The Last Three Years (Reader's Digest Condensed Version)

It hadn't occurred to me that their might be people who don't follow any of my other social media spots and have no idea what's been going on. So as not to bore those of you who have heard this story, I'll be (kind of) brief ... 

(via The Jewelry Lady - who remembers these?)

SEPTEMBER 2014 - Mike and I move to Not Podunk to be closer to his job (which was in a rapid growth mode) and ... well? To get out of Podunk!

DECEMBER 2014 - I quit my job of 6 years that was located in Podunk, accepting a position much closer to Not Podunk. It even came with a pay raise.

*Life goes on merrily for a year*

DECEMBER 2015 - My position with the new employer in Not Podunk is eliminated due to company sale/acquisition. As it turned out, within 6 months, everyone's positions were eliminated.

FEBRUARY 2016 - I accept an accounting manager position with one of the companies involved in the purchase/acquisition of my Not Podunk employer. I am a virtual employee, as are all other employees of the company. We have no brick and mortar building. Mike's career continues to soar.

APRIL 2016 - Mike's boss learns he is being transferred to Oregon. Mike and I agree that we will relocate to Oregon as well as it seems to be a great career move. My job allows me to live anywhere, so it really makes sense.

MAY 2016 - Plans change. Mike's boss is now relocating to Las Vegas for a different opportunity within the same company. Mike is able to get his transfer changed to Las Vegas as well.

JUNE 2016 - Welcome to Las Vegas!

AUGUST 2016 - Cam moves to Las Vegas due to his life falling apart in Podunk. He moves in with my mom as there are "tensions" between he and Mike and I. At the time I thought Mike was supportive of the move. I would later learn he was not.

*Timeline gets a little wonky - way too much happening*

JANUARY 2017 - Mike and I seem to be doing less and less together. His interests in Las Vegas are very different than mine. There is a major betrayal in the relationship. He starts going out after work more often than he comes home - easy to do when you live in the city that never sleeps. I start withdrawing from life, seldom leaving the house and feeling very depressed and isolated. 

FEBRUARY(?) 2017 - There is a major shakeup in leadership within the company Mike is working for. It eventually leads to Mike's Boss leaving the company. Things with Mike's employer get extremely dicey, but he manages to trudge through relatively unscathed. That said, he is not happy at work.

MAY 2017 - My relationship with Mike continues to deteriorate. I seldom see him, and he seems perfectly fine with that. There is a second betrayal in the relationship, identical to the one that happened (and I thought was resolved) in January. I give Mike an ultimatum - some things need to drastically change in order for us to renew the lease in July. Knowing what I know now, the relationship was already over at this point. I thought we had just hit a rough patch - that Mike and I would work through it - that he loved me enough.

JULY 2017 - We decide to renew the lease. Mike will only agree to a three-month extension. I didn't see that coming, although I should have. Mike was unhappy at work and at home. I had basically quit life and was miserable as well. It becomes very evident that our relationship is in BIG trouble. I am still oblivious hopeful we will work through it.

SEPTEMBER 2017 - Things with Mike and I come to an abrupt end. He tells me he's been unhappy in the relationship for 5 years (we had been together 6 years). He listed all of the reasons I was at fault - it was a long list. Obviously there will be no working on the relationship. Mike starts acting really odd.

OCTOBER 2017 - Although I know the relationship is over, I am quite worried about Mike. His behaviors (or at least what he was telling me he was doing) were disconcerting. I reached out to a few of his friends. Later, when I discovered bits and pieces of the truth, I would feel like an idiot for being concerned, however my life for the past year would begin to make sense.

~*~*~

And that? That is how I ended up (and stayed) in Las Vegas.

I'm Going To Make This Place Your Home

Photo Credit

What in the world has happened to the apartment rental process??

It used to be that you bought a Sunday paper, scoured the classified ads, made a few calls, looked at a few places, put down a deposit, then moved in *GET OFF MY LAWN*.

Shoot! When I moved into this apartment in Podunk, I wasn't even required to sign a lease!

Now? It's gotten complicated.

Mike and I have been looking for a new place to live for about a week now. The area we are hoping to move to has a large selection of rental options. I guess that's what happens when you decide to move to a true suburb of Chicago with a population of 70,000+. This should be an easy process, but here's the rub ...

Most of the rentals are "condos". The buildings were originally apartment complexes, but during the housing boom of the 1990s and 2000s, when everyone decided they had a right to be a homeowner, the apartment complexes were converted to condos. When the housing bubble burst and homeowners started defaulting on loans, real estate agents picked up most of these for very little money. Now, most of these rentals are listed by real estate agents, not private parties, thus the rental process requires working with an agent.

Weird ...

Then there are the "traditional" apartment complexes, which are run more like hotels than apartments.

Rents are based on occupancy rate. If you happen to be looking for an apartment when there are several vacancies, your lease will require significantly less rent than if you need an apartment when the complex is full.

These places lure you in with low move-in fees ($175 surety deposit), but then when you add in the application fees (averaging $50 per person on the lease), and pet fees ($500 surety deposit + an extra $25-$50 in "pet rent" - yes, Scooter and Radar are coming with us), the cost to move in isn't really any less, and none of these move-in fees are refundable.

One complex we looked at also charged $5 per day for a visitor parking pass.

CRAZY!

Mike and I have put in an application for a bright, modern, 2-bedroom condo in a perfect location. We are waiting to hear if we've met their criteria (in addition to employment and rental history verification, FICO scores criminal background checks are part of the application process). We could be moving into our first home together in as little as 2 weeks.

*crosses fingers*