A Nesting Instinct

In anticipation of our arrival in Amman, my husband, “E.,” has been busily preparing our nest. We will live in the family home with my husband’s parents indefinitely, but will have our own private space upstairs.  My in-laws are the sweetest, most sincere people one could hope to know, and they are fairly unobtrusive when it comes to giving us our privacy and space.  I enjoy chatting with E.'s parents over breakfast in the mornings, and we often sit with them for awhile in the evenings as well.  Clearly, they enjoy having their children and grandchildren around, but I do hope we don't wear out our welcome! 


Up until now, the nearly dozen trips I’ve made to Amman have been 2 to 3 week stays in which I have dominated my husband’s closet and chest of drawers during my short time there.  He has always been very generous with his space, making sure I didn't feel as if I was living out of a suitcase.  Because I'll be taking up permanent residency soon, he decided to make a few retrofitted customizations. Once complete, our bedroom should be able to accommodate a full-time female occupant and her counterpart quite comfortably!

Since my husband is somewhat of a minimalist, he has our room there decorated with just the items we need—no more, no less.  Neither of us are fans of clutter; we both keep a tidy home.  That being said, he is wise enough to know that with a woman comes a lot of clothes and shoes…and in my case, BOOKS!  In an effort to make room for my personal belongings and make them easily accessible to me, he is having a spacious built-in closet designed for me so that it will be completed by the time I arrive in August.  Form, function, and placement should all come together, allowing me to feel truly at home.

Here are a few closet ideas we found online.   We have a corner space to work with.  I like the function of the lighter one, but the color and design of the darker one.  

The other day, I sold my leather recliner chair in preparation for the big move.  Knowing I used it often to rest my achy neck, E. chose one for our room there, to give me a more comfortable option for reading than always being propped up in bed.  He very thoughtfully showed me the styles available, and gave me the option of choosing the color.   It will be placed right near our sliding glass door where I can look outside at the trees and enjoy the refreshing breeze in the evenings.  

One thing that I told E. I would really miss about my home here is my bathtub.  I prefer baths to showers, and even during my short visits there, the first thing I do upon my arrival home is to take a nice, long soak in my bathtub.  Because he wants me to be comfortable and feel at home in Amman, he wanted to surprise me.  The only problem is, E. doesn’t keep surprises very well.  He was so excited about his “surprise” for me that he ended up telling me just a day or so after deciding to install a bathtub in our bathroom.   Many, if not most, residential bathrooms have bidets installed next to the toilets there.  He decided to remove the bidet and use that plumbing line for the bathtub, knowing how important that would be to me.  I had not expected this, but am so appreciative of his efforts and thoughtfulness. 

Possible tub option for our bathroom.

Our private balcony has a love seat and table and we like to sit out there together in the evenings.  To add a feminine touch to this otherwise austere space, I requested adding a few flowerpots that I could fill with colorful annual flowers when I come in August.   My sister-in-law offered to go buy the plants now so they can become established in the soil in the cooler months of May and June, saying they would not transplant well in the August heat.  She sent me pictures of her selections, and chose varieties similar to those I have here in Washington. 

Here is our balcony in Amman, devoid of flowers.  Waiting for my feminine touch!

And here are the lovely flower pots E. had put together yesterday, just waiting for me to come tend to them and dead-head their spent blooms!

Coffee.  Is.  Essential.  Make no mistake, you do NOT want to see me or talk to me before I have my first cup of coffee in the morning!  My husband is a smart man.  It took very little convincing that we should invest in a coffee or espresso machine for the upstairs area.  Nobody, especially my sweet mother-in-law or father-in-law, needs to see my crazy morning hair or hear my groggy, pre-coffee voice.   It’s just better for everybody if I have my coffee in private, then join the world.  My husband told me if he conceded to this request, I might never come downstairs for breakfast, preferring instead copious amounts of the aromatic liquid caffeine to a solid meal.  After promising him that I would, he agreed that this was probably not a bad idea, and that he might actually benefit from starting his day with an espresso shot from home as well.

Freshly ground Arabic coffee.

Me, before coffee.

While very comfortable to have, all these amenities are not really necessary.  Just before our wedding, I said to my husband, “I could live with you in a tent!”  Okay, I know that may have been a bit idealistic and a little far-fetched, especially since my husband is more of a five-star hotel kind of guy, but he did get my point.  We don’t need much in this life to be happy.  We need each other. 

These are but a few examples of the considerate ways in which my husband and his family treat one another.  If they see a need or know of a wish, material or otherwise, that they can fulfill, they try to make it happen.  They do this solely to bring happiness or ease to their loved ones, and to show how much they care.  Once I am there, I hope I can reciprocate and make life a little easier or joyful for my family there, especially my sweet and deserving husband!  

Good evening, Seattle, and Sabaah al-khayr, Amman!

~M.