Leasing terms

So, I'm happy to report that my Florida trip was a success. Spending time with my parents - check! Finding a house to rent so I actually have a place when I show up with my moving truck - check! Getting to know "Mr Cutie" a little more - check! (this one gets a check and a wink!)

I know you're all dying to hear about "Mr Cutie," so I'll start there... First, there was a request to give him a more masculine name, so he will officially be known from now on as M-Daddy. I know that's a bit strange, but we've got a running joke with the rap star names that we've given each other, so that's a slightly abbreviated version of his (BTW, mine is D-Bomb). As you know, we weren't able to meet up while I was there, so we ended up having a blast texting like teenagers for two days and then had a phone date last night to start to get to know each other.

To answer my burning question that I originally had, he's not British - he's Canadian. He also has a nice (a.k.a. sexy) voice, so it was well worth the wait to hear it! I also found out that he is a romantic guy who likes to do things like leave little love notes in unexpected places or send a text just to say that he's thinking about me. This is exactly what I need because of my history with completely un-romantic guys... it's about time that I get my fair share in that department. We spent 2 hours talking about everything from our relationship histories to karaoke, and we can't wait until our next "phone date" this weekend.

It turns out that we have even more in common than I thought. We both have an insane love of hot and spicy food. I do believe I've finally met my match on this one... I have a very high tolerance for spice, but it sounds like his threshold my be just a wee bit higher (of course, we'll have to verify this when we actually meet and go head to head over some good Mexican food). The foodie match also continues with a love of good food - whether it be a little hole in the wall or a fancy restaurant. As long as the food and the company is good, that's all that matters (awww, isn't that sweet?)

More importantly, this 6 ft, handsome, sexy-voiced man appreciates a woman who can rock a sexy pair of shoes. He asked me the important question "which shoes would be the coveted first date shoes?" I told him that it would depend on the venue, but I have several potential candidates for the job. He's already seen a pic of the animal print ones in the pics to the right, so he knows my style, to which he said that he's "definitely in trouble..." Oh, this is going to be fun (wink).

So, now we have 30 days to continue to get to know each other before I move out there. We could only cover so much in a 2 hour call, so we've still got plenty to talk about. That means 30 days to continue to text, talk, flirt (oh definitely) and build the excitement. All that, plus a kick-ass pair of heels will make for a great first date (oh, get your minds out of the gutter...) Remember that I'm looking for love and happiness here, so what I want is a great start to a great relationship (although a little sassiness wouldn't hurt!)

As for the house hunting, I'm happy to report that I did find a beautiful 3-bedroom, 2- bath house with a cute little pool that will cost EXACTLY the same as my "more than a 1-bedroom but less than a 2-bedroom" apartment. I will be "close, yet not on top of" my parents, so it will be easy to get back and forth. Plus, it's close to main roads that will make a trip to see M-Daddy very easy (he will be a few cities south, but still an easy commute). And, most importantly, it met my requirements of a big master closet (lots of room for shoes), a big master bathroom ('cause I'm a girl and I like that) and a nice kitchen (so I can continue to maintain the illusion that I cook better than I actually do).

The new landlords for my house are nice - in fact, they're one of the main reasons I chose the place. Plus, they're stable and own several rental properties (a very good thing). I saw 9 properties in two days and had a nice collection of applications going. When I was looking at their house, this was the application process:

Me: If I'm interested, do you charge an application fee?

Her: Well, let me ask you this... Do you pay your rent on time?

Me: Yes.

Her: You're approved.

It doesn't get any easier than that, huh? I signed the lease yesterday... they're holding the property until my Oct 1st move date and will take care of anything that needs to be done once the current tenant finishes moving out. Oh, and lawn care and pool maintenance is part of the rent, so I don't have to worry about that at all (sweet!) All I have to do is sit back and enjoy myself!

I texted M-Daddy to tell him that I signed the lease on the house, he asked if I'd signed a lease on a guy yet (because he pointed out that I was shopping for a house AND a guy on this trip). I told him "not yet, but I've got a really good possibility in the works!" Let’s hope the lease terms are acceptable and I'll be ready to sign on the dotted line... In about 30 days. ;)