Ah moving. How I am so tired of you!
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| Our moving truck (with one or two other houses of stuff traveling with ours to Virginia), getting ready to load up in Alabama. June 20, 2014 |
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Another big truck, everything in boxes, move-out cleaning, long drives, move-in cleaning, box deliveries and unpacking and starting over. New neighbors, classmates, coworkers. New doctors, babysitters, dogsitters, veterinary clinic, pharmacist, car mechanic, hair dresser, grocery stores, farmers markets, gyms, playgrounds, favorite restaurants. New landlords, HOAs, local politics. New streets to learn, schedules to adjust to, rhythm of daily life to figure out...again. So we adjust. We figure it out and get on with our lives and try not to be too overwhelmed.
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| The basement full of boxes and furnature in our home in Alexandria, VA. June 26, 2014 |
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| My mom came to help us unpack in Virginia. June 26, 2014 |
Really, though, I don't mind moving so much. At least not once we get settled in. It is fun exploring new places, and I know our country a lot better having lived across much of it. We have friends all over the country who come from different backgrounds, have different view points, and enrich our lives in many ways.
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| One of my potted rose bushes (from clippings taken of my grandfather's roses a few years ago) bloomed DURING the move - literally in the car while driving from Alabama to Virginia. It is a little reminder to bloom where we are planted and make the best of any situation. |
But overwhelmed does happen. Right around day 2 or 3 of unpacking, when my legs and arms are bruised from bumping into dozens of sturdy boxes, when all you have done for days is unpack and still boxes loom in every room, it feels overwhelming. Or the time I started crying in the middle of a crowded room at one of Bryan's work events after trying to explain to a complete stranger why I don't have a full-time job weeks after moving. Or the numerous times that I've turned onto the wrong highway, heading in some unknown direction in DC, not sure really where I was or what direction I need to be going (thank goodness for GPS!). Or the many, many times that I worry about my career, possible missed opportunities, gaps in my employment... I get overwhelmed.
That is when it helps to have Bryan who is calm and patient and can see a path through the mess. And to have Calvin, who finds adventure and fun in the simplest things (empty boxes and new neighborhood sidewalks, for example). It also helped this move to have family that came to visit, and friends who listened. We are settled in now, though stubbornly not all unpacked. Three areas still remain, stuff piled on the floor (because I couldn't stand the sight of the boxes, but wasn't able to actually organize that area at the time), pictures stacked against the wall, months after moving in. We are functional, even able to entertain guests (so long as they don't go up to the loft or down in the basement). I'll get to it one of these days...
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| Aunt Debbie (left) and Grandma Donna (right) helped Calvin (center) and I explore some of the local nature centers in the Alexandria area. Huntley Meadows Park, July 24, 2014. |
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| Aunt Debbie, Calvin, and mom inside the Botanical Gardens museum in Washington, DC. July 28, 2014 |
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| Grandpa Mike on our back deck (notice how close it is to our neighbor's back deck). August 2, 2014 |
So here we are, living in Alexandria, Virginia. On the outskirts of DC but still within the metro system. Townhouse-central. We have 4 floors and no backyard and lots of friendly neighbors. Dogs are everywhere. Our two old-men pups (Deuce is 15.5 years old, Pedro is 12) are still keeping up for the most part. They hobble up and down the many, many stairs, get several walks a day, and sleep the rest of the time. Our cat Skylar is back with us again, which we are very happy about, though even that brings its share of new adjustments.
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| All of us (except Skylar the cat, who is inside hiding) on the front steps of our home in Alexandria, Virginia soon after moving in. August, 2014 |
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| We live pretty close to Old Town Alexandria, which is full of 17th and 18th century buildings, history, and stories. What a neat place to live! |
I'm ready to be settled for a few years. Two years here would be nice, three would be great, four might even get boring. In time I will figure out career questions, Calvin will grow and start school full time, and we will have a whole new set of adventures.
