First of all, let me say we’re committed to not move again for at least 4 years. We’re so committed that we’re going to try to buy a house so there won’t even be the possibility of having to move between rental houses in that time.
A good thing about Josh’s job is that they move you. A moving company comes, packs all of your stuff in boxes, puts everything in a trailer, takes it away wherever you go, and in this case, puts it in storage for you until you have a place to move into. The one thing we do is unpack. That is a huge advantage right there. Especially when dealing with two dogs and a very curious crawling boy.
But that went well. On December 2nd, all of our stuff went into boxes. There were two guys packing our stuff, and it took them 11 hours to do so, but they got it done and left our place with most of our possessions. The next day was cleaning day. A cleaning lady came by to help me with the cleaning while I organized the stuff we were taking with us and Evan napped in his empty bedroom. That afternoon a carpet cleaner came by and erased every trace of the dogs: every sign of ineffectively cleaned puke and pee was gone, and the dog house smell was replaced with the scent of spring. Aaah, I would’ve moved in again.
Lastly, the next day was our final walkthrough with our neighbor, who couldn’t care less about how good the house looked since the owners didn’t actually talk to him about doing the walkthrough with us, but rather left it to us to inform him of his part in our move. But that was done, and we were officially not living in Friday Harbor anymore, but rather just guests in a hotel for one more night.
On Sunday December 5th we took the ferry for the last time and drove to Seattle, where the real adventure would begin. We had dinner with friends that night as a last farewell, and prepared to be apart for 8 days. Josh was to drive across country with the dogs, Evan and I were to fly to San Diego and stay there for a week, waiting for Josh to reach his destination.
So on December 6th, Josh left early and started the long drive to North Carolina. Timing was perfect, as he traveled behind a nasty winter storm and ahead of another one, enjoying great weather and nothing more than a little rain and a little fog in the whole 3400 miles he drove. It took him 6 days to complete the drive, but he was here on December 12th, which left him a no-driving day before having to go pick us up at the airport 2 hours away of what we now call home.
Evan and I had a great time with his grandparents. Of course they loved spending some time with Evan, and Evan loved the attention and rewarded everyone with endless giggles and happy faces. We knew we weren’t really doing Christmas here this year, so it was great to share in their Christmas traditions, picking a tree and enjoying the lights. Evan even got to open a present right there under the tree, his first Christmas present, which he enjoyed greatly, pulling the wrapping paper apart bit by bit. At first it seemed like he thought the present was the paper and the box, but later he figured out the toy inside too: a talking farm.
But alas, we missed Josh very much (Evan would go crazy on the computer screen when we Skyped), so we were glad to start our travels to the East Coast. It was a long day, we woke up at 4 am and didn’t land in Norfolk until 5:30 pm (we had a 2 hour break in Dallas), but Evan was actually very good, considering, and everyone on the plane was relieved he was such a good boy instead of enduring a cry fest. I’ll tell you one thing though: I’m not flying anywhere with both kids for at least a year. Evan was well behaved, but he has such a need for movement and wants to investigate everything, that it was still challenging.
We’ve been here for over a week now (it feels like longer). Josh is very happy and excited with his job, we’re starting to search the internet for houses, and we’re getting to know this place a little better. So far we’re very happy with our decision and we’re very excited for times to come.
So there you have it. We’re home. Though we’re still looking for a house…
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