna roommates since the four of us hadn't traveled in quite a while together. We booked the flights in February and a dear friend of ours gave us her hotel points to use for our stay in both cities (if she didn't use them, she would lose them and wanted us to take them). Last night our friends called two hours after their discovery that their passports had expired. One expired a week ago and the other one month ago. Yes, we called them what they called themselves--dumbass times two. Try as they may, there was no way they could get anything done today at the passport office in DC before our ten am flight, and if they could get something done, they would be on a much later flight without anyway of getting to Toronto. Ray and I would have had the rental car and been long gone haha. So they would not be making the trip. They will pay a change over fee and be able to use the tickets another time within a year, but this weekend wasn't meant to be for them. I quickly searched the internet to get an idea of things to do, places to go besides Maid of Mist, because on this trip I decided to take a break from planning. I was going to let one of the others do it. She had all the notes. She had been doing the research. So as fast as I could, since I had an early rise time of four am, I created my own notes and headed to bed.
This morning Ray and I hit the ground running at five am. An impending storm with thunder, lightening, tornados and just heavy rain was due to start by four am. SUPPOSEDLY. Ray had about an hour of work to do at his office. When we travel out of Reagan National, we are able to use his parking space at work and then take the fifteen minute cab ride to the airport. We arrived at the airport by 7:30. Early, as usual. We had a quick breakfast. We went through security, and we found our gate. We were called to the desk to confirm our boarding passes and have our passports looked at once more. The sky had been dark, and the rain had come and gone. Right after having things confirmed, Rays phone rings. It wasn't our friends saying they were making it to the airport after all. It was the airline canceling our flight. Then the announcement comes that NO flights are boarding due to the severity of the storm being about ten miles to the west. Everyone would be staying put. But we had to get back in line (short, yay) to get on the next flight. Leaving at 2:40. We thought about having our friends come get us to take us somewhere outside the airport for lunch (we had a few hours after all and they now had nothing better to do), going to the nearest mall, or going back to Rays office. We decided to leave the secured area and sit facing the large windows where we could see the planes coming and going, coming and going. We listened to a middle school band play some jazz music. We read our books on our Kindle (me, archaic) and IPAD (Ray, current). We ate lunch at TGIFridays, since dinner wouldn't be until at least six pm when we landed in Toronto. We called the car rental agency to let them know our delayed arrival.
We then walked through security again, and once we approached the gate, we saw a very long line. There were many people rescheduling NYC and Philadelphia flights. The announcement came over that nothing in Philly was moving--no flights in or out. Ray got on the very long line to get our boarding passes confirmed. The woman remembered him (I didn't stand on this line and just waved to her when she checked the passports). He sat down...and his phone rang right then again. Flight canceled. Again. $700 flights, $100+ car rental, free hotel BUT still the cost for food, tours, and gas for a late arrival afternoon and evening in Niagara and a day in Toronto? It didn't make sense. By the time we would get in the car and make it to Niagara (if we were given a flight at ten am again tomorrow), it would be two pm or later. We decided to call it a day and get everything refunded. Seven hours in the airport (very much like New Orleans trip), and no major storm in Stafford.
The lake house was hit a little harder when looking at the weather map. Hope to find it solid tomorrow with power having stayed on. I will float there. I will create my own falls. Our roomates will be there, so we will vacation with them there. Niagara will wait, it isn't going anywhere. Just another trip to take before retiring to Panama. A five day trip.
This trip we had planned was to take us to Niagara Falls (staying on the Canadian side) and Toronto. We were going with our Lake Anna roommates since the four of us hadn't traveled in quite a while together. We booked the flights in February and a dear friend of ours gave us her hotel points to use for our stay in both cities (if she didn't use them, she would lose them and wanted us to take them). Last night our friends called two hours after their discovery that their passports had expired. One expired a week ago and the other one month ago. Yes, we called them what they called themselves--dumbass times two. Try as they may, there was no way they could get anything done today at the passport office in DC before our ten am flight, and if they could get something done, they would be on a much later flight without anyway of getting to Toronto. Ray and I would have had the rental car and been long gone haha. So they would not be making the trip. They will pay a change over fee and be able to use the tickets another time within a year, but this weekend wasn't meant to be for them. I quickly searched the internet to get an idea of things to do, places to go besides Maid of Mist, because on this trip I decided to take a break from planning. I was going to let one of the others do it. She had all the notes. She had been doing the research. So as fast as I could, since I had an early rise time of four am, I created my own notes and headed to bed.
This morning Ray and I hit the ground running at five am. An impending storm with thunder, lightening, tornados and just heavy rain was due to start by four am. SUPPOSEDLY. Ray had about an hour of work to do at his office. When we travel out of Reagan National, we are able to use his parking space at work and then take the fifteen minute cab ride to the airport. We arrived at the airport by 7:30. Early, as usual. We had a quick breakfast. We went through security, and we found our gate. We were called to the desk to confirm our boarding passes and have our passports looked at once more. The sky had been dark, and the rain had come and gone. Right after having things confirmed, Rays phone rings. It wasn't our friends saying they were making it to the airport after all. It was the airline canceling our flight. Then the announcement comes that NO flights are boarding due to the severity of the storm being about ten miles to the west. Everyone would be staying put. But we had to get back in line (short, yay) to get on the next flight. Leaving at 2:40. We thought about having our friends come get us to take us somewhere outside the airport for lunch (we had a few hours after all and they now had nothing better to do), going to the nearest mall, or going back to Rays office. We decided to leave the secured area and sit facing the large windows where we could see the planes coming and going, coming and going. We listened to a middle school band play some jazz music. We read our books on our Kindle (me, archaic) and IPAD (Ray, current). We ate lunch at TGIFridays, since dinner wouldn't be until at least six pm when we landed in Toronto. We called the car rental agency to let them know our delayed arrival.
We then walked through security again, and once we approached the gate, we saw a very long line. There were many people rescheduling NYC and Philadelphia flights. The announcement came over that nothing in Philly was moving--no flights in or out. Ray got on the very long line to get our boarding passes confirmed. The woman remembered him (I didn't stand on this line and just waved to her when she checked the passports). He sat down...and his phone rang right then again. Flight canceled. Again. $700 flights, $100+ car rental, free hotel BUT still the cost for food, tours, and gas for a late arrival afternoon and evening in Niagara and a day in Toronto? It didn't make sense. By the time we would get in the car and make it to Niagara (if we were given a flight at ten am again tomorrow), it would be two pm or later. We decided to call it a day and get everything refunded. Seven hours in the airport (very much like New Orleans trip), and no major storm in Stafford.
The lake house was hit a little harder when looking at the weather map. Hope to find it solid tomorrow with power having stayed on. I will float there. I will create my own falls. Our roomates will be there, so we will vacation with them there. Niagara will wait, it isn't going anywhere. Just another trip to take before retiring to Panama. A five day trip.
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| We didn't make it here. Illumination of the Falls. |
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| Or here. CNN Tower, Ontario. |
Sunday, June 9, 2013
WE ARE THE YELLOW SHIRTS
Last August, one of my posts was about Busch Gardens Amusement Park in Williamsburg, VA, and Panama most likely never getting a park with roller coasters ("Trading Roller Coasters for Ziplines"). I still remember standing online with Carly thinking about the safety requirements of roller coasters and also that the staff really needs to care and be concerned when pushing those start buttons (okay, some of the teenagers still look bored and unconcerned about my safety, but I know here in the States they would be in big trouble if something happened to me. Unsure about in Panama.).
This past weekend, Carly and I took a four day trip to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. We had been there before four years ago. Ray opted to stay home. He wouldn't be able to keep up with us. We play hardball when it comes to hitting the ground running at the park. I am sure he was lonely when he wasn't at work.
This past weekend, Carly and I took a four day trip to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. We had been there before four years ago. Ray opted to stay home. He wouldn't be able to keep up with us. We play hardball when it comes to hitting the ground running at the park. I am sure he was lonely when he wasn't at work.
When we were making arrangements for our trip, I decided to look up what event could possibly be taking place the day we were to be at the park. In the past, we have stumbled into parks along with thousands of Scout, Youth, Christian, you name it groups that always wear matching shirts and come by the bus loads to the park. By the end of the day, we are running the other way away from the "yellow shirts" (I remember this color clearly at one of our last visits to Kings Dominion in Doswell, VA). Just get us away from the "yellow shirts". I found that at Cedar Point, Coastermania would be the event of the day. And I found that if I paid a measly $10 to join a coaster club (or up to $60 a year for other clubs), we could partake in the festivities. This meant entering the park at seven am, and we didn't have to leave until one am the next day! OMG! Eighteen hours of riding the coasters, eating the elephant ears (very much like hojaldas in Panama but with cinnamon sugar all over it), and sharing the day with what turned out to be 2,000 Coastermania participants. And while sitting down at our free lunch of bratwurst, BBQ pork, baked ziti, mac and cheese, potato salad, pasta salad and bean salad, soda, water, ice cream and cookies (those went into our pockets for later), in our brand new teal green and gray fleece jackets, Carly nailed it. Her single comment, "We are the yellow shirts" was spot on! How proud I was though to wear that jacket (along with my four other layers and jeans since it was cloudy, chilly and sixty degrees all day) with my Coastermania lanyard hanging around my neck. How sore my feet were. We played arcade games. We drank chai latte (me) and vanilla latte (her) while people watching. People asked us who we were and where did we get the teal green jackets. We pigged out on nachos and a side salad (haha) for dinner later, since we had walked for ten hours so far.
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| We loaded up on those carbs for energy! My ice cream was still on my plate (needed more hands) with cookies in pockets! |
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| Fortunately, we had been told to get to lunch early (we were about 100 in with 1900 behind us). Jackets were being given out--dozens and dozens of huge boxes of them. |
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| Queuing up waiting for freebies and lunch--super orderly. |
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| The only shirt not seen here is the tee shirt Carly made for us to wear--never saw it. I never unwrapped myself.
We made it onto 23 rides multiple times. We calculated eleven hours of riding time with three rides achieved per hour. We watched a show, saw fireworks, people watched, had not more than a 20 minute wait in line and hobbled our way back to the hotel by midnight (we decided to just be done).
We had an amazing day and wonderful road trip. These are the best of times. She is starting her job soon, making new friends, having and living a new life, and still making time for me and the coasters! When in Panama we will zip line and ride ATV's in the jungle. When back in the States, perhaps we can make time for a day in an amusement park. We'll see what happens, but what I know is, near or far, we will always make time for each other and find laughter, joy and happiness in all the decisions we make along the way. (And yes, the decisions we are making as a family and individually are the right one's for all the right reasons! Today, Ray booked us for yet another trip to Panama! This one will be in January--after the holiday-- and SOLELY to work with our attorney obtaining our VISA! Let the paperwork begin!)
The start of our morning (seven am)
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GRADUATION--check. JOB--check. APARTMENT--check.
The title says it all! In the three weeks since our daughter has graduated, she has found a job and an apartment within ten minutes of the new job. Oh, and a roommate. Sweet. The job was tricky in that she was hired as an "early hire" for Fairfax County in March. But then, once back in the area, she had to send resumes to schools she was interested in teaching at, hoping for interviews and that a position would be available. So from the previous post, she lands the job for six grade, goes to the Patriotic Music Festival at Virginia Beach, and off we go apartment shopping. Fortunately, we had appointments. With it being the first week of June and close to the end of the school year, families were house hunting. We were seen ahead of those without appointments. We had four--one on the hour starting at one pm.
The first one was too soft (reciting Goldilocks here). No, not really. The first apartment was lovely, and the price was right. Get ready for this. $1643 for a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment (the kitchen and living room come with it). But the master bedroom with the ceiling fan in it (both bedrooms equal size for the most part) had a small bathroom within the room. The other bedroom did not have a ceiling fan as well as this bathroom, although spacious with so much storage and a linen closet was outside of the bedroom (across a short hall). The apartment for the price was a contender, but...off we go to the next building.
While the first apartment complex was small with the usual pool, fitness room, clubhouse set up, the second complex was HUGE. And it was an easy walk to the Towne Center (love this place!) to restaurants, shops, theater, etc. This was a contender. Nothing wrong with this place. Both bedrooms the same size, she could have a unit away from the parking lot (on wooded side), but the $1740 rental was $100 more than the other complex. Guess I would rather drive the five minutes to the shopping areas to save the $100.
The third building--NO. UGH. Moving on. One thing we took note of was the nickeling and diming (extra fee here, extra cost there).
Ray and I loved the final apartment we toured. Maybe it was selfishly because there was so much storage! There were two storage closets on the balcony (thinking about all of Carly's stuff in our basement). This one had a fireplace. Carly could take that or leave it. She thought it was dark. She didn't like the break up of the living room and dining room. She wasn't overjoyed by it. But the price was lower like the first unit.
We were told to call right away for one of the units (at every building), since there were a lot of people shopping for apartments. We went to a nearby restaurant for dinner to mull over what we had seen, and the waitress overheard our conversation. She raved about her apartment nearby, which prompted my daughter to head out the next day on her own to tour three more complexes. One was another NO. Outdated. Popcorn ceiling, ugly this, old that. Another was a contender (the one the waitress raved about), but she didn't love it. Finally, the first complex she had toured that morning, was it. What was holding her back was the move in dates. An earlier move in date for a third floor unit with fireplace. A much later date for a first floor pool view unit. At dinner that night, we told her to grab the later date apartment. Selfishly again, I was thinking we have a good eight weeks with her here, she won't have to pay a full months rent on her own (her roommate moves in a few days after her now), and she will have time to clean up the basement of all of her stuff. What a huge accomplishment!
All things lining up to get her settled in her new place. She will have three weeks until school starts to get ready. She loves the complex and the unit. We are, as usual, so proud of her. She filled out the application on her own, found the apartment pretty much on her own, loves the area she will be living in (thank you to me for this lol), so here's hoping the rest of the summer moves along just as nicely for her. Laid back, relaxed now and content--at peace.
Here's hoping our house hunting in Panama goes as smoothly ;)
The first one was too soft (reciting Goldilocks here). No, not really. The first apartment was lovely, and the price was right. Get ready for this. $1643 for a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment (the kitchen and living room come with it). But the master bedroom with the ceiling fan in it (both bedrooms equal size for the most part) had a small bathroom within the room. The other bedroom did not have a ceiling fan as well as this bathroom, although spacious with so much storage and a linen closet was outside of the bedroom (across a short hall). The apartment for the price was a contender, but...off we go to the next building.
While the first apartment complex was small with the usual pool, fitness room, clubhouse set up, the second complex was HUGE. And it was an easy walk to the Towne Center (love this place!) to restaurants, shops, theater, etc. This was a contender. Nothing wrong with this place. Both bedrooms the same size, she could have a unit away from the parking lot (on wooded side), but the $1740 rental was $100 more than the other complex. Guess I would rather drive the five minutes to the shopping areas to save the $100.
The third building--NO. UGH. Moving on. One thing we took note of was the nickeling and diming (extra fee here, extra cost there).
Ray and I loved the final apartment we toured. Maybe it was selfishly because there was so much storage! There were two storage closets on the balcony (thinking about all of Carly's stuff in our basement). This one had a fireplace. Carly could take that or leave it. She thought it was dark. She didn't like the break up of the living room and dining room. She wasn't overjoyed by it. But the price was lower like the first unit.
We were told to call right away for one of the units (at every building), since there were a lot of people shopping for apartments. We went to a nearby restaurant for dinner to mull over what we had seen, and the waitress overheard our conversation. She raved about her apartment nearby, which prompted my daughter to head out the next day on her own to tour three more complexes. One was another NO. Outdated. Popcorn ceiling, ugly this, old that. Another was a contender (the one the waitress raved about), but she didn't love it. Finally, the first complex she had toured that morning, was it. What was holding her back was the move in dates. An earlier move in date for a third floor unit with fireplace. A much later date for a first floor pool view unit. At dinner that night, we told her to grab the later date apartment. Selfishly again, I was thinking we have a good eight weeks with her here, she won't have to pay a full months rent on her own (her roommate moves in a few days after her now), and she will have time to clean up the basement of all of her stuff. What a huge accomplishment!
All things lining up to get her settled in her new place. She will have three weeks until school starts to get ready. She loves the complex and the unit. We are, as usual, so proud of her. She filled out the application on her own, found the apartment pretty much on her own, loves the area she will be living in (thank you to me for this lol), so here's hoping the rest of the summer moves along just as nicely for her. Laid back, relaxed now and content--at peace.
Here's hoping our house hunting in Panama goes as smoothly ;)
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