I packed my car "to the gills" as my mother said, and started on the 12 hour car ride. My emotions seemed to rise and fall as much as the roads. I am used to Illinois and Indiana roads, so the hills were warmly welcomed. As soon as I reached the edge of Ohio, I knew I was in love with the rolling hills. Pennsylvania is abundantly green and so different than the solid stretch of land that Illinois and Indiana are known for.
Honesdale is pretty small. You know those old historic towns that have old shops and one main street? Well, I live in one of those towns now. This would be scary for me, a city girl, but luckily I love antique shops. That means that I just have to make sure I'm not spending my entire paycheck on antiques that I have no space for in my apartment. Well, I mean I have room for them on the floor but no shelving space.
My first look at my apartment was with mixed feelings. You know those hotels that are quaint but smell a little and have really old appliances? Welcome to my life for the next year. But what I love is the fact I have a bunch of floor space in my bedroom and lots of light comes in the windows.
So, if you know my mother, we aren't going to spend my first day sitting inside my apartment. She dragged us out to a county fair. I was in a dress because it was too hot in my apartment, and of course I was the only person in a dress. So we dredged through the mud (this is not an exaggeration, it's been raining a lot) to ride a few rides, grab overpriced but oddly good food, and see farm animals.
Last week I was walking past the sky rises in Chicago, and this week I'm walking through hay to see animals. It's funny how quickly life can change. So if you have any tips on being a country girl in the east, let me know. Until then, I'll be away in my wifi-less apartment trying to find places to store my myriad of books.
So, I needed a little city, so I took my parents to Scranton. That is the nearest city. No, I don't live near Philly or Pittsburgh. I needed to bring my love of The Office a step further. I went to the mall they go to and found the divy Poor Richard's Pub which is actually a bar in a bowling alley. My family and I also toured the locomotive factory. Scranton was the main changing line for the trains meaning it had a turntable and a huge factory for fixing the trains. They forgot to mention the impact steam engines had on the town in The Office, but that's probably because they didn't have Sheldon Cooper there with such a strong interest. Though, Dwight should be interested in trains, but he's only interested in training his body for random attacks. Though the towns around here are sure enthusiastic about trains. I've already eaten at two restaurants with trains riding around them.
My favorite part of Scranton was the Cathedral. After touring Europe, I'm obsessed with Cathedrals. They are so interesting to me to see the architecture and how art and structure influences worship. So while I'm admiring the rounded arches and the paintings that adorn the ceiling, my mother is in the back of the church looking at the people in line. She looks at me and asks, "Are they waiting in line for the bathroom?"
I just look at her and laugh responding with, "Mom, they are waiting for confessions!"
In her defense, she grew up Methodist.
Well, I've been using up all my free time at Dunkin Donuts (what I do for wifi, coffee, and hidiing from rain). I start work tomorrow at Highlights, so I'll post more about that later this week, or maybe once I get my internet installed. Until then, I'm going to go enjoy the beautiful clouds and rolling hills.