Scenes from a rented townhouse.

The scene out my living room window nearly brought tears to my eyes.

So much has happened in a week's time. We made an offer on a single family house and it was accepted.

If you've ever been through the home-buying process you'll know that the phrase accepted offer can at once bring on feelings of pure joy and crippling nausea.

There's so much to do: home inspection, appraisal, planning the move -- it's a little overwhelming.

But one task is the scariest in a point-of-no-return kind of way: notifying the landlord.

It's scary as hell to tell the landlord you're leaving (and to rent your place to someone else) when you don't have the keys to the new house in your hands yet.

For us, we'll close on the house around May 8 (exact date TBD) and move around the 16th, giving us two weeks to get settled in the new place and still clean the old place properly.

Since I moved in 3 1/2 years ago, my landlord never presented me with a lease. He never even discussed if this was a month-to-month or year-long commitment. So, when Mark and I first discussed our plan to marry and move out, out of courtesy to my landlord, I let him know. He knew we're getting married and nodded when I told him we'd be buying our own place soon.

But yesterday, when I told him the news, there was shock and surprise. He acted hurt and angry, reminding me more of a breakup than a business transaction.

Despite the fact that I gave him nearly 60 days (I'm legally required to give 28), he chastised me for catching him off guard and leaving him in a lurch.

How could I do this to him?

Why couldn't I give him more time?

And then he grumbled under his breath,

I should've had you sign a year lease a long time ago.

He hung up on me and then called me back - twice. It was downright pathetic.

I, on the other hand, kept as cool and calm as possible. With Mark by my side, I reminded him that I was within my legal rights and, having been a landlord for 6 years myself, knew what it was like on both ends of the transaction. I also pointed out that spring is the best time of year to rent a property and that a place this great (yeah, I was stroking his ego) would go in a snap.

Sounding more like a jilted lover than a landlord, he said, I hope you two will be very happy together, and then hung up on me again.

An hour later, he was in the front yard, raking and looking forlorn. He reminded me of John Cusack in Say Anything holding his boom box over his head, standing in the rain.

Eventually, he went away. And left behind a sign:

FOR RENT

This move can't come too soon.