A year ago today, Karen and I got up early, picked up some pastries at Mekka in downtown Nevada City, loaded our animals into two cramped vehicles and left California.(Of course, I was blogging back then, so you can always read about Day 1 of our cross-country drive.)
But I feel like now's as good a time as any to look back at what a long, strange year it's been since we headed over Donner Pass with all the belongings we could fit into a rental truck and Karen's Honda.
At the time, we didn't really know where we were going. I was still in consideration for a job in Athens, Ga. I had turned down a job at one of the best papers in America, which I have not come to regret as much as I thought I would.
But we knew we were doing the right thing, even if the Georgia job didn't work out. (Which it didn't.) Our time out west was done, and we were both ready to be closer to our friends and family.
Living with my sister was meant to be a temporary fix...a few weeks, maybe. It ended up being nine months, but it was a great nine months. They sheltered us while we hunted for the next step in our careers. I worked full-time at the Barnes and Noble cafe while Karen worked at William-Sonoma. Then she was at the Wildlife Center and I was consulting. It was kind of a flurry of jobs that didn't give us enough security to settle on our own.
But in March, things just started to fall into place. I got my job at the ad agency, and Karen soon got her job at the Junior League. We bought our house and officially became independent adults -- again.
So yeah, it's strange to wake up on Oct. 31, 2006, drink coffee together in our house, look out at our yard-in-progress and then head to our jobs. Something tells me that a year from now, I won't have quite as many transitions to look back on. But you never know...
Bonus:
Here's a photo of me and friend Evan before we all went out to a huge Halloween party the other night. I'll probably throw on the old bobby cape again tonight. And no, that's not a euphemism.
3 comments:
Pregnant panda?!
I. Demand. Photos.
Thanks for bringing up the bitter memory of the Mekka pastries. Jonas ate both of mine while I made one last stop in downtown NC.
And how come a photo with you and Evan and not you and your wife made it into this blog entry? (No offense, Evan. You did look fabulous that night. But seriously, come on.)
Haven't uploaded any photos with you yet. I had that one sitting around and ready to link.
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