A Slower Pace

Today is our departure day. I didn’t sleep as long (or as well as you would in your own bed) but we still have some loose ends to wrap up before we head out. We are leaving a day early to get a jump on the driving. Our hope is to make it to the California border this evening.

This will be an interesting week. So far the weather looks ok for travelling. I also don’t know what internet access will be like so this might be my last post for a couple of days. To keep things interesting, I have replaced this week’s days of the week with states. Instead of Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we will have Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Kentucky.

I hope to talk with ya before Kentucky (Thursday).

…..Dan at aslowerpace

After getting up at 5am to get stuff done and be at Home Depot when they opened, I ended up at Home Depot when they closed.

The movers have shoehorned everything we own into a semi-truck trailer, my Suburban is towing a trailer-in-training (UHaul), the house is now a shell and we have been doing last minute patch and paint, vacuuming and cleaning.

Highlights of my very busy 20 hour day were:
– having a sandwich lunch with my son while we parked and watched bulldozers
– returning a lost dog, meeting a new neighbor and receiving some very nice custom, signed, horse themed prints that will look very nice in our new home (and mirror the ones at the Disney ranch which they were commissioned for)
– a last dinner out here as a family with my folks
– watching the moving trucks pull away with my son on my shoulders as they honked their very loud horns

And as things would have it, it is a typical December day in California: 78 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. It was as if California was saying goodbye. Or maybe it knew we would miss the weather and it was giving us a "neener, neener" for our last full day here.

Other titles for this post were going to be "Home Depot Frequent Flier", "The Weather Sure Sucks In California", "Hello and Goodbye", and "See Ya Later Isn’t Possible As A Departing Quote". But all in all I chose "Whew" because after such a long day with so much accomplished, that’s what I felt like.

I’m gonna sleep like a rock.

…..Dan at aslowerpace

The packers have come and gone. The movers are now here and almost done. Right now, our home is an empty shell of a house containing an intricate maze of boxes. As of tomorrow, we can be summed up as nomads headed on an adventure.

Being out in front of the house with the packers and movers, I was able to chat with a lot of neighbors that stopped by. It was nice to catch up, say good-bye and exchange emails. I will miss the good neighbors we have who always waved as they drove by when I was mowing the lawn or playing with the kids. Enjoy the weather for us!

In the many conversations I had, a few topics were common threads. Values, family, enjoying life. It made me realize that in spite of our differences, most of us have very similar rootings — to be valued, to love family, to enjoy the time we have left on this planet. In what ever ways you pursue those rootings, I hope you find happiness and contentment.

Today is the 63rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Take a minute to thank those that made tough decisions and fought hard for our country’s freedom, liberty and well being…..then and now.

If any veterans or current military are reading this, THANK YOU!

On a much smaller note, the packers arrived today. No…..not the Green Bay ones — the ones that will be packing away all of our family’s stuff. I am amazed at the stuff that one family accumulates. We will definitely have to go through it and throw stuff out when we get to Kentucky. (Don’t we all say that when we move?)

…..Dan at aslowerpace

I am out BBQing the last piece of meat at this house for the last home cooked family meal at this house. I just got to thinking that we are coming up on a lot of "lasts" here…..at work, at school, in this house, in this town. But that also means that we have a lot of firsts in store for us in the next days, weeks and months. Kind of like putting the cart before the horse.

Some band has lyrics to a song that go something like "each new beginning is another beginning’s end". That’s our life right now. (If you know the band and song, drop me a note.)

…..Dan at aslowerpace

Nothing exciting today other than packing and moving boxes out of the attic. Luckily we have a trash bin showing up tomorrow morning cuz a bunch of crap has accumulated up there and now is as good a time as any to get rid of it. (Can you say "screaming ’80’s framed print? My wife is making me toss one like this.) And I get to be at Home Depot as soon as they open tomorrow at 6am for a toilet wax ring which will finish out the bathroom project. Check off two more things from my list.

Again, not much excitement — just mundane tasks that have to get done before the packers and movers show up this week.

More to come.

We spent the afternoon and evening at my wife’s family’s as an early holiday gathering — dinner, conversation, games, children playing, etc. It was extremely enjoyable and kicked off the first thoughts of reality that we were truly leaving and wouldn’t see a lot of these loved ones for quite a while. While doubt and regret might be strong words, that is a good description of the fleeting emotion I felt. Logically, I know this is the best decision for our family and we will continue to stay the course. However, with all the joy and anticipation of our move, these are the thoughts and feelings that will be difficult to digest. We will get through this expected phase of our move but that still doesn’t make it any easier for me, my wife or the kids. I am just happy to have a few more images burned into my brain of my son with his Opa and the girls with their aunts and cousins.

Thank you to my wife’s family for being so special to us. We love you!

Today, in the midst of all of our moving plans and changes, my oldest daughter had elective surgery to correct growth issues on her feet. This is something we have been keeping our eye on for the last 2 years. There is an optimal window of opportunity of only a few months in the growth cycle of the feet so we had to take advantage of this window even though the timing was difficult. Actually, we were lucky that we were able to take care of this issue with a doctor we have been working with for 2 years instead of having to find someone else we trust in a new state we are unfamiliar with.

Any time someone goes into surgery there is the remote chance that something unexpected could happen. I feel very blessed that everything turned out ok and she is on the road to healing. My prayers were answered.

…..Dan at aslowerpace

It’s been getting unusually cold here in California. For example, the other night, Long Beach set an all time forever low at 19 degrees. Brrrrrr!

I even received an email from someone saying that it might be warmer in Kentucky.

Pretty funny!

Stop the presses — not everyone in Kentucky is friendly. My wife called the Kentucky water company and the lady quoted the rule that we had to come in to the office to set everything up and then hung up.

While I don’t want to always deal with grumpy people, it’s good to see they still exist for some balance and that it’s not this perfect, manufactured Disneyland society.

Sometimes, I believe that those people exist just to be a reminder to the rest of us that we are blessed and things can always be worse.