Mr. Smith has received his next work assignment, so we now know where we are headed.  Like the swallows to Capistrano, we’ll be returning to the Wilkes Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania area for the foreseeable future and need to find a new nest.  We don’t believe we will be here long term, so we are looking to rent. Let the hunt for housing begin!  

We lived in this area a few years ago and are all too familiar with the challenge of finding a property that will check all our boxes.  We’ve done some looking online and have recruited a couple of friends in the area to be on the lookout for us.

My friend, Mary Louise, put us on the trail to some new apartments atop a historic building just off a square in Wilkes Barre.  The top floors have been remodeled into sleek apartments with great views of the city lights and the Susquehanna River.

Last Sunday Mr. Smith and I took a drive down to view one of the apartments.  We were both pleased to see positive changes in the area including the addition of several new apartments, a salon/spa, and a restaurant. Perhaps not a true renaissance, but in the three years we’ve been gone, certainly a giant step in the right direction.

When we went to view the apartment we were interested in, I was taken aback as I thought the apartment was vacant.  Not only was it not vacant, the current tenants were in the process of packing to move and there were boxes and stuff EVERYWHERE!  It was very difficult to get a real feel for the space and how it would fit our life.  While it did have the most lovely master bath with a great soaking tub, I did have some concerns about the size of the kitchen.  I want Mr. Smith to have all the space he needs when he’s making me my delicious meals.

Driving home from that visit, I had a bit of a Gift of the Magi moment.  I expressed my concern about the kitchen and Mr. Smith replied, “But I want you to have that bathtub!” His being willing to accept a small kitchen so I could have a fabulous bathroom may not be quite the same as selling his gold watch to buy me hair combs, but it certainly melted my heart.

We haven’t ruled out the love nest in the sky but are continuing to look.  Our home environment is important to both of us.  My dad had a very utilitarian approach to his surroundings and was of the mindset “If you don’t want me to use something, you’d better hang it on the wall.”  Not so for Mr. Smith and me.  We love our pottery, candles, books, photographs, etc.  In fact, in talking about the next move and what will or will not make the cut, Mr. Smith stated that he will not get rid of any art!

Moving brings up all sorts of feelings from excitement to dread.  We have moved enough to know the amount of work involved.  I feel like every time we move, we purge more “stuff”. I hope our children are appropriately appreciative that we won’t be leaving decades and decades of possessions for them to have to deal with after Mr. Smith and I bite the dust.  But there’s also the excitement of new beginnings. Getting to decorate our new surroundings. Finding our favorite place for coffee, a drink with friends, or a cozy dinner.

Having survived forty years of marriage, kids and grandkids and all that it entails, I’m sure we’ll survive another move in fine fashion.  During our previous time in Wilkes Barre we lived in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment for seven years.  And we are still married.

C’est la vie