I sent $2,700 to a woman I'd never met before...

It wasn't that long ago that I sent $2700 to a woman I'd never met .....

and it was one of the best choices I've made!!

We had less than 24 hours in Colorado when my hubby had his interview with the new company. We had to decide if we would rent or buy. We toured two apartments and met with one realtor. We decided on one apartment, but as I was applying online at night I felt a prompting of "NO! There's something better!" So I stopped and texted the realtor about a rental site he mentioned. I spent that night looking through apartments. The minute I landed on one in particular I felt great about it. I looked on, but came back to it. I emailed the owner and hoped she would get back to us.

The next morning she called me and I felt great about her. But, Mike had finals and we had to get back to Kansas ASAP. We weren't able to get into the apartment. So, we told her we would take the apartment site unseen. We drove past it, but couldn't see in it. I sent the money quickly and then didn't hear for a few days. Our cute owner had been on vacation. When she got back to me she told me that there were 5 people after us who wanted it. Some interested renters were across the street and willing to pay MORE. I gulped. It would be easier than dealing with us across states and she would get more money! We hadn't even signed a contract at that point. But she was SO honest that she said she would still give us the apartment at the price advertised!

All the while I was dealing with the apartment managers in Kansas who weren't the most honest. I kept sending people who desperately wanted our place, and then they weren't interested. (Just so happened we moved one week after our neighbor did who had a unit just like ours.) They kept telling the interested renters that they had another unit available and ours was rented. All while telling me that no one was interested and we were responsible for rent for the next year. I called them out on what they had been doing and saying, since the potential renters told me. They admitted that it was the case and they were holding onto an application. It was just LAST week, a month and a half after we started, when they finally rented it (after I sent several renters who qualified).

When we got to Colorado, though, the day we were supposed to move in the carpet was not installed and the installer, along with his daughters, were just hanging out. I saw that there was new pad mixed with old pad-some with stains, some pieced together, some cut and not taped. The installer said they just had to install the carpet and they would be done. The kitchen wall was messed up. The living room outlets were hanging out. The bar was a tiny bit messed up and I thought...oh dear...what else will be wrong? (Turns out NOTHING else was an issue. It really was just the workers who messed up. Our landlord did EVERYTHING right and planned it months before but sometimes things just happen. In the end it was TOTALLY worth it because we love the gorgeous kitchen, brand new carpet, and so many other upgrades she made for us!)

They were pretty minor things, but the stress of the move, drives, lack of sleep for weeks, and uncertainty with work amped up my anxiety.

We had to get another hotel that night. Uhaul changed where we could drop off the truck the next day to more than an hour away. My husband's job said, "We were gonna have you start on the 12th. But if you don't hear from me by the 11th, just assume you start on the 13th." By the afternoon of the 12th the carpet still wasn't done and we hadn't heard from his job. Then when we got in, the a/c didn't work. After an hour my vision, hearing, intestines, stabbing pains, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, numbness and tingling were out of control. We had to get another hotel room. (3 different hotel rooms in 3 days.)


I thought, "WE HAVE MADE A HORRIBLE CHOICE!!!"

But it has been WONDERFUL and ABSOLUTELY the right choice!! Our landlord is so incredibly honest. She had arranged things WELL in advance but the subcontractors really messed up beyond her control. In fact they really messed up parts of the kitchen and had in fact tried lying old pad. But she made SURE it was RIGHT. She went over and beyond. I adore her and appreciate that she is so honest, Christ-like, and more loving than most people. We could NOT have chosen a better person to rent from. In fact some things that we said were perfectly fine she decided to upgrade anyway. The amenities are amazing! We had a friend come stay a few nights (they wanted their own space) and they stayed in a suite above the clubhouse. The indoor/outdoor pool is perfect for me! My hubby and daughter LOVE the choice of 3 jacuzzis. The a/c works perfectly-best a/c I've had in 5 years!!! The weather is so much better for me. I've actually gotten OUT in the SUMMER for MORE than ONE HOUR ONCE a WEEK without major issues. (Granted, I'm still quite limited, but STILL.) That is a first in 5 years. Our neighbors are great. The ward is AMAZING!!! My old Young Women's leader is in our ward and we had no idea!! (She was super young as a youth leader, so she is an instant friend I adore.) A woman who hardly knew me took my daughter to a park and helped me out several times. She is awesome and so fun! I connected with her instantly. A friend of mine I haven't seen in 20 years had an aunt and uncle in our ward. They were the ONLY part of our moving puzzle that actually went well. Her aunt brought me flowers and sat and talked with me as everyone moved. There were so many people who helped us move. In a short amount of time I also got to see my dear friend and it was just like no time had passed at all. It has made me cry several times as I think about how perfect all of this really is for us right now.

The rooms are huge! My daughter's room has a murphy bed, little shelf, dresser, piano, and still plenty of space!

My husband LOVES his work. His boss is amazing (and brought him to the company). They are doing well. The company is WONDERFUL! They are family oriented and actually have some holidays off. They want the environment to be positive and even have a special room for refugees they've hired to be able to pray several times (Muslim-I have a special place in my heart for the call to prayer ever since I lived in Israel. It's not a practice I follow, but I respect others whole heartedly). He works 12 hour shifts which have been really hard on my daughter and I to adjust to. BUT, it also means he has 3 day weekend every other week and sometimes 4 days off split in two. We've been able to visit some gorgeous land and I can actually get out and walk some. I still have a long way to go. But, I'm hopeful that slowly the changes will add up. I meet with a new neurosurgeon and neurologist within the next week and a half. Even if just a tiny bit of my pain could be taken away, it would be incredible. Life changing. 

If your whole family wants to visit us, we have a place for you!! This is just one of the suites and the special little touches they do to make you feel like you're at home!

 

By the 2nd day in our place, Mike said, "This just feels like home." I worried if he would hate it since most of his life has been in Kansas. But all 3 of us have talked often about how PERFECT this place is for us and we didn't even know we needed it. It truly feels like HOME.