Your post is delightful, Val! It's great to see things are coming up for you. I used to live in an apartment with a balcony, two as a matter of fact, and it was wonderful. Top floor, faced east, lots of sunshine and roomy. One balcony was off the bedroom (with a sliding glass door) and the other was off the dining room (same setup). The best thing was the building was built in such a way that you didn't share a large common wall with anyone, and my apartment was over a garage.
You deserve good stuff!