Renting

So, Ryan left me this weekend to go to Tucson, AZ to look for a place to live. Initially I was going to meet my mom down there. But as luck would have it, Ryan's flight credit was non-transferrable. I was disappointed at first, but after talking to Ryan this weekend, I think it was wise to send him down instead. He worked extremely hard driving from one place to the next (thank goodness for GPS!) and had a lot of tough decisions to make. A big thanks to the Calls for letting Ryan stay with Nathan's parents.

The last few weeks, we have been looking online for places to live. We had a big Excel spreadsheet with amenities, perks, cost, distance/time from the hospital...etc. The houses were ranked from #1-24 and we were 99% sure that renting a house as opposed to renting an apartment was for us. We never felt good about purchasing a house in Tucson.

I am so glad that we decided to look at the houses in person. Although they looked great online, a lot of the ones we could afford were in sketchy neighborhoods OR in nice neighborhoods in scary parts of town. There were also great places 40-60 minutes away from the hospital. But obviously that is too far away.

We finally found one that was $1200/month, 2000 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and in a nice part of Tucson about 25 minutes (12.5 miles) from the hospital. It was the perfect house! Ryan & I gave them the go for a security background check.

Ryan continued to check out apartments and houses throughout the day. He found some great apartments in the nicest part of Tucson (Northeast corner) that were giving a great deal of $999/month. Market price is $1200/month. It is 1400 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and georgeous inside and out. Plus it is a short drive of only 20 minutes (10 miles) from the hospital.

He called me up to tell me the new dilemma. We both wanted to live in a house so badly! So, we prayed about it. The thought that kept running through my head was, "You will eventually think, 'How could've we possibly rented a house at $1200/month? You are barely paddling above water right now!'" I went back and forth in my head for about an hour. I just wanted a fenced backyard more than anything. I called my wonderful mom and talked it out with her. She was so great and patient as she listened to me rant. At the end of the conversation, we just knew. I had a feeling that Ryan knew the correct decision as well. I called him up and it was confirmed.

Although I have a longing sadness that we had to give up our renting a house option, I am again so grateful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost. We know that we will eventually get into a house, but for now we will have to call our new apartment "home".

If you're interested, you can check it out at: http://www.pinnacleheightsapts.com/unit_floorplan_details.html?floorplan_id=6506

We will be living in the Verbena.