So for those of you who read my other blog or follow my tweets (yep, I'm on Twitter now and even though my username is wazotweets, implying a more direct connection to my other pursuits, not surprisingly, I find myself tweeting - or is it "twit"? - about Elias and related events quite a lot), you know that the family and I are headed west this summer. Neal and I moved to Boston almost four years ago to attend grad school. So now, "masters" that we are, and with the added bonus of a soon-to-be toddler, we are headed "home" - or, the closest my chronically itchy feet have ever felt to being rooted. Oakland is our goal but the greater East Bay is our general target.
I feel pretty good about our decision, even though I always imagined we'd eventually move because of a job (preferably one that paid for our move). I won't go into all the details but Neal's job is flexible as far as location, which freed us up from the nagging obligation to "make it work" here in Boston, a city that we've enjoyed for the past four years but has never felt like home. It's a strange situation to be in, theoretically able to go anywhere. When you can go anywhere, what influences that decision? Family, weather, opportunity, affordability? Even though it breaks my heart to, once again, be 3000+ miles away from my big brother and his family, we're betting on California providing the best possible balance of all of those elements.
Anyway, the timing of the release of Sam Mendes' film Away We Go couldn't be more perfect. Check out the trailer:
Looks pretty great, don't you think? My favorite part, of the trailer, at least, is when Maya Rudolph's character says, "All we can do is be good for this one baby. We don't have control over much else." That sentiment is both reassuring and overwhelming.
So, just how do you move your two-bedroom apartment chock full of stuff, your parental selves, your soon-to-be toddler, your hoopdie of a car that you never dreamed would make it back across the country, and your two highly neurotic cats 3000 miles away in less than two months time? Well, for starters, you unload the cats onto your mother-in-law who's coming to visit for your son's first birthday in less than three weeks. While I'll have Elias all to myself for five days and nights, Neal has the daunting task of returning to California, by plane, with his Mom and their feline carry-on, setting them up with her temporarily, and then driving a couple of hours to the Bay Area to snag a new pad for us. Assuming that all works out as planned, the three of us will follow, stuff and car shipped separately, two to three weeks later.
Piece of cake, right?
4 comments:
Oh my gosh - it is really happening. I have been so wrapped up with Uncle Tom's cataract surgery on both eyes and being in Carson City for a month I have not been blogging. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for a very smooth transition back to the west coast. You guys will do it!!!!
Thanks, Kay! It is really happening - just booked our mid-July, one-way seats from Boston to Oakland today! Yikes! Ready or not, here we come!
What date is your flight so I can start my countdown :)
By the way, I had to resist the urge to buy a t-shirt for elias that showed a picture of an airplane and said "Congratulations, you get to sit next to me"
July 16! Did I not email you with that information immediately after booking?! :) The t-shirt sounds cute, although we splurged and bought a third seat for Elias. I honestly cannot imagine that kid sitting on my lap for five hours! At least the carseat in the third seat will give us another option and a place where he might actually snooze. But I'm sure he'll still find ways to "charm" his neighbors :)
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