A Tale of Many Apartments..

It was supposed to be easy. Pick a date two months in advance, look for an apartment, sign for said apartment, move in.

It would seem that God had other plans.  We looked on Kijiji.  We looked on Padmapper. We talked to friends. We need a two bedroom apartment.  We looked on Gotta Rent.  We even looked in the newspaper.

*Tick Tock* - T MINUS ONE MONTH

We went to see this disastered dump.  We went to see that tiny, cramped basement dwelling.  We didn't want to be too picky, and we wanted to leave some time to pray about our decision, think things through. We looked at about 10 places, some were alright, most weren't.  We wanted to apply to a couple of locations, but "sorry, someone paid the deposit last night". 

*Tick Tock*- T MINUS TWO WEEKS

We drove 30 minutes out of our comfort zone.  We liked that place.  Oh yes, storage under the stairs, three unit building, linen closet, HUGE bathroom.  Clean neighbourhood.  I cried, it's so beautiful!  Apply. Wait...

Not approved, a single person is better for us,--"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME, LORD!"

*Tick Tock*- T MINUS ONE WEEK

We found another place, perfect location for us, close to church, close to Jake's work, bonus third bedroom, backyard, deck, washer/dryer, sauna light in bathroom, little gas fireplace, in our price range.  {Lord, this is it! We know this is 'our' place.  Thank YOU for providing at such short notice!} Apply. Wait. Dream about where the table will go. Pack in earnest.  Dream about where the desk willgo. Pick up the phone.

Not approved, Someone was approved the morning you saw it, mix-up in the office,--"WE ARE SO PISSED OFF, LORD!" {Tears, disappointment, rage, frustration, hopelessness}

*Tick Tock*- T MINUS TWO DAYS

Listless packing ensued as we prepared to live with Jake's parents until we could find something.  We had booked three more apartment viewings that day, knowing that this was very last minute and there wasn't much more we could do before the moving date.

apartment 1- 10 AM
We arrived to find two guys building some additions on to the front porch, to make it more aesthetically pleasing.  They took us around to the back deck, up the stairs to the second storey, and we walked in to a sunroom, through a tiny kitchen that contained a fridge and full-sized stove, a tiny room with a closet, bathroom with a claw foot tub, bigger bedroom with no closet, and a living room.  Interesting.  Lots of light, nice wall colour, no laundry hook-ups, not much storage, one year lease.  Apply. {We don't have much options at this point.  It's liveable, not a dump, the landlords are nice, hard-working.}

apartment 2- 4 PM
We arrived to find a complex made up of about six apartment building, and a rather harried-looking superintendent, who took us on a tour of two apartments, same price, different layouts.  Spacious bedrooms, closets, supply closets, large enough kitchen, pantry, balcony, LOTS OF LIGHT, in our price range. {Could this be the one? It's not an ideal location, but we get our first month's rent free, sweet promo!} 'Oh, you can apply today, but the girl might not be in the office tomorrow, so it may not get processed until Monday' {What choice do we have? We can pray that it will get processed sooner!} Appl--  

J-Hey, your phone is ringing.
A- [looks at number] I think it's Mark, from apartment 1! {nerves tingling} Hello?
M-Hi, the apartment is yours if you want it!
A- Wow, great! Thanks so much! When should we come over?
M- Could you come sign the lease tonight? 
A- {third apartment viewing is at 6:30} Is seven pm too late?

apartment 3- 6:30 PM
We arrived to find a multi-unit building and a distracted super.  Not to mention the unkempt tenant and 'You can come in, but you can't look at the bedrooms.  Well, alright, just peek inside.' The super took us to the laundry room in the basement.  'It's month-by-month. I just look at ya and I say whether or not you can move here. You guys can have the apartment if you want it.  I can't be certain the tenant will be moved out at noon on Saturday. He's given me a lot of trouble.'

Decision Time-T MINUS 5 MINUTES TO LEASE SIGNING
We weighed the pros and cons.  We were frustrated. {Two months, Lord, and we're two days out and you give us TWO to choose from?!!} We called Mark to tell him we were going to be a bit late.  Thinking, praying furiously, pacing.

J: Which apartment would you feel safer in?
A: Apartment 1.  
J: Me too.  That's more important to me than month-by-month OR cheaper rent.

We phoned the super to tell him what we decided, and drove over to Apartment 1, deposit in hand, ready to sign the one year lease. {We've never signed a lease before!! We're terrified!} We got the keys, took one more look around, and still felt unsettled.  After months of looking, this wasn't how we anticipated the search to end.  

However, the move went well, thanks to some very hard-working friends and family.  I even found a little apartment sized portable washing machine on Kijiji, which will save us countless trips to the laundromat.

We've been living in our new digs for about a week and a half now, and both Jake and I can say we feel happy and content here.  The apartment is cozy, even reminding us of 'the cottage' at times. And guess what? We got a call on Sunday from one of the places that originally had declined us asking if we were still interested, The approved applicant changed his mind.  I was able to say we are all settled into our new place, silently thanking the Lord for his provision even after the fact, knowing he is abundantly providing for our every need.

Love,
Ashleigh