Hunting Season

Over the past twelve years I have lived in eight different locations. Some moves were short (from one apartment in Lake Ivanhoe Shores to another) and some were long (Winter Park to Wake Forest). None have been easy, none have been cheap. There has been a compelling reason for each move - I consider each one to be an upgrade of some kind. I've never lived in a single place for longer than two years. Lake Ivanhoe Shores is nearly an exception, but although we stayed there for four years, we moved from a one-bedroom unit to a two-bedroom unit. Our house on Kentucky Ave in Winter Park was fantastic. Although it had some very real problems (terrible AC, windows that didn't open, rats) it also had some very real benefits (location, architecture, plenty of space, yard care) that I really miss. I think that, if we had not moved to Raleigh, we might have stayed there for several years. That might have been the last house we ever rented before buying. Clearly things did not work out that way and although I do miss that house, I am very happy with the course that our lives have taken.

So here we are in Raleigh, living in an old mill with rough stone walls, high ceilings and in the middle of nature. As with everything else, there are pros and cons. And without the least bit of bitterness toward the Mill, I am happy to announce that the time for us to move is nearly upon us... yet again. We still have a few months left at the Mill, but the search for a new home is officially underway. We're looking for another rental. We've heard all of the arguments for buying a house, but we just don't feel prepared for it. The plan (there is one, believe it or not) is to find a place fantastic enough to stay for three or four years while we save money for a reasonable down payment for a house. We visited our first prospect on Friday. Sadly it was not for us, but not to worry - there are plenty more where that came from.

Although moving itself is a hassle - a real, literal physical struggle and emotionally stressful - I always look forward to the exciting elements, such as finding a new grocery store and a new route to work. And in this case, since we'll be moving much deeper into Raleigh, we get a whole city to explore on a completely different level. At the moment, we go into Raleigh often enough - I go in practically every day for work, in fact - but it is not convenient to go shopping or out to eat. We live outside of the city, and this distinction is much more significant than it is in Orlando.

We'll keep everyone up to date on our house hunting adventures!