Leaving our Suitcases Behind

This week Kevin and I went to check out the place that will most likely be our first home. (Sadly, we forgot to bring a camera. Who does that?) We heard about the Providence Mission Homes from another China couple who had lived there while in the States. The apartments are open to people who have been working overseas and are back in the States for a short period of time – anywhere from 2 months to 2 years. The rent is about 60% of other apartments in the area, and it includes utilities. So it seemed like a pretty good option!

The apartment complex is in a quiet, residential area on the east side of Pasadena, just under the mountains. Conveniently close by are a grocery store (one block), a bus stop (right across the street) and the church we will probably attend (a short walk away). Plus, we would be about 15 minutes away from the Brennans, my teammates from China, whom I happen to like a lot. Did I mention that they’ll be having baby #2 in October?

The director told us the apartments were fully furnished, a big plus since we don’t have our own furniture, and he really meant it! The apartments are equipped with all the standard furniture for the living room, kitchen/dining, and bedroom. It may not be the newest or most fashionable, but it isn’t ratty either. The kitchen is already stocked with a microwave, toaster, and coffee maker, even dishes and silverware! We were pretty excited to see a dishwasher as well. We’ll have a dishwasher. I thought it would be quite a while before we moved that far up in the world. They have linens for the bed, hangers in the closet, a vacuum for the carpet, and (quite exciting) wireless internet throughout the complex! I am really amazed. We will probably still get a few of our own things (I get excited about things like plates, kitchen gadgets, and matching throw pillows), but we should be well taken care of.

Oh, and there is an apartment available two days after we come back from our honeymoon. So we would be moving into our first home exactly one year after we started dating. It seems appropriate. I am really, really, really looking forward to having our own place to live. Just two more months and we’ll be filling our drawers and storing our suitcases.