Wednesday, May 9, 2018

05.09.18 Last Thoughts From Portland


  • Bob's car was picked up today to be shipped (nearly) cross country. For some reason it really started to sink in that we are moving. 
  • Andy turned 18 a few days ago. I plan to write about that once we get settled. 
  • I turned 39 a couple of days ago and had one of the best birthdays ever. I spent it at the beach on a sunny warm day. My parents, kids, and Bobby were with me. The tide was low and I saw the coolest things. 
  • I was coming home from dropping my parents off at the airport yesterday stuck in traffic when I thought about how much more congested the traffic has gotten towards the Portland/Hillsboro area. It made me feel a bit sad for people who commute in that parking lot traffic day in and day out, and I wondered how much of their life is spent in a car sitting on a highway? It made me feel so grateful that we are leaving. 
  • I visited Mt. St. Helen's with my parents and family over the weekend. It was beautiful. I love Washington. I feel peace when I am in that state. It seems unpretentious which is so unlike the Portland part of Oregon. You couldn't pay me enough money to live here again. But Washington? Yeah, I think I would give living there a try - as long as it was not the Seattle area. I have heard that they have something called the 'Seattle freeze' up there which is the way they treat newcomers. I am sure that this is not always the case, but if they have created a phrase for such a thing I imagine that it is the case much of the time - which is such a shame. 
  • I am so thankful for the ocean. It saved my sanity. Really. There were so many times when I thought I was going to lose it - I would head out to the coast for the day and just sit there for hours on end as the tide ebbed and flowed. 
  • As much as I loved the ocean I am not sure I am going to miss it. I appreciated the value that it had while I lived here, but in the grand scope of things the Pacific Ocean is not really all that inviting. Which is weird that I feel such gratitude for it, I know. 
  • Bobby and I are heading to our favorite restaurant tonight. McMenimans Rock Creek Tavern (see here). It is an old barn that was refurbished. It is what I had envisioned the Pacific Northwest  to be like. It is a warm, cozy place nestled among pine trees on the edge of farmland. It is picture perfect. Thomas Kincaidish - if you will. I always love going there - more for the ambiance - than the actual food. Besides the ocean, this place was where Bob and I would go just to try and figure life out. 
  • I am nervous about how many white people are in Indiana. I am nervous about living in a homogeneous state. I was nervous about that here, but thankfully, we ended up living in an area that had large Indian and Asian populations, so it wasn't just a bunch of white people. Living with diversity is important to me. In fact, it is one of the most important things about where I want to live long term. I am a better person - and my kids are much better people - because we have lived in different parts of the country with different cultures. 
  • Josh got his braces removed today. He had them on for 18 months.
  • Sarah is going to Skyview for the last time tomorrow. She is super, super, sad. We have already begun to make tentative plans for Bob, Andy, and Sarah to come out here next June for them to visit. 
  • I think Skyview will always be a part of her life. This makes me happy. 
  • I am excited to meet my new tribe in the next few months.
  • I am excited for the kids to make friends.
  • I am excited to build a new life together. 
  • I am excited to see our new house. 
  • I am excited to set up our house and to spread out again as the house in Indianapolis is twice the size of the one we are currently in. 
  • I am excited to paint and to create a home - not just a house. 
  • We already have visitors lined up. My parents, my sister and her family, and my other "son" all are penciled in to come within the first few weeks of living in Indiana. I am so excited. 
  • I am super excited to make this cross country trip with Bobby. I have a feeling it is going to be beautiful. 
  • The movers are coming between 8-9 am to pack up our house tomorrow and will then load the truck on Friday. 
  • The kids leave tomorrow night.
  • Bob and I are leaving on Friday, but will only be driving a couple of hours. The bulk of our trip will be made Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
  • Our new home is 2300ish miles away. 
  • I always knew this day would come, but never thought it would come - if that makes any sense. 
  • I never thought I would be so excited to move back to the Midwest again. 
  • While I am not sure how long we will be in Indy I do anticipate being longer than we have lived in the last 2 states. 
  • While I think we will be settling down for a bit, I don't think this will be our last move. This makes the adventurous spirit in me very happy. There is still too much of this great country to see/explore/live in. 
  • Since May of 2014 - 4 years - we have lived in 4 states: Ohio, New Mexico, Oregon, and now Indiana. That is a lot of states in a short amount of time. We are all ready for a break. 
  • I am so grateful that Bob has the employer he does. 
  • Bob feels about living in the Pacific Northwest the way I feel about living in the Southwest. I feel bad for him because I know much this move may hurt. 
  • Bob will never realize how much this move means to me. He made this decision for the kids and I. If it hadn't been for us - he would still happily be working in his current position until the next promotion opened up. 
  • At the same time, I am so excited for this new/old job for him. This umbrella that he will be under is manned by great people who really care about him and his career. I am thrilled (as is he) that he is going back to where he came from. 
  • I am so looking forward to this new beginning. 

The next time I write will be from Camby, Indiana. I am not sure how long it will take to get our stuff. I am imagining anywhere from 10-20 days from Friday. I will write again as soon as I can!

I am so excited for this next chapter of life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


No comments:

Post a Comment