In Transition

For a moment, we're taking a break. Patrick and Caleb are napping and I am thinking about what to eat for lunch. Our apartment is looking bare. And it's all because we're in the midst of packing. What a life experience it is! Now that I think about it, moving deserves a Life Token (you know the little pieces you get in the game of Life when you do something noteworthy) much like having your first garage sale.

The things we've been thinking about during this process are: Where will we live; How will we move especially now that we have a baby; Where do you find boxes for packing; How many boxes does it take to move a three-year-married-with-baby couple; How do you work out the timing between a moving company and a family; How will we keep a 10-month-old entertained for three days in the car; What will we do with ourselves for the week between when our stuff is taken and we're still here; Probably more importantly, what will we do with ourselves for the days between when we arrive and our stuff arrives; What sorts of stuff will we need to buy before we leave Utah and what sorts of stuff will we need to buy after we arrive in Virginia; How much do we need to budget for that stuff; What will Patrick's orientation week be like; What will our next year, three years, four years, summers, ten years be like; How will we get to the temple in D.C. once we don't have family and close friends to watch our son; How will we manage to see everything we want to see out East (especially in Virginia, and especially in Williamsburg of course); What do we want to see here in Utah before we leave for many, many years; What will we do without our amazing support network we've built up here; How will we help Caleb manage the transition and how will we manage it ourselves; and, well, there's so much besides that!

Some of those thoughts sound concerned, but mostly, to be honest, we're really, really excited. Someone warned us to be patient with each other while going through the process of moving, but so far we haven't been especially tense with each other. We've ended up dividing up responsibilities fairly naturally and helping each other a lot during these last couple of days especially. I know we're both sort of nervous, but more than anything we are looking forward to our next big adventure. Wish us luck!