Some thoughts and numbers are rattling around in my head:
Four more days in this house I have loved...
Eighteen days of visiting beloved family and friends...
Twenty-two days from today we leave the country...
Not counting moves within the same city (we have had two of those moves), this move is our tenth. Moving is just part of the military life, and it's all we have known for the past 16 years. It's all my kids know, period. They make it look easy, packing up their suitcases, saying goodbye with more excitement than sorrow, making new friends along the way, interested in the adventure of living in a new place. Of course there are lonely moments, moments of doubt. I would be a big fat liar if I didn't acknowledge the struggle. The struggle is real, and the excitement is real too.
One of the best transitions we made was the one from San Diego to Rhode Island. We turned it into a two week road trip, with Dave and Judy helping us by driving the second car loaded up with suitcases and food for breakfasts and lunches along the way. What an adventure taking a three year old, a 4.5 year old, and two puppies across the country! We stared up at the giant ancient sequoias in California, hiked a mountain in Idaho, watched Old Faithful erupt in Yellowstone, and witnessed the splendor of the badlands and Mount Rushmore. It was spectacular. Oh, the moments that accompanied this vacation! Judson crying because the stickers in his book weren't perfectly aligned. Ryan telling him he was going to sticker jail where all the stickers are crooked. Silas fighting taking a nap only to have a complete meltdown at dinner because his toast was "too brown". Me getting car sick in the mountains. Dave falling into the street gutter trying to carry a large suitcase. Ryan enduring my glares when something went wrong and I wanted him to fix it. Judy silently chuckling and enduring it all. That was a transition to remember! I would do it all again without a moment's hesitation.
Then there was the move to Italy. Oh my gosh. Where to begin? The day of departure we took the dogs to the vet to get their final check-up in order for them to fly. The computers were down at the vet clinic and they were turning everyone away. They told us we would have to drive four hours away to the next nearest military vet clinic and hope they would see us. I cried at the counter, frustrated and scared. The vet took pity on us and signed the forms for free, writing it off as a "training experience". Bless him. Then trying to get to the airport and the duty van driver (like a taxi van driven by the military) was TWO HOURS late. When she finally arrived, with the smell of Burger King still in the van, she said, "Oh, the flight to Naples? I think they are about to close the boarding gate." Never in my life have I ran through the airport like I did that day. A kid in each hand, Ryan dashing ahead of us to tell them we were coming and hold the gate. We made it! No one had used the bathroom, Jud and I barely choked down a Dramamine, it was 2 AM and we were completely overwhelmed. So overwhelmed, and so thrilled that we made it, that the dogs made it into the cargo hold, that we didn't notice we left our laptop at security... When we landed in Portugal, pitstop on the transit to Italy, we realized the laptop was still in Virginia. Thank God for good friends who are willing to drop what they are doing to get your computer from the military airport and take it to the nearest FedEx. We made it to Italy, and ended up having many more adventures while there. We loved Italy, loved living there: the food, the people, the travel, the history, the culture. Again, an experience I would gladly live again.
Now we stand on the precipice of another enormous transition. This time we are crossing the Pacific into the Land of the Rising Sun. When Ryan and I were engaged, he was about to graduate from Penn State and be commissioned into the Navy. The list came out of duty places to select for his first ship. We looked at the list together, and quickly eliminated a few options. My first elimination was Japan. "I'll never live there. It's too far away." I believe those were my exact words. I had never lived anywhere except 12019 Sunrise Lane (in Minnesota) and Wheaton College. We debated between Hawaii and San Diego, settled on San Diego, and happily lived there for five years. I've come a long way from 12019 Sunrise Lane.
In 23 days I may be posting about a dramatic transition to Japan... Stressful in the moment, but hilarious in the retelling... I hope not. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a smooth simple transit across the Pacific.
In 23 days I may be posting about a dramatic transition to Japan... Stressful in the moment, but hilarious in the retelling... I hope not. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a smooth simple transit across the Pacific.
