We are renting a duplex while we take our time house hunting. We actually viewed this place once when we were in town trying to find a home but I hardly looked at it because I was thinking, "NOT living here!" Well, when there's only one available place to rent.... Moving day was amazing in that there were so many church people here to help us unload (and they brought lunch)! The apartment, however, leaves a bit to be desired. It is too small for our things so most of our boxes are not unpacked and we're storing things at other people's houses. The place is dark and dingy...my mother-in-law came out of the bathroom and informed me I wouldn't want to look in the toilet. When we had the water turned on we found out that the shut-off valve for the washing machine hook-up was broken and we ended up with water spraying all over the carpeted floor--Jonathan spent 2 hours wet/dry vacuuming so the carpet wouldn't mold while I cried. That night we realized the train tracks run along the back of our house and since the railroad crossing is just down the street, the conductors blow the whistle every time they pass. We can hear every chug-a-lug and toot-toot not to mention the vibration of the apartment. There is baseboard heating that makes a knocking noise in our bedroom. I think I've slept through the night ONCE since we moved in.
My dreams have been infiltrated by the new sounds in our lives. One night I dreamed someone was knocking very fast at a steady rhythm on our door only to wake up and realize it was the heating system kicking on again. Another night I dreamed I was in a high speed chase on the interstate. There was a cop car chasing me and another small sports car driving along side me with 2 guys trying to help: Mohinder Suresh and Hiro Nakamora from "Heroes." They were sitting on their car doors pointing guns at my chasers. That's when I noticed my getaway vehicle was a train. It had 2 cars and was flying down the interstate, whistle blowing.
We have to have a sense of humor in this place! We laugh about the fact that our address is 109 R and our neighbor's is 109 L. (for "right" and "left") Things are looking better now than on moving day. My mom came down and helped us paint the living room and kitchen--here we are warming up after having the windows open to paint all day. We are also grateful for Jonathan's grandparents' small kitchen table they ate breakfast at daily. It's the only thing that fits in our eating space!
