Okay, so I packed the camera cables to upload photos, and the internet connection is going out tomorrow. I wanted to write a long post about how I felt packing up the house, and this being the last night I'll sleep in the house I gave birth in (which feels weird to me). But, there's no time, and no pictures to describe.
We are heading out! Well, Paul is anyway. I am going to Hamburg to stay with my in-laws for a week, where the dial up is in full effect. So, I will try to update, but may not be able to for a while.
Things are stressful, crazy, exciting and SNOWY.
Our house is about 95% empty, and while Paul is reading to Henry to get him nice and sleepy, I'm packing the kitchen rapidly.
In a minute, I'll go up and nurse Henry off to sleep and then resume the furious pack/stow/tape/label process once again.
As soon as I can, I'll write another post. Moving always feels scary to me, but I am sure that once it's over and we're settling in, I'll be back to my regular old self again.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
A case of "the sads"
So, I've been feeling really down about leaving. I know it's going to be a really good change for our family, but I am going to miss all my people here in southern Michigan. I'm hopeful that folks will come to visit us once we're settled into our own place...the UP is a great vacation spot in the warm months and in the autumn.
I'm also feeling a bit overwhelmed by keeping all the balls in the air...packing, sorting, donating, organizing, and cleaning; all while continuing to have an operating kitchen, laundry and playspace for Henry. We'll pack his toy room and the kitchen at the last minute, along with Henry's diapers,etc and our clothes. We need some groceries, so I'm trying to plan exactly what I'll use this week. Maybe someone will be open to getting a donation of perishables when we go...Joel, perhaps? There won't be much...maybe some condiments and such. Our big freezer of meat and produce will travel with the moving truck and hopefully arrive in the UP icy cold and intact.
I'm also feeling weird about Paul being gone a week ahead of us. Henry and I are going to stay with Paul's folks in Hamburg during the week we're still remaining behind. That way, they can help me with Henry, and care for him on the two days I'll be going to work that week (his first time being "babysat"). I am very comfortable with them, for sure. But, it will be the first time I've stayed at their house for more than a day. And, it's the first time Paul will be away from Henry (or me, for that matter) for any length of time. And the first time Henry stays with someone other than me or Paul. I just hope all goes smoothly and there are no major calamities. The planner in me is feeling a little uncomfortable with all of this uncertainty, but life is uncertain, right?
I'm also feeling...like I'm saying "I'm also feeling" too much! (Insert self-deprecating laugh and eye roll here).
Lots of stuff still on the checklist:
1. Get a large crate for the cats and a small litter pan to travel
2. Purge everyone's clothing, pack the non-essentials
3. Creatively use the remaining food so as to pack and transport as little as possible
4. Figure out who, when and how as far as me and Henry heading up north on the 5th...maybe with my mom? My sister? Both?
5. Cash flow
6. Tie up loose ends at work
Etc. etc. etc.
The packing goes on, the trailer is getting loaded and things are starting to seem really real.
I'm also feeling a bit overwhelmed by keeping all the balls in the air...packing, sorting, donating, organizing, and cleaning; all while continuing to have an operating kitchen, laundry and playspace for Henry. We'll pack his toy room and the kitchen at the last minute, along with Henry's diapers,etc and our clothes. We need some groceries, so I'm trying to plan exactly what I'll use this week. Maybe someone will be open to getting a donation of perishables when we go...Joel, perhaps? There won't be much...maybe some condiments and such. Our big freezer of meat and produce will travel with the moving truck and hopefully arrive in the UP icy cold and intact.
I'm also feeling weird about Paul being gone a week ahead of us. Henry and I are going to stay with Paul's folks in Hamburg during the week we're still remaining behind. That way, they can help me with Henry, and care for him on the two days I'll be going to work that week (his first time being "babysat"). I am very comfortable with them, for sure. But, it will be the first time I've stayed at their house for more than a day. And, it's the first time Paul will be away from Henry (or me, for that matter) for any length of time. And the first time Henry stays with someone other than me or Paul. I just hope all goes smoothly and there are no major calamities. The planner in me is feeling a little uncomfortable with all of this uncertainty, but life is uncertain, right?
I'm also feeling...like I'm saying "I'm also feeling" too much! (Insert self-deprecating laugh and eye roll here).
Lots of stuff still on the checklist:
1. Get a large crate for the cats and a small litter pan to travel
2. Purge everyone's clothing, pack the non-essentials
3. Creatively use the remaining food so as to pack and transport as little as possible
4. Figure out who, when and how as far as me and Henry heading up north on the 5th...maybe with my mom? My sister? Both?
5. Cash flow
6. Tie up loose ends at work
Etc. etc. etc.
The packing goes on, the trailer is getting loaded and things are starting to seem really real.
Monday, February 15, 2010
And so it begins
Oh my! A blog!
I wanted to begin a blog as our family begins a set of big(ger) changes. There's really no way to put everything in a nutshell, but here goes:
I was born and did some of my growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP), specifically in the Marquette area. We moved away when I was about 8, because my mom got married and her husband's job took us away from the UP. Eventually, I landed in Ann Arbor for college, and have been in the area ever since 1995. Much of my family remains in the UP, although my mom, sister and brother are in lower Michigan, about 2 hours away from where I live now in Ypsilanti.
I met my husband Paul through some friends. We knew each other casually, but then started dating in the spring of 2005. He went to college in the UP, and we started to talk about moving back to the UP "someday." The place appealed to us; it seemed clean, quiet and simple compared to the crowded Southeast Michigan scene. It's rather hard to come by an industrial electrician job in the UP, though, so we just kept it to "someday" for the longest time.
Paul and I got married in October of 2006, and have been living in Paul's house in Ypsilanti. In January 2009, I gave birth to Henry, our son. He was born at home, and has grown like a weed; we love him terribly. It's been a trip to become parents, and learn how to negotiate all the changes that come along with that. Our marriage has evolved. Our home life has evolved. Our friendships have evolved.
Here's a photo of us in January (actually, in the UP for Paul's job interview).
After Henry's arrival, we planned for me to be able to stay home from work and live on Paul's income. Unfortunately, he was laid off in May of 2009, right at the cusp of me having to let my manager know whether I'd return to work or not. I am a nurse in a hospital birth center, so I had some flexibility with my schedule. I've been working 2 twelve hour shifts weekly while Paul cares for Henry. Paul's been looking for work locally and not-so-locally. When the opportunity arose for a couple of jobs in the UP, we began to seriously consider taking a shot at moving north.
Two weeks ago, Paul was offered one of the jobs he interviewed for. It's not electrical work; he'll be a "track laborer" for a railroad line that runs iron ore from the mine to the ore docks in Marquette harbor on Lake Superior. He accepted, and we'll be moving north in the first week of March. My grandma, Aurelia, has invited us to stay with her in her big house in Negaunee. She's 93 and lives alone, so has plenty of room. This is such a blessing, as it will allow us to take our time to find a house to buy. I think it may be of help to her too, and give her some company...hopefully, not too overwhelming for her!
Obviously, this move is bittersweet. Paul's family lives near us now, and we see a lot of them. I see my mom and sister once a month or so, and will miss them a lot. I've made a lot of friends here in the last 15 years, and am pretty rooted in this community. However, we both are looking at this change as a "fresh start" of sorts; a chance to find a really suitable house for our family, have me home with our baby (and maybe make another baby), enjoy making new relationships and enjoying all that the beautiful UP has to offer.
I'd like to use this blog as a journal of sorts, and also a way to share our adventure with family and friends. I'll figure out how to spruce it up with photos and design soon, but for now, thanks for reading.
I wanted to begin a blog as our family begins a set of big(ger) changes. There's really no way to put everything in a nutshell, but here goes:
I was born and did some of my growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP), specifically in the Marquette area. We moved away when I was about 8, because my mom got married and her husband's job took us away from the UP. Eventually, I landed in Ann Arbor for college, and have been in the area ever since 1995. Much of my family remains in the UP, although my mom, sister and brother are in lower Michigan, about 2 hours away from where I live now in Ypsilanti.
I met my husband Paul through some friends. We knew each other casually, but then started dating in the spring of 2005. He went to college in the UP, and we started to talk about moving back to the UP "someday." The place appealed to us; it seemed clean, quiet and simple compared to the crowded Southeast Michigan scene. It's rather hard to come by an industrial electrician job in the UP, though, so we just kept it to "someday" for the longest time.
Paul and I got married in October of 2006, and have been living in Paul's house in Ypsilanti. In January 2009, I gave birth to Henry, our son. He was born at home, and has grown like a weed; we love him terribly. It's been a trip to become parents, and learn how to negotiate all the changes that come along with that. Our marriage has evolved. Our home life has evolved. Our friendships have evolved.
Here's a photo of us in January (actually, in the UP for Paul's job interview).
After Henry's arrival, we planned for me to be able to stay home from work and live on Paul's income. Unfortunately, he was laid off in May of 2009, right at the cusp of me having to let my manager know whether I'd return to work or not. I am a nurse in a hospital birth center, so I had some flexibility with my schedule. I've been working 2 twelve hour shifts weekly while Paul cares for Henry. Paul's been looking for work locally and not-so-locally. When the opportunity arose for a couple of jobs in the UP, we began to seriously consider taking a shot at moving north.
Two weeks ago, Paul was offered one of the jobs he interviewed for. It's not electrical work; he'll be a "track laborer" for a railroad line that runs iron ore from the mine to the ore docks in Marquette harbor on Lake Superior. He accepted, and we'll be moving north in the first week of March. My grandma, Aurelia, has invited us to stay with her in her big house in Negaunee. She's 93 and lives alone, so has plenty of room. This is such a blessing, as it will allow us to take our time to find a house to buy. I think it may be of help to her too, and give her some company...hopefully, not too overwhelming for her!
Obviously, this move is bittersweet. Paul's family lives near us now, and we see a lot of them. I see my mom and sister once a month or so, and will miss them a lot. I've made a lot of friends here in the last 15 years, and am pretty rooted in this community. However, we both are looking at this change as a "fresh start" of sorts; a chance to find a really suitable house for our family, have me home with our baby (and maybe make another baby), enjoy making new relationships and enjoying all that the beautiful UP has to offer.
I'd like to use this blog as a journal of sorts, and also a way to share our adventure with family and friends. I'll figure out how to spruce it up with photos and design soon, but for now, thanks for reading.
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