Home Sweet (Next) Home

I may have talked about this before, but there was an impertinent moment in my youth when I was incredulous at my mom's wanting to stay put - in Indiana, in her comfy home with all her friends around (sounds terrible, right?).

After our excursions abroad (and in the US, have I mentioned I live in Northeast Ohio right now?), I found myself in a strange place when mom and I traveled to South Carolina last week: I was looking for a home. Not just the next place to land, not just a shelter that covered the necessities. I found myself really desiring a place that Jacob and I can unpack, stretch out and settle down. Did I just say those words? Yes. Settle down.

So somehow, when we found a couple of places that fit the technical bill, I still found myself stressed and hesitating. Seeing as we lived in what we were told was the only available apartment in Burami, Oman after sharing a two-bedroom house with other fellow students (and they were even kind enough to give us the one working bedroom) after sharing a dorm building, I guess I was holding out hope for a little something more.

My new rockstar friend E drove me around on our last full day in town and she is the ONLY reason we found this place. I didn't want to call the numbers we found that day, and I didn't want to go see the only place from all 15 numbers I called that was: in our price range, had W/D hookups, and would allow my dog. Sitting outside, waiting for the landlord, I thought, there's no way this will be worth it. But I think I was wrong...

Front porch! Brick duplex! Yard! Cute 'hood! Bikeable to campus!!!

Built in bookshelves! Fireplace! In the (paraphrased) words of my mom and mother in law, 

this just looks like you. I'm excited for it to look like us. 

This is a place I can see our lives. I can see Jacob coming home in the evening and walking my dog in the neighborhood and having dinner parties. Al humdulallah! Now just remember, Columbia, SC is so very close to lots of fun things like Asheville, Savannah, Charleston - and it's not too bad itself. Come visit!