My Next Place

I recently wrote about how cramped our current apartment is. Even though I enjoy living here & am grateful to have found this spot, I can’t help but think about what I want in our next apartment. Ideally, I’d like to rent a house, but it seems like that’s harder to do for us with our dogs (not many people are willing to accept two puppies, especially since one weighs over 65 pounds). Our lease doesn't end until March 2016, so we have plenty of time to find a new place to call home. 

Here’s what is on my wish list for the next place we call home:

A Yard. This would probably only happen if we ended up in a house. Not many apartments in Houston have yards. Shit, some of them don't even have balconies. My dogs love going to my parents' house on the weekend to run and play in their yard. It's amazing how much energy they get out, and how great they sleep! Growing up in an apartment isn't an ideal life for puppies, but we take them to the dog parks, my parents' house, and also on walks as often as we can. I just want them to have their own yard.. so all I have to do is open the door and they have freedom to play. 

A Dog Park.  If we don't end up in a house, an apartment with a dog park would be ideal! There is one just down the street from where we live that has a dog park. We didn't even look at that complex when we were looking for places to rent. It's pretty much the only one on the street that we didn't tour. At least we know for next year.

Two Bedrooms. Besides the lack of storage, our place is plenty big for us. But there are certain things I don't like -- like the two huge dog crates in our living room! They take up sooo much room, and we always have to design around them. I would love to have a two bedroom apartment so that we can set up an office and the dog crates in the spare room.

A Bigger Kitchen. We spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I know it's rare for an apartment to have a decent sized kitchen, but I can dream.  I’m not too picky. I just want enough cabinets and counter space.