Update...

Well I have good news. But I don't put too much into these things until I sign contracts because until you sign a piece of paper nothing can be guaranteed, right? But it looks like the landlord of the house we looked at wants to take us for pizza tomorrow to talk more about the place. He liked us, we really liked him, and felt an instant "connection" with him. I can't explain it. We looked at many apartments, some I'd not even bothered to blog here about because they weren't worth discussing, and we felt this "connection" with no other apartment or landlord. Our last home in New Hampshire was one that we rented for 6 years and we were very close to our landlord and his wife. We had dinner with them, they'd watch the house while we were in Germany for several months at a time, and when we arrived back at home they had a casserole waiting on our counter, hot, to greet us after our long flight. We really cared deeply for them and they for us. In fact, they still send us emails and want to know how we are. It's very sweet. To develop a solid landlord-tenant relationship is vital to us because we may never buy a "real" home. I come from a family of home owners so it's not learned behavior by any means... I guess I'm just not ready in my heart yet to settle down in one home. There is a beautiful house in a nearby town that a friend will put on the market soon, and I've entertained the idea of buying it, but I still feel inclined to stay in Hannover because truth is, I really love it here and I want to stay. I have so many plans for my business, and to even help other small business owners locally, so I really need to be here to accomplish all of that. And of course my husband and his family, back several generations, are all from Hannover. In fact, one of his relatives was a teacher for the king's court in Hannover way back when this was a kingdom, so there is a feeling of family and roots for us. And though some are quick to complain about this city, I am quick to say that I believe in what is here, the people living here, and my ability to do some of my own positive things to improve things -- even if only the exposure of art and design, that is enough for me. So pizza and beer tomorrow with who could be our future landlord. I think this is fine start. I'll keep you posted...