Make it Work

These last few weeks, I've been agonizing over whether to move. A few months ago, a colleague offered her rental apartment to us once she bought a house. Although we weren't planning on moving, the perks of her home (bigger place, cheaper rent) were enticing, and Dave and I considered it. We even went and looked at it. Although cute, there were some drawbacks (no dishwasher, coin operated washer/dryer in the basement, and a quirky closet sitch). A few weeks later we concluded that We Did Not Want to Move.

Then I started thinking about all the expenses that are coming down the pike, and in a panic, said "Um, well, maybe we should move". Meanwhile, Dave has been totally consumed with National Boards teaching stuff, and had no spare brain power/time/will to discuss moving until he completed his portfolio. We tabled all conversation until he was done, which was this weekend (!). In the meantime, I made Excel spreadsheets of every possible rental permutation (stay in our condo/move to Stefani's/move to another place). I made a weighted pro and con list (which I learned about on LifeHacker.com...nerdy cool), had multiple internal conversations, and I discussed the predicament with some of my top advisors.

Although Stefani's place had potential, she hasn't even bought a home yet. Closing on a house could take months, and do I really want to move while 7 or 8 months pregnant? No. I also thought maybe we could find a little house. It would be bigger and cheaper, have all of our beloved modern amenities, and be in a good neighborhood. After spending some quality time on Craigslist, I realize that there are some cheaper and bigger places, but they don't have a view, or a short hop to the bus, or a patio, or a stackable washer and dryer. Who knew how precious a household appliance could be? We're totally spoiled, and it's hard to imagine regressing to coin operated laundry. Like, ew.

But the biggest thing I realize is, deep down, I Don't Want to Move. Not this year. We've both lived in four rentals in four years, plus we plan on moving back east next summer. Our condo is small, but so is a baby. We have an office which we'll turn into a nursery. So what if it doesn't have a proper door or a window? I've been watching Project Runway lately, and in the words of Tim Gunn, we're gonna Make it Work.

When I told Dave the verdict, he said "Okay". And that was that. I didn't even have to show him my spreadsheets.