My first lease

This afternoon, I signed my first lease to live in an apartment near campus next year. And it was one of the most rewarding feelings ever.

My friends and I have been seeking housing since I got to Mizzou in August for recruitment, and I probably have about five Columbia, Mo. landlords saved in my phone. I spent most Thursday afternoons this semester calling landlords, getting the addresses of all of their properties, driving by and taking pictures, to soon be disappointed that all of those properties were getting renewed by their current tenants. I was incredibly competitive with the process, and the one morning we had a solid option of touring two homes, the better one got signed just a few hours before we went to look at them. There were many letdowns.

The notion of the difficulty of feeling satisfied when you have done such extensive research definitely held true in this case, as the expectations and standards were set very high with each place we found. And where did we end up signing? A beautiful, new apartment that is fully furnished. And next door to our best friends. None of us have really settled and everyone seems to be happy with the decision. It's new, close to downtown and close to the J-School (where the majority of our classes are). What more could we ask?

The best part about it: we're living with our best friends. We have all worked hard for the past few years for this moment. Freshman year, all of my friends were in the same hallway- the 5th floor of Mark Twain. Let's face it- the majority of my Mizzou friends happen to be journalism majors, and my dorm friends are all very close. We have other friends, but our Twain relationship is on a different level. We kept our rooms unlocked and essentially lived in the others' rooms. We maintained these friendships the past three semesters, even we stopped living together. Various visits to each other, text messages, long phone calls, Skype dates, walks around campus and crowding into each other's double rooms kept us needing each other...but still loving each other. To me, moving in the same apartment with three of my best friends and next door to two more symbolizes the effort we will have put into the past three years of college before living there.

Signing the lease was like receiving a prize- you win! You no longer need to track each other down! You'll all be here...ALL the time...when you're not at the J-School! It will no longer take countless phone calls, dining hall meals or extraneous difficulties see the other for more than five minutes! It's about time...we deserve it. Needless to say, I'm unbelievably excited for August 14 when I move into my new apartment with some of my favorite people at Mizzou!