How was the trip?

These last three weeks have been a taste of what life will be like for the Richmond missionaries from now on, I think.

I spent the first week of February packing up our stuff getting ready for the move. Try sorting things like this; one box to give to our kids to use, one box of things to take to Africa, and one box for storage to keep. That at is how I tackled each space. And then I always had a goodwill/throw away pile which was my favorite. I am not a keeper but Ron is, so that made for interesting conversations.

Then on Feb 11th we had several friends come pack the moving truck. Those helping had a chance to 'shop' through our give away things too. Having young strong guys carrying was the way to go, and it only took 2 hours. That night Ron got the privilege to baptise a new friend which was a great ending to 2 1/2 years of living in the Northeast.

On the 12th after spending the night with friends, we finished last minute cleaning of the condo, had one last seafood lunch overlooking the sound, Ron got a haircut, then drove north of Seattle and sold the van, loaded the car on a carrier, and at 5pm we headed out of town saying goodbye to the beautiful wet country where we got to live for part of our lives.

We had a steady safe trip through all sorts of weather and got into Denver the morning of the 15th without too many disagreements on when to stop for food or bathroom breaks. Stopping is a challenge when you are in a 16 ft truck pulling a car and really can't back up. On the road we had Valentine's dinner in Laramie WY, a college town, at an Applebee's watching all the dates coming in and out. That brought back memories.

Once here we moved most of our furniture into the downtown apartment our kids have. What they did not want we put in a 7 x 15 ft storage unit. Now the rest of this week we are adjusting to living out of a suitcase for what will probably be several months. We also organized our office in a small plastic box in the back of our car and it works pretty well. Funny what a person can do if they need to.

So, how was the trip? It was a great time of thinking back and looking ahead, time to let go of some things and make room for new things. And of course when you are with Ron, time for lots of laughter.