Sneak Peek

We went for a drive yesterday and drove to where we will be living for the next three years. As it turns out, the cleaning lady hired by Housing to clean it up before we take possession at the end of the week was there and she allowed us a sneak peek!!
 
It is a corner unit in a row of townhouses--so we have a back and side yard which total is slightly larger than all the other yards. On the opposite end of the building is another building for the garages--so we have an unattached garage! Great for storing Daddy's motorcycle, the girls' bikes and other outdoor items.
 
Upon entering our new abode just beyond the front door, there is a full bath (with a shower) immediately to the right--then straight ahead is the door into the house. If you continue walking straight there will be stairs going up on the right and straight ahead is the living area which is a living/dining room combined area. If you had chosen to turn right instead of going straight, you will be in a small hallway with an opening for coats and shoes (no door on the "hall closet") and then on to the kitchen. It is a small kitchen but is complete with an American style dishwasher, oven/stove and frig.
 
Why is it necessary for me to specify American style? Well, if it were German style, it would be a tight squeeze to fit a 9*13" pan into the oven--and for fridgerators--the German ones tend to be as tall or shorter than my 7 year old and only a teeny tiny little compartment for the freezer. While the frig. in our new place is shorter than I am (I am 5'6") it will be plentiful for us. And as for the dishwasher, Germans rarely have dishwashers (as in the appliance) so I am very thankful for a dishwasher!
 
Near the kitchen are stairs going down, but let us return to a description of the upstairs first!
 
There are wardrobes in each of the bedrooms since closets are an American thing. At the top of the stairs, the room to the right is the master bedroom. We know it is the master bedroom because of the extra large wardrobe in it--it will be interesting to see if just our queen size bed will fit in here. There is a loaner double bed in the room and it with the wardrobe pretty much fills the room. Across from this room will be the Baby Princess' room--she will be upgraded to the bottom bunk of a set of bunk beds when our household goods arrive and her room has a wardrobe in it as well. Down the hall will be the Hawaiian Princess and the Racing Princess' room--they will share a set of bunk beds and already have a wardrobe in their room. Both of the girls' rooms have a door to the balcony--however, yes the door can be locked and when the lock is pushed in, it can only be open with a key!! 
 
Did I mention that these rooms have vaulted ceilings? The way the ceiling is, it is much higher in the girls' rooms than the master, but since they will both have bunk beds in them, that is for the best.
 
Across from the Hawaiian Princess and Racing Princess' room is the bath. It is a very large bathroom--2 sinks, a tub and separate shower stall along with a toilet.
 
Now for the basement--under the stairs in the basement is a space for storage that can be closed off with the door. One accesses this storage area through the laundry room--a pretty good sized room to boot. There is also a room for the furnace and water heater that is like a small walk in closet--so some storage could happen here as well. There is also a large room in the basement which will become our school/toy/guest room--we just have to figure out how to arrange things. But of course we have to wait until our things arrive to do that.
 
As I mentioned before, the bedrooms are very small--so I am very thankful that there is a basement!
 
I am choosing not to share pictures right now since it has loaner furniture--when we get in and slightly settled we will take pictures and post them. We have not yet been able to arrange for internet and phone in our new place, we are hoping to get that done soon, but it is possible that we could be without internet for a short bit until that all gets arranged.