We all arrived safely in Colorado on Friday (8/5). My aunt, uncle, dad, mom, and Steve all helped pack the storage unit with almost all of our earthly belongings while I was left to drive Tasha to the kennel for a short stay away from Pam and Rob's place. (Apparently, I'm not considered fit for lifting.) Claire, along with the stuffed mouse (Mousey) that came with Tasha from the SPCA and the purple fairy blanket that she loves, is with her at the kennel, so the rest of the entries will be from me for a while. I can only imagine the stories she'll tell when she returns.
Here's the scoop: we're staying at Steve's aunt and uncle's place in Evergreen (see map below) until we find a place of our own in Denver.
Chris and Lori (my "aunt" and "uncle") peaced outta town right after helping us put everything into storage, while my parents stayed until early this morning. We took them driving through Rocky Mountain National Park (pictures to come). They explored downtown Denver on their own. Rob and Pam had them over for dinner last night, which went rather well, I thought. Of course, having two different sides of the family meet for the first time is always nerve-wracking, so I babbled much more than I usually do (which is A LOT). But everyone seemed to like each other, and the meeting was a success. I dropped my parents off at the airport this morning; Mom cried, which I figured she'd do. They arrived safely in Baltimore this evening.
Steve and I spent about six hours today looking for a place to live. Either the places were too expensive, didn't allow cats, or were in sketchy neighborhoods. We left some voice messages and sent some emails, so we'll see how that goes. We originally had this long list of requirements:
- 2br, at least 1ba
- cat and dog friendly (we want to adopt a dog soon)
- gas range on the stove (b/c neither of us can cook very well on electric, having never grown up using it)
- guaranteed parking
- NOT in an apartment complex
- prefer single-family home or townhome
- no more than $1150 (and that's pushing it) with at least some utilities included
After only two days of serious searching, and four days on a guest bed without our cat, we're starting to drop our standards. We want to keep the 2br so we have a guest room/office, and the price range has to stay the same. If we can't adopt a dog, so be it, but we need the cat approval. We'll learn how to cook on an electric range, and if we have to live in an apartment complex, then fine. We'd at least like one with high approval ratings on ApartmentRatings.com. Having lived in a fantastic apartment in Parkville, MD for so long, I had forgotten how AWFUL and frustrating it is to find somewhere new to live.
I have a final job interview tomorrow at a local university, so I'm going to iron this shirt I dug out of one of my boxes of clothes and call it a night.
