Sun through the Rain

So Michael got his first dousing on his moped this morning. A thunderstorm, no less. But that didn't put a damper on the fact that we were putting down a deposit (another deposit) on our new permanent home today (pics are of the new place). Yippee!  

I have to say this was quite an expensive learning curve and I'm not sure what exactly we could have done differently. You'll remember that when we first arrived a little over 2 weeks ago, we had no place to live. Michael's boss (and friend) was able to finagle a cute temporary abode for us until the 27th and we paid for that. Then we talked to over a dozen realtors who told us that the pickings for long-term places were slim. They weren't just slim, they were depressing. As a matter of fact, if a nice one came available, we should expect lines for the apartment. We started to panic.

We lucked out when a bartender hooked us up with someone who had a few properties, one that was better than the others we had seen, and we put a deposit down on it for an end of Sept move-in. Although having the place was great for piece of mind, we weren't really happy with it, and were hoping to be able to get a permanent place sooner, so kept looking.

The other day, I lucked out when a promising 1-bedroom popped up on Craig's List. We jumped on it, checked it out, and knew it was more us than the other house. Still small, but with sunlight, fun colors, angles...Then we found out it was ours. Yahoo!  The place is a little cheaper, is upstairs for more privacy, has a fantastic deck, and is in a very desirable neighborhood in Old Town.

All we had to do was put down a deposit, and pay 1st and last months rent. That's right, in just over 2 weeks, we've put down two deposits and paid 3 months rent spread out over three different properties. Cha ching! We must get settled so I can focus on getting myself some income (anyone looking for a writer? Here's my resume. Taking advertisements on The Babbling Conch too). I think this deck, and its lush views, will be our recharge space. Ommmm.


Especially since we also get to buy furniture, turn on utilities, get a FL driver's license, and register to vote. Oh, and figure out what happened to the boxes that left St. Kitts almost a month ago. Did I mention that the passport people won't accept Michael's original, hospital-issued birth certificate, because it's missing some info? Why the heck is that his fault? It's the original birth certificate! Good thing he's not running for president. Sheesh. Oh, and the iPod Shuffle I ordered to replace the one I had stolen in St. Kitts (I can't exercise without it) has somehow gotten lost in Alaska. Alaska..........

Trying to ride our new apartment high and deciding to ignore the other chores/problems, the first thing we did after we signed the lease was go to The Hog's Breath Saloon for the first time, order a couple of draft beers (Blue Moon and an Apple Cider Ale - yummy), and then politely shoved a copy of the lease at the bartender (Roger), and told to him to be sure to charge us local rates because we were officially locals. Yeehaw!

BTW, I was surprised by how many hits this blog has had already. Blogging really is tough, because you're just never sure you have an audience. Good thing for "stats"! I promise to have more fun photos up eventually, but with what we're doing these days, there isn't a lot to take photos of. Hmmm - here's Michael pumping gas in a borrowed truck. Why would I take such a picture? You aren't allowed to pump your own gas in St. Kitts, so we're rusty. Pumping $3 into our scooters was much more pleasant than the cost to fuel this pick-up.