Although this two bedroom apartment felt spacious after the hotel, after 10 days, it's beginning to feel a little tight. And I miss having things in the kitchen like a colander or a measuring cup, which I hate to buy for a month's use, when I know I have multiple in a shipping container somewhere in LA. I keep trying to remind myself that most of the people of the world live in less space.
My other complaint: much too much TV watching. Can I tell you how inane the Disney channel is? Who comes up with this junk? So besides buying the DVD and some books, I also bought a couple of games to occupy our time: Spot It, which I highly recommend for all ages - fast paced and entertaining- and Boggle, which I really like, but the kids aren't quite as enthusiastic. I thought for a word game it would be a little easier for the youngers, but they only play if I do. Which part of the point of buying the games was to buy myself more time for scouring Craigslist and Zillow.
Some comments on internet home shopping: I initially started looking for a house online before we left Guam. Finding a home online is a lot easier than it used to be, but I think it causes more stress. When we moved the first few times, we just showed up at our destination, stayed at a hotel or with friends, went to see a realtor and spent a weekend looking at what was available. Then we made our choice from the half a dozen or so options. This time around I've spent hours on the internet searching and searching. I've emailed dozens of listing agents/owners. Nothing so far has worked out: either it's no pets, +$500/month for lots of kids, not available any more, has carpet in the bathroom or twin statues of naked ladies carrying grapes by the front door and a large fountain in the back, or the pitbulls in the neighbor's yard make us question the location.
I also had this reply from the owner of a 4 bedroom house that was 3100 square feet:
There is a question as to whether the extremely open design of the house
specifically contracted for and designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Institute
for two people will work for eight...
Thank you...
Complete with bold font and overuse of ellipses. Tacky, like the house and owner.
Part of the struggle is that we now would like 4 bedrooms when back in the old days we only needed 2 or 3, so the options were more plentiful. Another problem with internet searching - and I have the same problem with online shopping of any sort - is that I keep thinking something better is out there if I just get my internet search words right. Maybe another agent has something hidden. Maybe tomorrow something better will show up. So I didn't commit weeks ago from Guam to a house that might have worked because I thought I'd find something better. And I didn't want to pay for a month of rent when we weren't living in the house.
It's hard for me to commit to anything that has a cost, whether it's a house, a car, a vacation, a job, my faith. I tend to take the road of least resistance. For a long time, "I have six kids," was my excuse. But now those kids are pretty independent. If I want to encourage them to be bold and daring in making choices that go against the popular culture, I'm going to have to do that myself.
Not sure how that will play out. But one of these days, I'm going to have to say yes to some sort of place.
In fact, we looked at a place today that would work. It has a tiny kitchen with lime green countertops and an oven from 1970 that probably won't fit a turkey or a normal cookie sheet, but it is in a good area and close to the Catholic school we picked out. Now the debate is whether we pay more for this "settle for" house or we live on base. One way my husband commutes 25 minutes in the small gas efficient car; the other way I commute 25 minutes with 6 kids in the big gas guzzler. But the cost of gas doesn't compensate for the increase in rent. So the question we are trying to answer is what price tag do you put on quality of life? And which counts for more value: a nice kitchen or a short commute?
Whatever we decide, a year from now I will have forgotten most of the pain of having no address and of living in a temporary apartment with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath for 8 people and a dog. The kids line up outside the bathroom at night, just like they do at school at lunchtime. This living arrangement does make me realize how little we actually need. It would be nice to have another toilet, but we feel lucky to be in a place like this after being in two hotel rooms for a week. Our novena to St. Joseph ends tomorrow, so we're hoping for something miraculous to appear!
