Found

Well, I think we have found a place to live.

Not knowing S--field and the surrounding areas very well, I had been given some recommendations about school districts and the like by several friends and family members. Needless to say, S--field schools were out of the question- too big, too scary, too unpredicable. Private school? Too pricey. C-town and R-ville were mentioned as good possibilities, but we could find no rentals for R-ville, and C-town was WAY out of our price range. (Example: 2 B/R 1020 sq ft condo- or what we call 'buy your own end of a duplex'- $148,900. NOT!) Every rental we checked on was in brand new subdivisions, devoid of trees, grass, or normal people. I saw residents out walking/biking in couture, for God's sake! I don't think my crappy old sweatpants and Old Navy t-shirts would have fit in.

Needless to say, the situation was a little stressful, and on the way old of C-town, I finally blurted out, "Aren't there any regular neighborhoods in this place?!" It was exactly what Steve had been thinking. Not ghetto, not country club- we simply want a decent house in a nice, safe area. Preferably family-friendly. And suburban.

There were several condos/duplexes in our price rangle listed in a small suburb, R-town, so I took a chance and made some calls... and one will do quite nicely. It is a duplex with plenty of space, two full bathrooms, a fireplace, and I could not ask for better as far as the schools and community are concerned. I saw kids out riding bikes, adults doing yardwork, normal houses- a few up-scale subdivisions, but nothing extravagant- and everyone seems very salt-of-the-earth. Now all we have to do is wait for our application to be processed, pay our deposit, and we'll be set.

God willing. Wish I had some pix to post- maybe next time.