Texas!

For the majority of our marriage, Kaytie and William have been confined to at most a 2 bedroom living area. Sure we spent about 8 months living with Grandpa and Grandma Bouvier while William was in massage school, but our space was limited to a pair of bedrooms and a half bath. When looking for living quarters here in Dallas, we were determined to get out of the apartment scene. We still have to budget well, but it happened. We were able to secure a 3 bedroom home with great space and both a front and back yard! We had never had such freedom! The children had all been crammed into a bedroom slightly smaller than the ones they enjoy now. Ashleigh has her own room and the boys are loving their space without their sister and her girly stuff girling the joint up. The bedroom Kaytie and William share is a bit of a downgrade space-wise, but comfortable.

Please don't let me lead you to believe that we were over the moon in love with the place. Sure the size in comparison to our previous lodging seemed palatial, but there were just a few issues with them. The first thing we noticed was a startling lack of a refrigerator. Next we happened to glance in the bathroom and our collective hearts sank when we saw the bath tub. It was disgusting. Paint peeling, particles of wood, dirt, and who knows what else littered within. It was as if a contractor installed the ceiling after the tub was placed and neglected to clean after himself. A few of the floor boards in the living room are loose and the AC unit in Ashleigh's room makes a terrible din when in use. We couldn't help but be reluctantly grateful, because we had a roof over our heads and both William and Kaytie could see potential in the place.

Over the next few days we pestered the landlord, through the property company, about getting a fridge, and having the bath tub repaired. William was the only soul brave enough to chance the tub for a brief, but much needed shower, and discovered that there was a substantial enough clog in the drain that upon completion of the shower, he was standing in ankle-deep dross. About an hour later it was drained. We arrived on a Tuesday, the bathtub was refinished that Saturday... We bathed the children in a plastic tote. Thursday we were delivered a fridge! By no means a new one, and a tad on the large size we thought. The day after we plugged it in (you have to let the freon settle after it has spent any amount of time on it's back or side) anxious with anticipation to go grocery shopping. Alas that evening we discovered that the fridge didn't work properly. The freezer section didn't even get cold enough to qualify as a refrigerator! Of course we promptly notified the landlord, again through the property management company, but it would be another week before a functioning fridge would be delivered, and another week after before the broke fridge was taken out! Needless to say we were not impressed. As a result we actually got a substantial reduction in our rent that first month, at least they got one thing right.

Once the basics of the bathtub and refrigerator were resolved, it actually started to feel like home. A few cosmetic details for William to take care of and really make him feel like he was contributing in a masculine way to the household. We are pretty much unpacked with just a handful of boxes here and there, but we have gotten to the point that we know where everything is and are comfortable moving around in the dark. Some things are taking longer to get used to, like finding the odd cockroach in the kitchen after hours... Getting used to cooking on a gas stove... Water from the tap not actually getting cold... And the temperature bottoming out at 74 degrees overnight. It has been quite the adventure and we look forward to more adventures in the coming weeks, months, years.

Thanks for tagging along on our epic adventure!