The Final Countdown!

We’re definitely in that awkward stage right now of being in the US, but not really being here, just waiting around for the final trip. We moved out of our house in Bend three weeks ago, and have spent quite a bit of time staying at my in-laws’ house in Silverton, with day trips to Portland and Olympia. We had some friends lend us their house near Vancouver, WA for three days while they were gone, and I spent the better part of a week in Chicago with my brother and his family. So, we’ve been all over the place! Right now, we’re at another brother’s empty house in Olympia, squatting here for the week. We’ll make our way back toward Portland tomorrow, then have an overnight trip to Bend to tie up some loose ends there. After that, we’ll be back in Silverton, once again making a few one-hour drives to Portland, then we’ll take the last two nights in a hotel in Portland before we leave the morning of the 31st. All of this driving and meandering will surely put us in a thankful mindset for staying in the hotel for two weeks when we arrive in England, since it will feel more like stability than anything in the last month!

We did this last year, but it was so different. Last year, we slept in our house until the very last day, and left from our own home to the airport. The evening before our flight, we had all of our friends over for a potluck in our yard, and gave away the last of our belongings to them. It was a really sweet send-off, and it all felt so much more significant. This time, we’re pretty much literally waiting around. We packed our three suitcases when we left Bend, and have essentially been traveling since then, never in one place for more than a week straight. The places we’ve been able to stay have all been somewhat removed from places where we’d be able to get together with friends. This time around, we are not leaving anything remotely stable. We may be more aware of the challenges ahead of as we make the big move now, but both Jeff and I feel so anxious to get to the next stage of life, where we get to stay a while, unpack, put pictures on the walls, get to know our neighbors, etc. It’s been five months since we left Germany, which is almost as long as we lived there (we were there for 7 months.)  I am seriously looking forward to a sense of routine, and to be able to just spend time in a quiet home, making it our own. Jeff is eager to go to work again, and Amelia can’t wait to start school in about a month. We are so ready!

You may be wondering what we actually DO during the days of this part of the transition. We keep trying to sell stuff. Like our car, which we are desperately hoping someone will buy this week. Or books or clothes– anything we can get rid of, we do. We won’t be using a storage unit this time around, so we have some boxes at Jeff’s parents’ house, but we are trying to pare that pile down as well. We spend a lot of time online, looking at houses in the areas near Jeff’s work. This part is really fun! After not having a permanent place for so long, it feels almost like a dream to think that we will get to live in one of these sweet homes. We’re trying to wrap up any unfinished business here, and trying to make plans to see friends. We are also just trying to get out and enjoy the sun while it’s shining!

Portland in the summertime.

I can hardly wait to report on our first impressions when we arrive!