house hunt...

jennie hacking into mom's blog :)

so we made it to puerto rico (my suitcase took a longer route, but finally made it today. yay!) perhaps a bit battered from our long day of traveling, but we made it. of course the visit is really business oriented: find mom and dad a place they can comfortably live for (at least) the next year.

mission accomplished!

yesterday we spent what felt like the whole day looking at possibilities, and we narrowed it down to two choices, but as mom talked them over with dad and evaluated her responses to both she decided to go with a house that was fully furnished (which will take a great deal of stress out of the preparation process) and in (or at least very very near) the town of isabela where dad's company is based.

it really is a lovely place, and completely ready for them to simply move in!

the front of the house was ok. not great, but the second you walk in... air conditioning!!! there is always a breeze blowing here, but it is rather warm. electricity bills can get high here, and the locals are accustomed to the temperatures, so a/c units are not common.


the living room is bright and airy, and very nicely furnished (this was taken while standing in the kitchen).



















the kitchen isn't large, but there is an island which gives lots more counter and storage space. plus, the open floor plan opens everything up nicely.

it's extremely unusual for private residences to have dishwashers. extra bonus!

nice big master bedroom, with a king size bed and still lots of room. (picture taken from master bath doorway)




master bathroom. (anyone know how to use the second toilet/foot wash?)

We're off to see the.....

The company that Marlow will be working for in PR, pays for a house hunting trip. Since Marlow is otherwise occupied til the middle of August, and we need to be down there the end of August, it was causing great stress.

One day I was wondering if Marlow had to go????? He consulted the company and he does not, so Jennie was able to get a few days off from work, and so Jennie and I are off to Puerto Rico.

It is a horrible flight schedule, but we wanted to fly into Aguadilla, not San Juan. We leave from Huntsville about 1, fly to Charlotte, NC. Then we go on to Newark, and then fly to Aguadilla arriving at 12:30 am. Yuck yuck!!!!! At least doing that I can go with Jen. There is NO way I would try driving from San Juan.

I have been working with a real estate agent in Isabela, and hopefully we can find what we need in the price range we would like to keep it. We have talked to several church members there, and I will give them a call for their suggestions. I think we might be shown the high end stuff, and I would like to know options. The branch members have been SO wonderful and helpful. That is one aspect of moving that is awesome, a ready made family. Brother Luis even offered to come pick us up at the airport if the rental car place was closed that late. Very touching. I talked to the RS pres, and she has a spare room she wanted us to stay in.

Jennie hopes that we find something the first day so we can veg on the beach the rest of the week. I put her in charge of where to eat, and what to do. She has been combing the internet for listings in that area. It will be fun to spend time with her. I tasked her with keeping me focused as we see the differant places.

I'll let ya'll know what we find.