Days 333 to 344 –Thurs Oct 1 to Mon Oct 12 – Back in Ottawa

We start our apartment search on Day 338 at around 11am on Craigslist, find something interesting posted around noon, visit it at around 3:00 and have agreed to take it by 3:15. The whole process takes around 13 days less than expected.

When I tell my mom we've found something so quickly, she tells me I have a horseshoe stuck in my body. (This may explain how I set off metal detectors even when my pockets are emptied. )

The apartment has its pros and cons, like any place:

Pros:

• It has three bedrooms, a private backyard, free parking, a washer and dryer
  
• There's a library branch about 7 minutes away
  
• Pierre and I can still walk to work
  
• We're one minute away from the Rideau Canal.

Cons:

• There's no decent grocery store or gym within walking distance
  
• The living room is fugly.

The Big Con:

• We can't move in until December 1st

In spite of the Big Con, we know we can't turn it down.

Here are pictures of the apartment as it stands now:


The Dining Room/ Living Room :


The master bedroom:
The back yard:

Until then, we are doing a bit of informal couch surfing. For the first week and a half of October, we're graciously hosted by our friends Melanie and Al. At the same time as we adults all hang out together and get caught up on the latest news, Pierre and I also get to try our hand at being babysitters and playmates to their 4-year old daughter and 18-month old son. The kids are great and very patient with our sub-par snack-making abilities and our clumsy (but fairly quick) diaper changes. We read books, go for walks, colour in books, and get to know Madeline and the Wiggles.