Joel and I have been talking about moving out of our apartment since before I even moved in. While I’ve only lived here briefly, he’s been living here since mid-2012. It was time for a change, and time to not be so far away from work. With our lease wrapping up in a few days, we decided to make moving a priority. And then we started looking at properties and soaring rents, so we decided to stay put for a few more months until the perfect place showed up. Which was great for me, because I *just* got my the home office the way I wanted it.

But then, the almost-perfect-incredibly-lovely-safe-close-to-work-open-floor-plan place showed up. And the stay put plan flew out the window. 

It’s smaller, but it’s loaded with character and storage space. It doesn’t have a/c, but it’s shaded and not on the top floor (which makes a HUGE difference). There’s an al fresco outdoor entertaining area, a huge private and covered patio, a Juliette balcony in the bedroom, a clothes dryer, and tall ceilings with tall windows and exposed beams. It feels like the top level of an old loft, but it’s not creepy. And it’s in the city, so close to both our jobs. And the second I walked in, I knew I wanted us to live there.   But so did the other 8 people telling the agent “wow, I *love* this place, how can I secure it?” 

So we scrambled to get the application together (slightly less complicated than my visa application – in the States all they do is run your credit and ask if you have a pit bull) on Saturday, submitted it on Sunday, lost sleep for 2 nights, and then yesterday morning, we got the good news that we won!

It’s so exciting, and an awesome start to the new year. But it’s not without a tinge of “aww, this was where I met Joel, and this was our first home” whingeyness. Also the whole “just got my office done” thing. But mostly the “Awww” stuff. 

Now the fun stuff starts: packing, moving, organising pickups and removalists, deep cleaning to get the bond back, and about 1,000 change of address forms. In like 2 weeks. 

WOOOOO!