So we moved again...

When we arrived here in the UK at the end of June, there was little on the rental market that fit our location-size-price parameters.  We were staying in an AirBnB with rapidly dwindling days left, so finding the big house right next to the park seemed like a God-send.  

And it was!  

Our leasing agent moved mountains to get us into the house before we would be forced to squeeze ourselves and our 20 bags of possessions into a tiny hotel room.

We had nice neighbors and the kids loved the freedom to go to the playground on their own occasionally.  The home was big; it had 4 bedrooms, 2 of which were giant, and 3.5 baths.  It was 120 years old and in fantastic condition.

But we were paying for all that, and spending lots of money on a big house is not the reason we came here.  We could've stayed in our house in the US if that was all we wanted.

A clause in our lease allowed us to end our contract without penalty after 6 months, so we started checking the rental market listings.  Not long into our search, a home just down the street became available.  I mean, it's maybe a 2 minute stroll.  

We are still very close to the park/playground and I even still go parking spot hunting in all the same places.

When we originally saw the listing, it only mentioned one bathroom.  "One bathroom?! Come on, we always have at least 5 people here" I thought.

So we looked at some modern apartments in the same price range.  

They were fine.

They ticked every box we wanted AND EVEN INCLUDED PARKING SPOTS.

But the boring brick apartment building never felt quite right.  It had no charm... I just wasn't excited about it at all.

When we found out we wouldn't be able to use our grill, we turned away and never looked back. 

I was really relieved because sometimes it's hard to say "No" to my practical side.

At this point there still weren't many homes we were considering, so at the urging of our leasing agent we agreed to see the home we eventually chose.

Is it smaller? Yes. 

But it feels much more like a typical English home.  

It has 3 bedrooms and a converted (finished, livable) cellar that is used as our guest room.  

(The third floor bedroom is perfectly set up for the big kids to share.)

And 1 and a half bathrooms! 

Let me tell ya, that half makes all the difference.

But yes, that means we all share one shower.  Only one shower to clean, though.

And possibly the best part is that the rent is over a third less than our last home.  That's some major travel fund savings right there!

I can't wait to show you the quirks of this house.  There are some interesting features, for sure.

Okay, it is 11 pm here and the morning waits for no one.

And I want to be first to get in the bathroom.