I spent about five hours washing dishes by hand and getting my hands so dry that they resembled tree bark before it dawned on me that this is why rubber gloves were invented. Oh, wait. I thought that was why DISHWASHERS were invented. But our new apartment doesn’t have one. Instead of getting angry, I’m just going to assume that God wants me to learn a lesson in discipline. Thanks, God.

No, really. I am thankful for the new place and all of its quirkiness. Ok, maybe I’m not so thankful that the toilet tank wobbles precariously, or that I hold my breath every time I flush the toilet because the flush is so weak it looks like it might clog from a single sheet of toilet paper. But besides that…

The place is great. I do kind of love that you can tell it was built by the Army Corps of Engineers. (The cabinets are metal and have tons of hooks and hangers and slots to adjust the shelves. ) The hardwood floors are gorgeous. The windows are large and let in a lot of light in the evening. The blinds actually close when you turn the wand. (You had to “rake” them to close them at Matt’s studio.) And perhaps best of all: the location. OH MY GOODNESS. I think we hit the jackpot.

For me, one of the most dismaying things about moving to Seattle was the lack of grass and space around the buildings. Sure, there’s a park here and there, but mostly everything seems so scrunched up that you can hardly breathe. Our apartments were the first ones we came across where there was actually grass all around. Not a half mile away. Not even down the block. All the way around! And get this: there is a PARK ACROSS THE STREET. Including a GARDEN. I might faint from happiness.

I truly can’t imagine a better location for Matt and I to start out.  We are  itching to start decorating the apartment, which seems so empty with only the furniture from Matt’s studio. We definitely need to go to IKEA soon to get some essentials. A couch and a dresser are at the top of the list. We’ll also need to get another bookshelf to house all of my books. And a coffee table would be great, since we plan on having guests over as much as we can.

In only two months it will be time for me to settle into Seattle. Here’s to a new life…