It was that easy

So yesterday morning Angela and I started looking online for apartments. We'd joined this service, westsiderentals.com on our last scouting trip and we'd been searching ever since. Ang had found a bunch of possibilities while I was still sleeping and I had found a few earlier in the week. On the way back from breakfast I told Ang, "Okay, we're just going to find the best place, rent it, and go back to Yuma. It's that easy." We laughed, knowing we were in fact in LA, and the odds of this happening were about as good as the odds of Jack Bauer asking for our help foiling a terrorist plot. But we began our search anyway.

I called a few places, got some leads, set up an appointment to see a house at noon, and off we went. We found the house, then drove to the apartment we were really excited about. The listing said it was a luxury apartment with hookups for a washer and dryer. Needless to say, it was not luxury, nor did it have hookups. And it wasn't super clean. And it had no refrigerator (a trend to say the least). So we headed back to meet the realtor at the house.

The first thing we noticed about the house was it had a driveway! This is pretty rare in LA, even in the expensive neighborhoods. We did a quick walk through, all three of us opening doors and looking around, the realtor most impressed with the new living room ceiling fan that has a remote control. Can I just say, Ang and I were loving this house! It has huge, bright, airy rooms. Two bedrooms with super big closets! And little closets everywhere. There's even one in the kitchen when you open it, an old ironing board pops out. There's a big living room, a big dining room, one bathroom, and even a laundry room with real washer and dryer hookups! It has brand-new carpet and a two car garage that smells just like my Grandma's old cars! (Although the garage was obviously built when cars were made for tiny people and I'm not sure we'll be able to park either of ours in it but hey, storage!) Oh, and there's a backyard with a little stone patio. Yeah, we were excited.

So we gave the realtor a fifty-dollar check to run a credit check and off we went, trying to decide what to do. We went to another apartment building but didn't even get in to this one, the manager who I'd just talked to wasn't there and the place was locked up. So we drove over to Ang's new school, talked to the secretary and peeked around. It's a really cool building, one of those big old schools you see on TV, with heavy doors and high ceilings. (I have pictures I'm trying to get online, hopefully soon, dumb camera phone! UGH!)

So we decided to fill out the house application. Then we found an Office Depot to fax from and I called the relator's boss, Jerry, who runs the company, and he seemed really nice. I told him we were in a hurry and we'd like to know ASAP so he said he'd get back to me. We needed food at this point so we walked down the street and found a "Koo Koo Roo" which I think may be Ang's new favorite restaurant for the two reasons: 1) they have these cool chairs that are red and purple and look like thrones, and 2) they serve mashed potatoes as a side dish. It was good food and we ate and then went back to our car. We decided to wait a few more hours to see what was going on, to see if we'd need to look at more apartments, and decided to go find a teacher's store in the meantime. On the drive there we got the news - the owners' (apparently an older couple who've moved south to the suburbs) would love to have us rent their house! And they took our offer (which was $75 less than they'd listed - the realtor gave us a hint, always counter an offer, even by just a little). So we did a u-turn and headed into West Hollywood to find the relator's office, WHERE WE SIGNED A LEASE FOR A HOUSE. IN LOS ANGELES!!!! Yeah, we're a little excited. I was even excited to write a $4000 check so we could move in! But hey, I was also pretty excited I could even write the check. (Granted I now have $17 to my name but you know, dreams are expensive!)

So we drove back by OUR HOUSE, then headed back to Yuma. We have solid plans to make now. We have to get the electric and gas put in our names, we have to order a refrigerator. We have to reserve a U-Haul, and help my dad make plans. And we have to MOVE! Did I mention I was pretty excited.

Remember how I told Ang in the morning we were just going to find the best place and lease it? Yeah, it was that easy! :-)

For those of you interested in our location, we're just off of Olympic Boulevard, which intersects with Wilshire Boulevard. We're just south of West Hollywood, and just east of Beverly Hills (we were like ten minutes from the house yesterday and somehow ended up driving down Rodeo Drive. Check us out here: http://www.mapquest.com/mq/10-exGFdg064pG0