Moving is overwhelming. You would think I would know that after 5 moves in 10 years. You would also think it would get easier, but it seems to get harder. Maybe it's the accumulation of stuff. Maybe it's the accumulation of people.
Our first move, from Knoxville to Jacksonville, consisted of a rented Penske truck towing my old Accord behind it. It was just the two of us. From Jacksonville to Kansas City introduced us to professional packers and movers (thank heavens for their existence!) but it was still just the two of us with just a little more junk. From Kansas City to Knoxville was much bigger with the addition of Maddie and Drew, who was only 4 months old but still came with a lot of baggage! Our truck went from having less than half of the trailer to having about two thirds of it. Then came the move from Knoxville to Scottsdale...the two of us, Maddie, Drew and now Allen. We had a full truck, although packed loosely. The move from sunny Arizona to snowy Kansas found us with the same number of people, yet more junk! The trailer was packed completely full, top to bottom, front to back, with no inch of space left unused. But they did it (because it's their job and because they are awesome at it) and we made it!
Each move has also had a different form of transportation for the members of our family. Each time, Patrick drove. First with just me in the car. Second, by himself. I was traveling for work and just flew to my new home...it made perfect sense to me! Third, with Maddie. I flew with Drew...he was too little to expect to ride in the car that long! Fourth, with Maddie. Then he flew back to fly back again with me, Drew & Allen...I needed the help on the cross-country flight and it made the boys less stressed about the trip. This time was different. We all drove as a family. All five of us. In our minivan. With 10 days worth of clothes, toys and some food thrown in for good measure. If you want to argue with me the merits of a minivan, I will forever point to this trip, how much we carried, and how comfortable we all were!
Each move has also had the emotional challenge (at least on my end) of leaving behind my comfort zone and moving to a place where I didn't know how to get around, where to grocery shop, who would be my doctor, dentist, hair stylist...or my friend. In Jacksonville, Patrick and I worked at the same place and had some "built in" friends that we worked with. I am happy to say some of those friends are even more dear to us now than they were then! Again in Kansas City, we were working in the same location and had our "work friends" as well as some of the same friends from Jacksonville who had moved there as well. We also had great neighbors next door who would do anything for us and a wonderful couple we randomly met along the way. When we moved back to Knoxville, we obviously had family and many friends from our past. But we were also blessed to make new friends along the way! The move to Scottsdale was the hardest. I didn't know a single person there. Everything was foreign to me. I made some dear friends through MOPS and established a wonderful friendship with another "work-widow" transplant. It was funny...leaving those few friendships behind was as hard as moving away from some of the lifelong friends I had in other places! Then we moved to Kansas. We were back in the Kansas City area, just in a very different part of town than before. Some things are familiar. Many are different. But we moved in and immediately had friends. Friends from when we lived here before. Friends we have made through the years living in different places, working in different places, who live here for one reason or another. We have met new friends through mutual acquaintances. We have met many neighbors around us, all friendly and welcoming. We have been out with friends, to people's homes, had people over, etc. more in the past 6 weeks than we did the entire first year in Scottsdale! It feels good.
So, very slowly, we are settling into our new normal. It will take some time, but I truly believe it will feel like home much faster than many of our moves before. It also helps that, at least now, the plan is to be here for the long haul. We didn't come into this move with temporary hanging over our heads. This is it. Obviously, situations change and things happen and we may move again. But for now, we are home. And that's ok. I think I like it here.
Watching one of many movies along the way... (you can see Maddie's kennel in the back...that's where the angel slept...such a good car traveler!)
Driving Miss Daisy and her clan across the country...
1 comment:
You should write a book on how to keep your kids entertained on long trips. Ya'll are pros at it!
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