We Turned in Our Application!

September 6, 2017

Last week, in the midst of dealing with all the wildfire smoke we went out to look for apartments. We were only able to take a tour of two even though we stopped by at least six different buildings.

We had our first appointment to look at an apartment last Wednesday at 1:00pm. We met at the property manager’s office only to find that the apartment complex didn’t allow pets. I don’t know how we missed that. Luckily, she had another building to show us which wasn’t even on our list.

I think it might have been providential because this building ended up feeling really good to me. It was only three years old and didn’t have any history of water damage. I didn’t react at all while I was in the apartment. We left with high hopes. Even if none of the other options work out at least this first one has potential.

On Saturday we visited the second place and it was not so good. I didn’t have a serious reaction but I definitely started to feel some throat irritation. It was easy to scratch that one off of our list.

We called a few other apartment complexes but no doors seemed to be opening. Then everything went crazy with the wildfire smoke and we were forced to leave the Rapid City area. As we were fleeing our minds kept coming back to that first apartment we visited. We both agreed that we should go see it again and put in an application.

So, yesterday morning we filled out our applications and drove back to Rapid City to see the apartment one more time. Thankfully, the smoke cleared out a lot and the air feels much better now.

This time I was more thorough and checked everything in the apartment. I got down on the floor and took a deep breath from the carpet. I sniffed the refrigerator and opened all the cabinets. It all felt fine. The washing machine felt good too. Thankfully it’s a top loader. Front loaders are notorious for mold problems.

Only the dishwasher felt a little iffy when I opened it but dishwashers are such a big risk for mold growth that I don’t think we’d want to use it anyway. It felt fine when it was closed. I gave Brett a big thumbs up and told him we should go ahead and hand in our application. So we did!

We’re asking to start with a month to month lease so we can be sure that it’s going to be safe for me before we sign a longer lease. I’m so excited and nervous and excited and nervous! We really, really want it to work out. Trying not to get our hopes up is pretty futile at this point. We’ve been to a hotel. We know what civilization is like. πŸ˜‰


By the way, Brett and I made a beautiful PDF of my favorite resources for suffering souls. I created the content and he made it look fancy with his superduper graphic design skills. It’s available for free to my email subscribers. Click here to sign up and receive 5 Resources for the Suffering Soul.

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32 Comments

  • Nanette Fenn

    Oh, wow! It sounds so good. Such a great picture of you two. I see much sun ( tanning ) on your faces from life in the sun. I just finished Julie Rehmeyer’s book and I couldn’t help but think of her process of “testing” like you did. I hope it works! I hope it works! I hope it works! πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

    September 6, 2017 at 3:54 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Aww! Thank you so much Nanette! I’m glad you were able to read Julie’s book. 😊

      September 6, 2017 at 9:10 pm Reply
  • Maiysa

    Ana, So glad to hear you will be getting an apartment. I have my non toxic condo in Rapid as well, but I had to head back to Nevada as I kept ending up in the ER and after the ambulance came a knocking, I figured I better hang it up for the summer. Boohoo. Plus I was staying by myself, very scary, so my husband aka Knight in Shining Armor came to rescue me. I don’t know if it was the smoke or what, but I had a terrible time, worse than I have ever had. Although at this time in Rapid, I do react severely to the mixture of ragweed and sage( I keep track on pollen.com and it’s high there right now. ) I hope you fair better than I did. I keep thinking I need to stay there in the winter but my brother insists the smoke from the fireplaces in the winter is awful. But I am reacting to everything here in Las Vegas right now too-same ragweed and sage that’s in Rapid. I am hoping you can do well there. God Bless. Tommi

    September 6, 2017 at 5:24 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so much Tommi! I’m sorry to hear of everything you’ve been going through. That’s so hard! I hope you start to do better soon. πŸ’•

      September 6, 2017 at 9:11 pm Reply
  • Natalie Julson

    YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! this is soooooooooo exciting! I was just praying this afternoon that you guys would be able to find an apartment soon. Praying for you guys continually

    September 6, 2017 at 5:26 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Oh! Thank you so much Natalie! That’s so sweet of you! I’m so anxious to here back from them.

      September 6, 2017 at 9:12 pm Reply
  • Hannah Maynard Bartlett

    Praying that this place works out for you!

    September 6, 2017 at 5:29 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so so much Hannah!

      September 6, 2017 at 9:12 pm Reply
  • Lizbeth

    Ahhh!!! That is SO awesome!!!! I’m praying this works out for you!

    September 6, 2017 at 5:57 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you very much Lizbeth! 😊

      September 6, 2017 at 9:20 pm Reply
  • Lisa

    Wow!!! What a great step!! Congratulations either way!! πŸ™‚

    September 6, 2017 at 6:03 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thanks Lisa! It’s amazing how far I’ve come!

      September 6, 2017 at 9:20 pm Reply
      • Lisa

        It surely is, Ana. Such a blessing, such a miracle!!!

        September 8, 2017 at 3:45 pm Reply
  • Cindy

    Yay too! I have not been following lately but hope I can catch up soon.
    What an absolutely beautiful picture! God bless.
    Is there a summary post I coul read that will help me catch up?
    Life keeps getting in the way but I was glad to see this post! Congrats!
    If you guys are ever in Roanoke, VA. Holler. It is beautiful here and I can breathe!
    Hidden gem. Came in 1988 and still here. From Louisville but if I stay 2 weeks the Ohio Valley air gets to me. This is also a river valley but small. Becoming an outdoor recreation destination. Can you do forests? Or is there too much mold? We also have the Appalachian Trail.

    September 6, 2017 at 6:16 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Aww… Thank you so much Cindy. There isn’t one summary post but if you go to the table of contents under “Start Here” you can see what you missed.

      Thank you for your kind offer! πŸ’•I can do pristine forests. I only have trouble with toxic mold at this point.

      September 6, 2017 at 9:22 pm Reply
  • Chris Barratt

    Whoo hoo!! Great news!! Huge progress!! I’m so excited. Just imagine! Living in a real place with furniture and everything. Pretty hard to think about eh? But God is good and I pray He keeps giving you wisdom and guidance!! Oh, and by the way, I totally agree on the front loaders!! I want to ditch mine. I’m continually having to clean it and I try to keep it aired out. I’ve had to use bleach once and I hate chemicals. I’m testing it all the time to make sure it’s not musty. But I’d never get another and if this one gets worse we’re gonna get a top loader. I don`t think they thought the whole thing through before they invented them, because they’re a terribly bad idea!! And we don`t use our dishwasher either for the same reason. Mold!! It’s a pesky beast!! Still praying for you Ana!! Everyday!!

    September 6, 2017 at 8:26 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      I know! I can’t wait! 😊😊😊😊

      Yeah, front loaders are just such a bad idea… I’m glad you’re keeping yours clean.

      September 6, 2017 at 9:23 pm Reply
  • Alyssa H.

    Hurray! I’m so happy for y’all!

    September 7, 2017 at 7:11 am Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so much Alyssa!

      September 7, 2017 at 5:01 pm Reply
  • Koryn

    That’s so great Ana! I’m really happy for you. (That’s a really sweet picture by the way πŸ™‚ )

    September 7, 2017 at 7:40 am Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Aww… Thank you Koryn! 😊

      September 7, 2017 at 5:02 pm Reply
  • Charis Rae

    Praise God! I’m so glad you haven’t reacted and have found a permanent home! πŸ˜€ πŸ’•

    September 7, 2017 at 8:52 am Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Well… almost! We’re still waiting to get approved. πŸ™‚

      September 7, 2017 at 5:02 pm Reply
      • Charis Rae

        Good luck! Prayers comin’ your way. πŸ™‚

        September 8, 2017 at 9:52 am Reply
  • Ellie Peetz

    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m So happy for you!!!! (Can I tell the people on YWW?)

    September 7, 2017 at 4:02 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      😊 Go for it Ellie! We would appreciate prayers that we get approved quickly and that it all works out. πŸ’•

      September 7, 2017 at 5:04 pm Reply
      • Ellie

        Thanks! I am praying for y’all always! I’m still so happy for you! I am praying that you get the apartment!

        September 7, 2017 at 8:54 pm Reply
  • Jen

    This is such exciting news!!! Praying it works out for you! I understand the difficulty of finding a tolerable place to live. I’ve moved more times than I can even count because of mold, smokers move in next door/upstairs, etc, and need to move yet again. I’m looking at an apartment tomorrow for the second time and may be applying for a short term lease too. I really hope the apartment works well for you! It will be so nice to have a shower, kitchen, etc. But you’re right, it’s easy to take those things for granted here in the US.

    September 7, 2017 at 5:48 pm Reply
  • Lennae Warren

    Congratulations on such a big step!! I found this purifier tonight, and it made me think of you. Maybe it could help with keeping your apartment safe. https://molekule.com/#

    September 7, 2017 at 6:07 pm Reply
  • Ruth Meyer

    Awesome that the apartment passed the “sniff test”. I’m the bloodhound of my family, and the most sensitive to mold and other scents. πŸ˜€ Really hoping and praying this works out for you both, and you will finally have a place to roost.

    September 7, 2017 at 9:00 pm Reply
  • Hannah

    Oh Ana, how exciting!! I’ll be keeping you guys in my prayers!

    September 8, 2017 at 5:53 am Reply
  • Amarissa Weber

    This is amazing!! I’ll be praying it works out!!!

    September 8, 2017 at 9:23 am Reply
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