In the new apartment

 We had lots of help on moving day - all the young missionaries in Slovenia - but it wasn't all just for us.  There were four apartments involved.  One hasn't been used regularly since COVID slowed things down, but we stored some of the excess items there until we had settled where everything else ended up.

The young sisters have been staying in an apartment away from the River.  It is nice enough, but the decision was made at the top to close all extra apartments.  Some of the missionaries went there to finish packing things up, and loading the things into a car.  They also cleaned it well, in preparation for the owner's approval of its condition.

At our apartment above the fountain on the riverside, we disassembled the bed and nearly everything else was ready to be loaded up and transported.  The elders from Celje brought me an abandoned exercise bike, so we put as many other things as we could into their car and I showed them the way to the new apartment.  There is inadequate parking in Maribor, but there are some  semi-official rules that make moving easier.  I had them park the car in a truck-loading zone near our new apartment and turn on their emergency flashers.  The flashers are a signal that: 1. I know this is breaking the rules.   2. I won't be doing it for very long.   3. I promise not to do it again.  The police then turn a blind eye.

While Liz supervised the clearing out of the other apartment and got the sisters settled in there, I got things put in the correct places in the new one.  The apartment is only a little bit larger than the old one, but it has two bedrooms and lots of cabinets.  The elevator is shaky - it jumps and moans before settling in at the door, but it takes a lot of pressure off my knee because I don't have to climb stairs.  I have already noticed that my knee bothers me much less than before.  I sleep much better for not being awakened by an aching knee.

So, now we are settled into our third apartment in the mission, and we thought we would stay in the same place the whole time!?!

D. and another friend came to help us move, too, I think so they would know where we live.

D. had his 22nd birthday this week, so we invited him and the sisters over for a birthday party.  They don't make a big fuss over birthdays here, but we assured him that it was a good thing to be the center of attention once in a while.  The sisters baked a little American-style (very sweet) cake for him.

We took him out to dinner and then we cut this little cake into five pieces and had a nice, casual chat while we ate it.  BTW, the photo shows the entirety of our new kitchen.  It really only allows one person to work there, but another can work from the other side of the island countertop.  The fridge and freezer are also quite small.  The stovetop works via induction, which we saw briefly while living at the Mission Home, but is otherwise new to us.  We checked all our pots and pans and only brought the ones marked for induction cooking, but we have found the frying pans (we have a set of three) to be very twitchy.  Often the cooktop clicks or buzzes under them, but won't put out any heat.  The other pans work much better, so I guess we'll be buying more cookware so I can have my eggs for breakfast.

The most delightful thing about our new apartment is the sun room.  It is a balcony that has been enclosed with glass on the sides and the top.  

Liz and her friend are sitting out there watching general conference.  The room is only about 4' wide at one end, and about 8-10' at the other, while it is 25' long.  There is a double door leading into it, and a matching set of double doors are on the outside wall in front of a safety fence.  So, we can be outside, or we can shut ourselves in.  The sun warms it up quickly in the morning, but I'm sure it will be cold in the winter.  There is a heating grill in the floor, but we'll just use it enough to keep the plants and water pipes from freezing.

  And, as I'm sure you've noticed, the view is nothing to brag about.  It is the side of a hotel.  But we are on the top floor of the building, so we have a view of the sky through the top of the sun room, and we are very close to the river and other scenic things.  Our car is parked in the basement garage under the hotel, so it's tremendously more convenient.