We Made It

Well, I'm back.  And I'm writing from our new house in Iowa rather than my usual writing spot in the old house in Alaska.  Strange.  I really didn't anticipate being away from here for as long as I was, but when the reality of an enormous cross country move came crashing down on me, well, things got a bit busy.  We are about three weeks out from the start of it now, and just starting to settle in.  Eric left a few days before us, and the following days in Alaska were an absolute blur.  Just Henry and me, racing around town with to-do lists pages long, trying to check each thing off  before take off time.  Somehow, most things were accomplished, with not a minute to spare.  I had to leave a few boxes in the hands of friends, and forgot only an item or two at the house.  Anyway, a few weeks and a zillion dollars later, here we are.
Our first stop after leaving Alaska was Olympia, Washington, where we got to be a part of my brother in law's lovely wedding.  Being in that area, Eric and I both had to stop ourselves from wishing we could just stop the trip there and live there for a few years.  It was a really neat area that felt good deep down for both of us.  That wandering spirit in us both is still adjusting, I suppose.  The wedding took place on someone's home property, surrounded by many gardens, an enormous coop of chickens, and all kinds of other fun things.  It was a really nice vacation, and it felt so good to be in the lower 48 and feel some true summer weather.  We continued on our way to Iowa, and since Eric would still be driving for a few more days I stayed with my sisters a couple of hours away for a few days.  It was so nice to spend time with them and see all the little cousins together.  The temperatures down here are HOT, but I couldn't help but be impressed with the fact that I handled it well.  I think I've been craving some summer so badly, that I wasn't about to complain, even if that meant 105 degrees for a few days. Despite all the fun, I was itching for a bed to call my own, to get Henry back to his routine and his own bed, and see some of our things again.  Lugging around multiple enormous duffle bags for days had gotten old.  As had the musical beds (5 in the course of a week!)
We got to the new house a week ago today, though it feels like only a few days.  I keep telling everyone "well we've only been here four days!" before they remind me that it's been a full week. I guess it has just been a lot to keep up with, and we are taking our sweet time settling in.  Not intentionally, really.  Coming with only the neccesseties, we essentially started from square one.  We needed to find furniture first off, but we are keeping the budget pretty tight since it cost us so much to get down here.  Luckily that meant taking a trip to Eric's family's farm and rummaging through all of the old pieces that belonged to his grandparents and family.  We found some really neat old things that we were able to move in.  I also did some Craigslist hunting and have a few re-purposing projects to do (should be interesting...) , along with buying some things new.  Point of the story- there's a lot of work to do!  This sort of things stresses me out, as it's always nice to feel settled and at home which makes it difficult when getting there is slow.  But I have to remind myself that though the process is a slow one, it's a chance to start fresh and that's very exciting.  I have many more thoughts on what's next from here (more house things, work/school etc.) and more from these past few weeks, but I don't want to start back with an enormous novel so I'll leave it at that for tonight.  I'm thankful we all made it here safe and sound, and from here on out my goad is to go with the flow and try not to freak out with all of the change, uncertainty, etc.  So far so good, as there is much to figure out but so far we are all dealing quite well.  Henry, especially.  He has amazed me with his flexibility through all of this change.  I think he's happier now that we're back to our routine (just in a very, very different place) but he managed so well the entire time.  We are grateful for that!
I'm stopping for real now.  Just a few pictures over the last few weeks:

Off they go, from Alaska to Iowa, with everything we own now.  Goodbye old belongings!

This is what I've carried with me for weeks. Ugh. 

Our first day in WA, enjoying sun with his Amma and Uncle J

This was a special night for us.  Staying up late to play in the fountain. 

These are the moments I've been waiting for.  All of those fun activities you can do when it's warm out!

Wedding day!  The bride (my new sister in law!)'s parents brought us these outfits from India.

A much needed sister date. Which luckily won't be so rare from now on. 

Yes, definitely IOWA! The corn box at the county fair was a hit tonight.