Two Years In

On October 22, 2014 the kids and I boarded a plane in Cleveland, Ohio bound for El Paso, Texas. We said good-bye to my family and headed out for the beginning of our life of adventure beginning in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We had committed our lives to seeing where Bob's job took us. We were looking down the barrel of a life of seeing new sights and things we would never be able to experience had we stayed in Ohio.

I remember my heart feeling torn in two when we boarded that plane. I remember feeling so sad for those loved ones I was leaving behind. I also remember being so, so excited to move to land of sunshine and enchantment. When we touched down in El Paso and deplaned I remember feeling the warmth of the air on my skin. The scenery was okay. It was different, but it was nothing special. BUT...as I followed Bob back to Las Cruces in our rental cars and saw the Organ Mountains for the first time I instantly fell in love. It was immediate and pure. It was a forever and always kind of love. That night we stayed in a hotel as we were not closing on our house until the next day. When we woke up that next morning I remember jumping out of bed and peeking out at the mountains to see if they really were as beautiful as I remembered them to be the night before. Lo and behold they were. The sun was rising behind them and cast those mountains in a halo of light. As hard as it was to leave family and friends behind, I just knew that we made the right choice. We then spent the morning getting ready to meet Bob to sign the paperwork for our new house. I remember being heartsick for my family and my "son" from another mother, Boorman. I can remember texting him while he was in school (a big no-no) and just wanting to pack him up and bring him down to New Mexico with us. (I still wish I could bring him with us. He is very much missed.) And after that...the rest is history. New Mexico cast a spell on me and I was (and will be) forever under its enchantment.

We knew going into the whole New Mexico opportunity that we would not there very long. We did not anticipate being there as short of a time that we were. We thought we would be there between 2-3 years, not the mere 19 months we were. When the opportunity presented itself to move to the Pacific Northwest we took it. We knew that we loved the Southwest very much and just figured that the Pacific Northwest would capture our hearts as well, but in a different way. We also knew that we wanted to expose the kids to as much of this country as we could. We've lived in the Midwest, the Southwest, and now the Northwest. That's pretty cool when I think about it.

When we realized that the job in Portland was going to work out we decided to drive instead of fly from Las Cruces to Portland. We wanted to see as much of the west as we could. We wanted the adventure of making that drive, and it did not disappoint. Durango, Colorado. Salt Lake City, Utah. Boise, Idaho. All of those stops were amazing in terms of their scenery and the beauty that we saw. I remember driving along the Columbia River for the last couple of hours of our trip knowing that I was driving in Oregon, but looking out and seeing Washington right outside my window. As the desert gave way to the forest and tall pine trees that the Pacific Northwest is known for I loved what I saw. I had missed trees and these trees were magnificent. These trees demanded respect. As did the mountains beyond.

These last two years have not disappointed us. We have grown and changed and experienced more than I could have ever hoped for. I cannot believe all that has happened in those two years. It seems like a lifetime ago that we lived in Ohio, but it's really only been such a short time. In 24 months we have lived in three states. That is a lot of moving. That is a lot of memories.

There are certain dates that will be tattooed on my heart forever: 05/05/00, 09/28/01, 05/25/02, 12/01/04, 08/17/06, 05/18/13, and now 10/22/14. These dates are all significant because they changed my life forever. As hard of a time as I am having to adjusting to life in Portland - I am also thankful for my time here because I have seen great beauty and experienced things in these 4 months that I never would have had we not allowed Bob's job to take us where ever we were asked to go.

I will always be go grateful for all the places we have seen and all of the people we have gotten to meet and love because of our love of adventure and our willingness to say 'yes' to where ever the job opportunity may blow us.

I am curious to see what the next two years bring. Time, as it always does, will tell.