We Made It! First Leg of Trip: Michigan to Wyoming

After a two days of packing and driving we made it to my brother's place in Sheridan, WY! Tuesday morning Liz and I awoke nervous, and a little anxious, after four months, our final day of loading up and moving had finally arrived. Peering out the window we found a soft blanket of snow covering the ground. The moving company was set to deliver a 28' trailer to Liz's parents house sometime in the morning, and shortly after 9, I met it on the street as the driver struggled up the slick snowy hill. I warned the driver of the challenge he faced, backing the trailer down a long wooded driveway with a tricky curve just before reaching the garage. He plodded down the driveway slowly, getting out of his truck, inspecting, hopping back in. After repeating these steps multiple times he made it to the curve, and quickly discovered the challenge. The trailer came inches within at tree, snagged a cable line in the air, and spun his tires. Dave and I scrambled out of the way as we envisioned the cable snapping and coming at us like a whip.

Intelligently, the driver bailed, and ended up parking the trailer a little ways away from the house. It was a longer walk in the snowy conditions, but we made it work, and by early afternoon we were packed and set to go. Liz and her mother were on one end in the house, helping mastermind the operation. I'm not sure if you would consider them the little angels on your shoulder or... but they were there to remind us "that one's fragile!" Although we were limited to 8' of trailer space, it all fit! Dave was a huge help, finding ways to rig up dining room chairs and bikes with rope and bungee cords.

It was great to stay busy the whole day, keeping us distracted form the reality of having to say goodbye. I am consistently amazed at how blessed Liz and I are to have such amazing parents. The whole process of moving has been made so much easier because of their love and support, and this in turn also made it more difficult to leave. I would like to specially acknowledge both moms, aka Team Momma Bear. By the time we left we had in our car enough supplies to keep us fed and warm for a week-long blizzard. Liz and I had to quickly abandon the two bags for the snacks we had set out, and grabbed a laundry basket. Even though we had enough beef jerky, trail mix, treats, etc. to feed a small army, the first question my mom asked me as we neared Sheridan... "have you been hungry?" Before we left she also bought us what looked like a paint can, and was full of "survival candles" and matches. It seemed kind of silly at the time, but as night fell in western South Dakota I began to be much more appreciative. The darkness surrounded us like a dense fog, no moon light, star light, very few cars, and even the hundreds of Wall Drug billboards failed to have lights. As the roads got a little messy I made a mental note to thank Team Mom.

I'm going to skip some of the other details of our trip because you can find them on Liz's blog, but I thought I might include some info that she didn't.

Discoveries/Conclusions I have made since traveling with my beautiful wife...
- Never allow her to have a hand in choosing audio books. I should have know better after a Honeymoon plagued by Nicholas Sparks, and this trip' choice has the title of Friends, Lovers and Chocolate.
- Cheese and Reese's peanut butter cups make a very happy wife.
- I get very bored in the passenger seat, which leads me to clean, fidget, and be kind of a pest. (in her own words)
- Multiple blankets and pillows are needed for a happy wife. As we left from Chris' place in Chicago she quickly became unrecognizable in a nest of anything warm and fuzzy she could find.

So far, the plan is to leave for Langley Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, hopefully making it there for my first YL staff meeting. We can't wait to get to our new home, and I'm beyond excited to start working for YL.  More updates to come next week...