Honey, I’m Home

In late July/early August of this year we visited Boise, ID for a little over a week to catch up with family and friends. In that time, Nick got a surprise job offer, and, after a few days to ponder things, we decided it would be best for us to make our way home…even if it was much sooner than either of us had anticipated.

The last month has been a scramble to get things ready for a second round of cross-country shipping. This time, though, we decided to rent a pod that will make its way to us via train. We also sold/donated all of our furniture, and drove our cars back to Boise over the course of a week. Even though both cars were very tightly packed, it was infinitely better than pulling a trailer. There was still a bit of negative camber in the rear suspension of the Element, as we had a tray of camping gear attached to the back of the car. A friend of ours (Andrew) was gracious enough to help us drive the following route, starting August 29th: West Hartford, CT –> Niagara Falls, NY –> Holland, OH/Ann Arbor, MI –> Council Bluffs, IA –> Greeley, CO –> Salt Lake City, UT –> Boise, ID. With one rest day in Ohio/Michigan, it took seven days to get back. Luckily, we made it home in one piece and had a number of family members and friends who were willing to allow us into their homes along the way. Thank God for Andrew, because he’s much more helpful as a moving companion than I am. Nick needed him for the heavy lifting, and I needed him for the maintenance of my sanity.

The night we got into our stop in Colorado, our friends were kind enough to help us unload the tray into their home. We realized that the rear exhaust had started to heat the metal tray, partially melting the underside of the plastic tub holding all of the tents and sleeping bags. Nick and Andrew managed to place an exhaust extender onto the exhaust pipe that would redirect the heat. It did a decent job the following day, but got to be a bit loose that night. It started to droop a bit, made contact with the pavement, and was gone. By that time, we were in Utah, and it was dark. I was following the guys in our other car, and saw it careening toward the left shoulder. It took half of the locking hitch pin with it, and detached the external wiring for trailer brake lighting. Of course, we had no idea that the hitch pin was working its way out, or that the connector for the light wiring had been damaged, until we got to Salt Lake City. At that point, though, we were so close to home that we were able to buy a new locking hitch pin and exhaust extender, and make it home for dinner.

Now, we’ve unpacked everything we brought with us in our cars. Most of our things will go into storage until we find a house. My parents are allowing us to invade their space for a while, so an extra set of pots and pans, towels, etc. is a touch redundant. When the pod comes, we’ll have a bit of work to do to get its contents into storage, but Nick and I are adamant that our next move will be our last for a very, very long time.

Nick’s first day of work was yesterday, and I am in the process of getting my nursing license transferred. Unfortunately, I first need to get my driver’s license changed over as proof of Idaho residency, which means that I have to take the written exam, again. Then, hopefully, I can find a job of my own soon. It’s a bit surreal to be back. We were only gone for 18 months, but a number of things have changed in that time. It still feels like home, and we’re close to friends and family, though, so we really can’t complain.

Thanks, again, to all of you who were so kind to help us on our way! Mostly, thank you for putting up with me! Stress isn’t a great excuse, but I’m sure it made me seem positively monstrous, at times. There are people and places in New England that we will sorely miss. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank those who spent time with us when we were lonely and helped us when we needed it the most. Nick and I shall have to make a trip that way sometime soon. Until then, take care, and thank you!

I Would Walk 500 Miles

I’ll be honest. I haven’t listened to much of The Proclaimers’ work, but this is, by far, one of my favorite songs ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZojpl-p_5A. It could be, perhaps, because of my addiction to How I Met Your Mother, but the song stands pretty well on its own.

It reminds me of home in a strange way, but so does everything, these days. Nick and I made our first pilgrimage home this last week, actually, which doesn’t help a whole lot with the home-sickness. It was so wonderful to be back, though! Nick kept saying it was strange to be back in Boise, and it had less to do with the fact that things were different than it did with how little everything had changed in the last eight months. There have been several physical changes. In the time since we left, a rather large road went up where there used to be a large-ish walking area adjacent to our old apartment. It leaves that little house feeling kind of exposed, but the work the city did was excellent. And three buildings went up in the blink of an eye. Two of them are still under varying stages of construction, but none of that made Boise feel any different than it did when we lived there. If we didn’t know any better, we would have driven back to our old apartment and resumed life as it was before we moved to Connecticut.

I am incredibly grateful for the time we had with friends and family. I think I mentioned sometime a while back how I have forgotten what it’s like to socialize with anyone other than my husband, my coworkers, and my patients. Unfortunately, it’s a painful truth that I just don’t have friends in Connecticut, yet. It’s my fault, really. I’m too hesitant when it comes to putting myself out there. I suppose I could count my coworkers as friends to an extent, but all of them have their own lives, and they’re relatively established in their own routines. The time spent alone made me forget how friendship outside of my marriage feels. It is wonderful, but simultaneously overwhelming when I am so accustomed to sitting in a silent house with a television, Facebook, my cell phone, and the pets as company. It’s so nice to feel loved and wanted, though.

We were fortunate enough to see a Boise State University football game the night we arrived in town, and Nick’s parents were able to fly in for the weekend, too. My grandparents decided a couple of days before we came that they would drive up from Sandy, UT, as well. It was even homecoming weekend, so I suppose it was incredibly appropriate that we went this last week. That is, despite the fact that the trip landed on a collection of random days that Nick was allowed to take off because nobody else had called dibs. We spent the mornings and afternoons with family, and the evenings trying to catch up with as many of our friends as we could. It’s amazing how quickly seven-in-a-half days went. It just never felt like enough time to do the things we needed or wanted to do. The experience put some things into perspective for us, though. Nick says he has a better idea of what he wants, and it required moving away from our home to realize that no job or big city with glimmering lights could replace it.

Nick told me that leaving Boise this time would be almost as difficult as the first time we left. As we sat in the airport, and then boarded the plane, none of it felt real. The plane speeding along the ramp and ascending into the air was enough to make me realize that it won’t be several months until we return, which is still something difficult to admit. I miss the mountains and the foothills; the openness and raw beauty of the arid climate. I miss the kindness and easy-going nature of strangers. Above all, I miss my family and my friends.

Connecticut is beautiful this time of year — full of wonderful, kind people. The changing colors make the place feel magical, but there is something equally magical about fall in Boise. It only lasts for about five seconds, but the hot air balloons floating in the air in the mornings and the smell that I really cannot accurately describe (it is wonderful, though — I promise) are only a couple of things that make Boise so special, and that’s just in the fall. There are three other seasons that are equally beautiful, and maybe they are simply because it is my home.

Thank you, everyone, for the love, the new memories, and for making us feel at home, again. Until next time, Boise…

Getting the Lay of the Land

Yesterday and today have been, more or less, recovery days. We didn’t wake up until sometime around 11AM yesterday morning, and we ventured into Hartford, CT for the first time in daylight. When we arrived at our hotel on Friday, we stopped driving before the beginning of a driving snow storm and in the cover of dark. It was still snowing in the morning, but it was light out, and we were willing to go into town for a while, but only after the boys had finished watching The Price is Right. It was kind of funny to walk into the hotel room to see the two of them guessing the price of a box of macaroni…and then groaning when the contestant lost the car for which she was playing.

We had breakfast at a place called “Thirty 5 Bar & Grille.” Nick and I then started to scan West Hartford for “For Rent” signs, while Chris jotted down names and addresses for us. Even though we had a little bit of time to get some sleep/recuperate from the prior day’s drive, we were all ready for a nap. I certainly didn’t mean to, but I fell asleep at about 3PM, and didn’t wake up until 6PM. By that time, Nick and Chris wanted to drive back into Hartford for some dinner.

Earlier in the day, Chris had spied an Ethiopian restaurant. It was, without a doubt, a good idea. Nick then took us to a frozen yogurt shop called “Pinkberry.” It was the perfect ending to the day, and we went back to the hotel to get some sleep.

Chris was supposed to leave for Boise, ID today. A wicked winter storm was cause for cancellation of all of his flights. We had been reluctant to stray too far from town yesterday due to the snow, so, when we looked out the window at the beaming sun this morning, we figured it would be a good idea to go to Boston, MA so Chris could spend time with a friend before he leaves. We did, however, need to knock out some errands before we left. Our first stop was the airport. Chris was able to straighten out his flight plans (he’ll leave early on Monday morning, instead), and we went back to the hotel. Nick worked for a while to find apartments posted online. Then, we had to go to Bristol to establish a P.O. Box. Unfortunately, today was reserved for passport applications. We’ll have to go in, again, next week, sometime.

Then, we were on our way to Boston. Chris’ friend lives in Lowell, MA, which is just north of Boston. We arrived with just enough time to start walking to find somewhere to have dinner. We discovered a restaurant that was a surprising, but delightful, combination of pub and cantina. While we were there, the Boise State University men’s basket ball game versus San Diego State University showed up on one of the televisions. Like a three-year-old trying to indicate something I could not describe, I squealed and pointed like a fool. They were well into the second half, but we were able to watch BSU acquire another home victory. I can’t say how home-sick it made me…that and the phone calls from my brother and parents.

I know that I will, eventually, feel some kind of connection to the place in which I live, but I worry about how long that will take. Or, at the very least, I wonder how long it will take for the ache in my stomach to disappear. We walked back to Chris’ friend’s apartment and spent a little more time, but we still had a two-hour drive back to the hotel.

On the way home, we encountered a fatal accident involving at least a bus and four cars. There was a sheet drawn over one person on the side of the road. It was heartbreaking, and the scene was enough to divert traffic on the highway for several miles. We were sure to watch the news to see what had happened. Things like that have a way of making one stop for a moment to think.

There are no formal plans for tomorrow. I hope to some extent that we will be able to move into a new home quickly. Maybe we’ll find it in the hours to come. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.