Driving into Williamsport

After arriving to PA we had a pit stop at my mother-in-law for a overnight. Getting up very early to get on the road to my new home. Michael had the company car and I was driving my Honda. It takes 3 hours from Philly to Williamsport. The countryside was beautiful and the weather was glorious. I held it together until I saw the welcome sign to Williamsport and then I lost it. We pulled over at a lookout that over looked WPort and Michael hugged me and said that he thought I would be getting emotional, I guess he really knows me well.

Our first stop, my new home, the Marriott hotel. Second stop, italian food....pizza, good italian pizza that I missed so much. While living in TX we started not enjoying the pizza that was offered. Wport has the best italian that I've had in 15 years. Now we both love it again, which is dangerous. Actually we only had it once with we arrived so we're doing good. The hoagies are to die for. I know your probally salivating now, Mel.

Enough about food. Wport is a very lovely city that needs some TLC. It's so sad to see so many grand homes in such shambles. This city reminds me a little of W. Chester, but W. Chester is so much better. There are a lot of run down neighborhoods and lots of low income housing. There's 3 colleges in the area so alot of students and student housing. Mountains surround Wport on all sides and the Suswqhana River divides the city in half. If you like outdoor activities, Wport is the place to be. Lots of hiking, biking, rowing and outside activities everywhere. This area also has a ton of wineries :). Riding around the countryside there are lots of barns and covered bridges and tons of virgin land that is awesome!

Trying to find housing has been a challange. Newcomers have told me they think from their experiences that there is a conspiracy for housing from locals, especially people from Philly. Apparently a large population of people from Philly have settled in this area and since then there has been lots of crime and areas that aren't kept up. I think they mean people from the inter city. I have met other people from the outskirts of Philly that are great. I've been calling realtor after realtor and never get a call back. Apartments here are old and they are disgusting. I'm trying to keep an open mind, sometimes it gets hard to be positive. After weeks of seeing nothing, I finally found a realtor that is so sweet and nice and she has taken us to see a few places that were so much better but certainly nothing compared to the apts. in TX.

I've also started a meetup group in WPort. Only 1 person joined. She told me that she tried starting one and didn't have any luck. So I changed it to Lewisburg, which is about 20 mi from here, and I've had a better response. So far, 6 members! We have a first meetup on the 12th at a coffee shop in Lewisburg. By the way, Lewisburg is a great town, so beautiful. Lots of turn of the century homes that are very well kept and very colonial.

We also joined the YMCA. They opened a new branch down by the mall, around 10 miles from the Marriott. It's very nice, so we're trying to get back to working out and eating healthy.

We're loving the weather!!!! Coolness, cold nights....I love it, love it, love it!!!!!!!!!

Close of Company

This is the beginning of the "Next Chapter". I never dreamed that at 55 we would be starting a new chapter in our lives with Michael's career. After 80 plus resumes and no bites we we're fortunate to get a job with a company that supplies mats to drilling sites for natural gas in Williamsport, PA. Michael was happy that Melanie got him the job. Sort of excited to try something new, but not sure of starting over on a different career path. Relief that he did not have to collect unemployment and exhaust our retirement savings. Only thing that wasn't a plus was the relocation. Moving ourselves was appealing, but we don't have a choice. Not that going to a cooler climate wasn't appealing, leaving the girls was extremely hard. Our dream was to always have them close, now more than ever with grandchildren in the picture. But you have to you what you gotta do (thank the Lord for Skype).

We've been trying to clean out our house for a year now so when we finally did sell our house the job would be a little easier. The task of moving is not one of my favorite things to do, downright the most boring thing to do. After 33 years of stuff, unloading lots of it felt good, kind of a cleansing of sorts, lots of memories of the past, nice memories of the girls childhood. Looking at all the little gifts they made for us, all the cute cards and school work that I saved. Such wonderful and fun times.

Michael left for his first week in N. Orleans for training. I haven't spent too many nights by myself since I was 20. One week turned into two, then three, then four. I enjoyed my days for a little while but I hated the nights in the house by myself. I tried so hard to stay there and did for some, but the silenance was unbearable and scary. Figured out that I can't stay alone in a big house at night.

We put the house up for sale after working so hard to get it ready...so exhausting. Right when you think everything is ready something else goes wrong. Sprinkler system doesn't work, doesn't meet city codes, has to be rewired and reinspected for the inspection when we finally do sell the house (which may take forever). Our friends have a going away party for us not knowing that we stayed for an additional week before we actually left.

Finally we leave for "The Next Chapter"of our lives. I couldn't believe that I was sad to leave TX. I actually grew to like it after 10 years of hating it so much. Our ride up north was the worst trip we ever took. Rained the whole way and the last leg was the worst rain we ever drove in.