Putting Good Apartment Vibes out into Yamhill County

I've been feeling rather restless lately and as a result I have started looking for a new apartment. It's no secret that for the better part of six months I've been lusting after real estate. A place where I can plant things, paint the walls... have a proper dining room and an office... I am still a ways off from that, but I would like I place that feels more like "my place".  I think I am only being half serious about looking for a new place, because, lets face it, moving is not enjoyable... But when I moved into my current place almost a year ago it was a temporary solution... and now a year later I'm contemplating my options. There are actually quite a few things that I love about my current place... it is roomy, has a fantastic patio, a large bathroom... But it also has some oddities like indoor-outdoor carpet in the kitchen, a stove that is questionable... did I mention the indoor outdoor carpet in the kitchen?

Really if I could convince my landlord to let me paint, and put a garden out back, I could live with the carpet, but she is quite strict about the colors and what we can and cannot do as far as painting and altering the building... I don't entirely understand this, as it was very poorly painted when I moved in (yes I want to add some color, but it would look better and I wouldn't leave drips all over the window frames and baseboards!). Since I do really hate moving, and I don't have an overwhelming list of complaints, I am on the search for the perfect apartment... something in my price range, that is unique, and allows pets (I like to keep my options open)  because it would have to be perfect for me to start packing boxes and sorting through closets.

Though I have yet to find exactly what I am looking for, I am holding out hope. I have, in fact, lived in my dream apartment once before, and though circumstances wouldn't allow me to stay, that taste of quirky perfection has given me hope that I can find something similar once again. So I'm putting out good apartment vibes into the universe, and I'm seeing what happens.

My criteria are as follows:
Yamhill County... Yes I love Portland. But I am a country girl at heart, and I love love love the Willamette Valley... I am also employed in the Willamette Valley, and am not a morning person, and I hate commuting, so I'd rather not move away from work. That being said, I wouldn't mind being a tad bit closer to Portland.

No  apartment complexes. I understand that they are affordable and spacious, and come with things like dishwashers... All of these things are tempting, but I really hate the idea of being in a cookie-cutter lifestyle. I have nothing against complexes, or people who live in them, I've can't picture myself living in one right now. I think I could handle an apartment building... but really I'm hoping for an apartment in a house, or a loft... something unique.

Not more money than my currant apartment. If I'm going to move, I'd like it to be a good financial decision as well. I don't want to pay more than I'm paying right now (which is a shame, since I've found some stellar places just out of my price range)

I want a pet... Maybe not today, maybe not in the next 6 months... but I'm holding out hope that 2011 is the year that I finally get a bulldog... I don't want to be in a lease anywhere that cannot be flexible about that, or at least not open negotiating about a dog.

No Carpet in the Kitchen, plenty of storage space... extra super bonus points for a dishwasher (though it isn't required) and extra super-duper bonus points for a garbage disposal  (I like composting as much as the next person, but if you had seen the Tupperware full of what was once pasta that I pulled out of my fridge today you would understand the need for a garbage disposal. Somethings just need to go away, quickly and painlessly)

My last apartment had a yellow kitchen... it was cheery and wonderful, and I'd like it back... I'd be willing to break the rules now,and just paint everything back when I move out, but my kitchen has some serious seventies wall-paper (why is all the weird stuff in the kitchen?) I don't really need to paint the kitchen... but I do want to paint.

Really, I'm not asking for a lot here... something quirky, original, affordable... and different than what I have now.  (yes, I'm working on contentment, and living in the moment... but I'm also embracing change) Dear Universe, please hand me the classifieds.