Choose Your Own Adventure
The sky this morning as I drove to the house for the last time.
Oh, hey there. It’s been a minute.
We’ve been a little busy. (She said exhaustedly as she downed her third cup of coffee before 8:00am).
It is stunning how swiftly the universe launches into action when your intentions are clear. Things. Are. HAPPENING.
The house is sold. We’re all packed up. The plan was to leave on Labor Day, but that has turned into the day before Labor Day since the heat apocalypse is currently descending on Vegas and we are OVER IT.
I actually don’t have a lot to share in this post, other than to let you know that we are still alive and are ready to hit the road! The last few weeks have been filled with what you would expect when a chapter is wrapping up-
Me: Lovingly, and painstakingly moving through every room. Holding each item in my hand, asking it six questions before making a decision on what to do with it. Do you spark joy? Do I need you? If I do need you, are you coming in the RV? How much do you weigh? Will you fit anywhere? If I don’t need you, should you go to storage or be somewhere accessible in case I decide I do need you? Will someone please bring me more coffee? Ooh, there are my high school yearbooks! Let’s flip through those for three hours!
Repeat scene with EVERY SINGLE ITEM IN OUR HOUSE.
Brent: Standing directly behind me, breathing down my neck with box in hand and crazed look in his eye: What can I pack? Is this pile ready? Where are these things going? Put the yearbook down. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST LET ME PACK THE THINGS.
End scene.
As you can see, it’s going well.
The good news is, we’re done and ready to go, and our marriage is still intact. Yay us!
We even had time to escape to Utah for a week, which was a much needed respite from the heat and packing.
We camped at Duck Creek for the first few nights, which we loved. We’ve spent time near that area in Brian Head and Panguitch, but had never been to Duck Creek and it was lovely. We rented a Polaris for a day and zoomed around exploring trails; we all had a blast and it felt so good to be back in the woods.
The Duck Creek Campground is beautiful, nice big wooded spots, plenty of privacy, lots of wildlife. Two little mice critters even made their way into our RV in the middle of the night, which gave Ziggy the opportunity to earn his keep. I woke up to what can only be described as a “kerfluffle.” Upon investigation, I found Ziggy with the mouse trapped in the stair well, playfully batting it around. Turns out, Ziggy is very good at catching mice, but not great at finishing the job. He prefers to play with his prey. Cute to watch, but not so great in the long run. Fortunately Brent came in with the assist, and when it happened again the next night, Ziggy proved his usefulness for a second time. Mouse traps have now been purchased, and fortunately no other incidents to report. Well done, Zigs.
After Duck Creek we met up with our dear friends the Flynns at Zion Ponderosa Ranch. We’ve been coming to this spot for years, and always have a blast. There is so much for the kids to do, and the location is stunning.
The Flynns are like family to us (Framily, as we like to say), so getting to spend a little extra quality time with them before we hit the road felt so good. Brent and John have been friends since the Air Force Academy, and they were roommates in Seattle when we met 16 years ago. John was reassigned and moved away shortly after that, so I didn’t get to know Christi very well until they relocated to Vegas a few years ago. Since then she has become one of my dearest friends, and our kids all love each other like siblings. Olive and their daughter Scarlett are especially close, and were in the same preschool class together.
Moving away from all of our friendships is hard, but everyone knows how difficult it is to find other families that you gel with on every level. When you find those families, it is pure magic. I’m not going to dwell on the sadness, because the best part about those deep connections is that they continue to exist even through distance and time. So, just consider this a love letter to all of our dear friends that fall into the “Framily” category. Unfortunately with COVID we haven’t been making the rounds to see everyone before we go, but you know who you are. You are loved beyond measure, and will be deeply missed.
I’ll end this post with a handful of pictures I will describe as “scenes from a move.” Just some random snapshots from our final days here. My sweet tennis friends gave me a lovely send-off, complete with a photo book from our adventures together. Another reminder of just how much community we have created here, and how much love surrounds us.
I am getting a lot of questions asking where we are headed from here, and the honest answer is, that could change at any minute! I seriously feel like I’m living in a Choose Your Own Adventure novel. Which path will they choose? Where will they go?! I can’t wait to find out along with all of you!
Up until yesterday, the plan was to head straight up to Wyoming to hit Teton and Yellowstone since we had to skip it when we went through that area in July (too busy, couldn’t find a place to stay). We’re still planning on heading that direction, but made a snap decision to go to Bend, Oregon first. Our intent was to hit Bend on the way back down to Vegas at the end of our summer trip, and since we cut it short to hightail home and sell the house, Bend got the boot. I was feeling really sad about missing it since we probably wouldn’t take the RV back up there until the Spring (trying to avoid snow/ice at all costs), so we squeezed it back into the itinerary. So that’s the tentative plan for now, but we are freewheeling crazy kids and reserve the right to change our minds at any moment. Choosing our own adventure, and ready to go. Love you all so much, thank you for the overwhelming support and encouragement, we can definitely feel you cheering us on along the way!
In Joy, Truth, & Love,
~lisa
