We made it!

Last Saturday we packed up the car and started the drive out of Minnesota.

Why do we have so much stuff???

How strange to cross the border into Wisconsin and not know when we might return.  The drive to Atlanta was uneventful, although we did see a few interesting sights along the way.

I don't know what it is either

We even took a few minutes to stop by Antique Archaeology in Nashville (we love American Pickers!).

At Antique Archaeology in Nashville

On Monday we made it to the Atlanta area to visit friends.  The Little Scoot did awesome in the car, but it was still a relief to be able to get out of the car for a while.

The Little Scoot entertaining himself

But after a few days we decided to press on, spending Friday in Jacksonville to take a look at the beaches and scout out a few possible places to live.

The Coffee Queen: On a beach again at last!

And now we're down in Cocoa Beach, our home for now.  More to come!

This Is It

So, yesterday the moving trailer was packed.  I guess that makes it official: we're headed to Florida!

Why do we have so much stuff???

Thanks to the Coffee Queen's wisdom, we hired the excellent guys of Phil and Ted's Excellent Moving Adventure to back the trailer.  As Coffee Queen pointed out, everyone we know is ten years older than the last time we moved (including us).  I have to admit, I enjoyed sitting on the deck and watching other people do all the heavy lifting (literally).

We're now down to what items we can fit in the car, living in an otherwise empty house.  I remember ten years ago when the house was empty - an emptiness filled with possibilities.  We could do anything with the house that we wanted.  And we did.

This is a different kind of emptiness - the emptiness of goodbye.  This house has been our home for a long time and it's strange to think that very, very soon those years will all be behind us.

Last night I went to Jane's workshop and listened to the stories of my fellow Muskrats for the last time.  Tonight we got together with some good friends for dinner.  More goodbyes.

With Jane and the Muskrats.  That should be a band.

But not forever.  We'll come back to visit, and the people we know will visit us.  I will exchange stories with the Muskrats by email.  Florida, here we come.

I Hate Moving

Really, I just don't like it.  Sure, I'm excited about this new phase in our lives, the new adventures in store, taking a leap into the unknown.  When it comes moving even when I'm excited to get to the other side, I don't like the process itself.  Perhaps you can see why:

The chaos of boxes, packing tape, and bubble wrap.  And, of course, anything I need is in the box I just packed.

As the Coffee Queen will tell you, I usually prefer one large task to a dozen small tasks, even if the small tasks together will take less time.  Moving is a hundred small tasks, so, really, not my favorite activity.

I have to remind myself of what's on the other side of this process.  I think about living close to the beach, in a warm climate where I can ride the scooter all year long.  I think about the Coffee Queen, the Little Scoot, and I finding a small beach bungalow someday.  Maybe even being in a neighborhood again where we can walk to most of what we need (one of the things the Coffee Queen and I loved about living in Highland Park after we were first married).  I will miss this house, especially after all the sweat and tears we've put into making it the best home we could, but as the boxes pile up, the walls become bare, I realize something: a house is just one big piece of stuff.  Any house can be a home, and, more importantly, any house can be our home.

Moving day is getting close now.  We made great progress on packing this weekend, so I feel good about being ready for the movers (we decided to splurge on having someone else load the trailer).  Then, once we officially close on the house, it'll be time to load up the car and point it south.  I'll be sad to leave, but I can't wait to see what new adventures God has in store for us.  And I can't wait to be done packing boxes.

A New Adventure

So, once again, I've been remiss in posting for a while.  But in my defense it's because the Coffee Queen and I have been cooking up another of our hair-brained schemes.

We've decided to move to Florida.

When people ask us why, we joke about the weather, of course, and how this last winter finally did us in.  It's true that we've reached a point where we're done with the cold, the snow, and needing a half hour to bundle everyone up just to go to Target.  But there's more to it than that.  We need a new adventure.  I know I've been feeling the nudge for some time to take a leap, to step out into the unknown and trust that God will put some kind of solid ground out to meet us.  Last week we sold the house, our home of almost ten years.  I spent a frantic few days trying to find an affordable moving option and figure out other such details, and one by one they're all clicking into place.

Today I packed the first box.

The hardest part of all this has been telling the people we know.  It tore my heart out to tell everyone at the writer's workshop, a place I couldn't imagine choosing to leave.  There's always a reason to stay, always people left behind when you go, but sometimes you have to let one chapter end in order to start a new one.  I don't know quite what this next one will hold, but the Coffee Queen and I both know it's time to take the next step.

So here's to new horizons, new opportunities, and to whatever else God throws our way.  More posts to come, I promise.

As for the Little Scoot, he's excited to be going back to the beach.  His great-grandfather bought him a shark bucket.  Really, what more could a little boy ask for?

Flood Run

Last Saturday was the spring Flood Run, a motorcycle run along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border that takes place twice a year and benefits Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare where I work.  I did most of the run back in the fall of 2012, but between weather and other events I hadn't really been able to participate since.  Thankfully we had some nice weather on Saturday, if a little nippy to start.

The run starts at the Beach Bar in Lake St. Croix Beach, so I headed there first to buy my wristband and meet up with some of my co-workers.  No sooner do I arrive than this guy comes up to me saying, "We've been looking for you!"

Now, keep in mind this event draws in the hardcore biker crowd.  I mean the Harley-riding, black leather kind of crowd.  Look at the photo on the right.  Does that sound like me?  No, not a bit.

So this guy, Pat, proceeds to explain how he saw me back in 2012.  At first he thought it was a bit, but then he kept seeing me further down the run, and whenever he would tell someone about me I would show up.  So there he is on Saturday telling some other people about this guy from 2012 and who do you think rolls in?  Yep.  Never let it be said I don't have great timing.  Pat had been looking for me since 2012 and was thrilled to finally meet me in person.  A few others (including Brian Zepp, one of the DJs from KQRS) came up as well, so of course we had to grab some photos.

Amy, Brian Z., me, another Brian, Darlis, Becky, and Dr, Atomic

I'd no idea I'd made such an impression.  I really appreciated the warm welcome, and it's always fun to meet some new folks.  And we had a great ride on Saturday.  The weather was in the 40s to start, but it warmed up nicely as the day went on.  By the time I made it down to Winona, the end of the run, the sun was shining and the temperature had reached the 70s.  In 2012 I didn't quite make it all the way to the end, so I determined that this year I would.

Dr. Atomic in Winona, the southern end of the run

And it sounds like I was spotted more than once along the way (scroll down and look for a familiar bike!).  So thanks to everyone at the Flood Run for helping make it a great event, not to mention supporting Gillette's mission.

Heading back north with a brief stop in Maiden Rock, WI

Spring thaw

Recently, while sweeping ice out of the garage, I found this little fellow.  He was, I suppose, caught unawares by the cold months ago.  He still looked beautiful, however, and it didn't seem right that he should be swept out without at least taking a moment.  What the spring thaw reveals.

Toddler with a Camera: Part 2

The Little Scoot got hold of my phone again.

I was instructed to sleep.  He discovered square mode.

Little Scoot also likes playing with the iPhone filters

He thought this was hilarious.  Ruff.

Then he wanted me to stand with my arms crossed.  I'm not sure why.