It was late, on a Weds night that I found the ad.
I had been up again, combing through Craiglist in search of my next home. There was a desperate force driving me- feeding on the hope of sleeping in my own bed again soon (Derrick's couch was not a great long term solution for my back!).
"It has to be here somewhere!", I kept saying to myself.
"It has to!"
Friends had offered many tips on how to effectively apartment hunt on CL. Using different search words, and not limiting ads to just ones with pictures were the tips I adopted.
There I was again.... searching.
I typed in the word "cottage", again. Usually it showed homes waaaaayyy out of my price range. There at the bottom of the search results was an ad for a cottage that met all of my criteria.Yikes. It was $75. more than I wanted to pay. It is definately doable. If I really loved it, and felt it was worth the extra money.
There weren't any pictures in the ad. Hmmmm... this could be good...or this could be bad....I emailed the ad poster.
Friday, mid-morning I got a call from the owner of the cottage. I made an appointment to go out and see it, immediately after work, after hearing her give me more of a description. I had to jump on this before someone else did.
Driving over there, I was thinking of my list, the one I made with all of my desires for my next home. I hadn't held back- I asked for everything I could think I would want in my next home sweet home. I was feeling something on my drive there- was it the energies of what I wanted and what the Universe was opening up to give me, lining up???
This felt good. This felt like it might go somewhere....
I pulled up and the landlady met me at the end of the driveway. I liked her immediately. She seemed smart, kind, and soft of heart in all the right ways. She had kind eyes.
We chatted as we walked down to the end of the property, which is a 1/2 acre on the West Slope that is shared with her (in her house, built in the 40's), and J. the arborist (in his house built in the 60's or 70's) , between her house and the cottage (built in the 40's or 50's). As we approached the little blue cottage, I noted that it didn't look special. But seeing it's cheerful red door set my heart racing and my head buzzing. "Don't be so sure this ISN'T special!", I suddenly heard a voice inside me say. This feels so right....
We walked in and C. was chatting about what needed to be fixed, etc. I was only half listening as I took in the vaulted ceiling with its exposed dark wooden beams; the Pergo wood floors, the windows and the light, the fireplace* with its white brick; the sweet little kitchen with a dishwasher*; the stairs that led up to the loft. 60 seconds after walking in, I made a declaration.
"I want it." I said firmly.
This is my home. This is what I have been waiting for. This is it. I knew it as surely as I knew my own name. It was worth way more than the extra $75 bucks.This was SPECIAL.
"But you haven't seen the rest of it yet!" C. countered back.
"I don't care. I want it." I said with absolute certainty.
"OK." she said. "Let's look at the rest of it then."
I could tell she was not totally convinced about me just yet. She was cautious and intrigued all at once. She hadn't known me but 5 minutes; I understood her uncertainty and remained confident in my own commitment.
She took me up to the loft**. There is a closet*, a wonderful window, and a half bathroom**.
Then we went downstairs to the cute full bathroom*, the hall, the linen closet*, the master bedroom with door leading out to the courtyard** and closet*. To the 2nd(guest)room, with it's closets* one for storage, one for the washer & dryer hook ups*, and one with the new water heater and new gas furnace).Then came the beautiful big backyard. It had a rustic fire pit dug but the previous tenants**, so much space for a garden and a hammock and possibilities galore. Beautiful trees and shrubs everywhere.
While she was showing me the backyard, I met J. the arborist. As it happened he came home on a rare night ( C. said he was there at his place when not at his girlfriend's). We all chatted for a few minutes, and it felt nice. It felt easy and comfortable and strangely familiar. We would all get along very well together, I decided.
C. told me that there was 1,200 square feet in that cottage. That is literally 5 times the size of the Boundary Street place. Holy Crap. It's like living in a mansion compared to the happy shoebox I lived in for 3 years!
"You are gonna need more furniture!" C. exclaimed. "I have a lot of furniture just sitting in my basement you may want to use. Would you like to take a look at it?"
Dumbfounded, I replied, "Yes. Yes I would!!!"
I figured saying yes is something I should get used to because I have a feeling things are going to be going the way I want them too, in this next chapter. I will be saying yes a lot more often. Yes =things opening up positively.
Later that night, I emailed C. my application ,and was approved a few days later. Now, all that is left to do is to sign my lease this weekend, pick out furniture from her basement, and move in on Monday.
This is what I have been waiting for. I am beyond excited. And soooooooo grateful.
This cottage was made out of magic for me.
My list came true. My intentions were pure.
And as much as I wanted to settle down, I didn't settle.
And you know what?
I got way more than I ever thought possible for myself.
Believing in the possibilities, staying true to my deepest desires helped this cottage open up for me. I have seen what is possible and I have experienced first hand practical magic.
Magic is not just a thing of fairytales, friends.
It is real. When perfect timing,faith, and creativity line up- that's when it happens.
That's magic, my friends.
Pictures coming very soon!
*=item on my wishlist **=bonus (not on my list and welcomed)
