Day One: Leaving Cleveland

I knew going into our last week in Cleveland that I would be more emotional than I had previously anticipated.  I was an emotional wreck, meanwhile Kraig was feeling nothing but excitement.  I attribute this to the fact that I could see nothing past July 26th- the day we'd be leaving- while all Kraig could think about was how amazing it would feel to finally be living in Portland.  He was excited about the road trip, whilst I was dreading the monotony of it as well as the possible extreme crankiness of a stir crazy toddler.  We were on complete opposite ends of the emotional spectrum- which worked out well in hindsight.

Kraig was still working his normal schedule our last week in Ohio, so Owen and I tried our best to be productive while he was gone and once he was home again we'd have a marathon of cleaning, packing, and errands.



It.  Was.  Crazy.



Packing our entire house and preparing for a cross-country road trip/ move was far more work than we'd anticipated.  Moving down the street is much, much easier!  We were busy shipping boxes via Media Mail, UPS, and finally AMTRAK, as well as loading our car for the trip.  We also had random errands to run, people to see, and things to wrap up in Ohio before we left.  Thankfully it all got done and we were fully ready to leave come Monday morning.  Though it was craziness for a week, we felt like a well-oiled machine once we finally took off.  Things were packed well, our car was organized, and we had everything we needed.  Loose ends in Cleveland were taken care of and we don't feel like we could have done it any better.  We are Type A, you know.  This is what we do best!  Plan, organize, plan, organize.

the car, packed with boxes to ship via AMTRAK

Saying goodbye was as to be expected.  I think it was more difficult for those friends and family that we were leaving than it was for us.  We know deep down that living in Portland is and has been our deepest desire for such a long time.  We knew when we visited Portland in October that we were home- that Cleveland was a temporary perch and we were truly Portlanders that were born in the Midwest.  We knew that it was a place where we could really put down our roots and give Owen the upbringing and values that we hoped.  So, saying goodbye was, as we knew, just "goodbye for now".  We would get used to life on a different coast, and would work out what it looks like to live 2500 miles away from our families and friends.  Most of all, we knew we'd be happier in Portland than anywhere else and that was the most important thing.

Still, leaving the house where we brought Owen home from the hospital, where he learned to walk and talk, and where we made so many memories was difficult (for me, not for Kraig).  Leaving the place where I know where I am going and where I am at is difficult.  I've never lived outside of Ohio, so stepping that far outside of my comfort zone was and is a bit daunting.  I'm sure it will be exciting, and maybe even easier than I imagine, but it doesn't make the leap any easier.

So, off we go to the West Coast.  We are sure that we will never again be Ohioans, but are thankful for the time we had there.  We're going to miss so many of the people there, but we know the world is smaller than it seems.

Goodbye, for now.