It's the worst part of moving, saying good-bye to friends. Chris' last week of work is this week, and I had the opportunity to attend his going away lunch in Mio. It was obvious that many folks there are going to really miss him, and that the feeling is mutual. I haven't worked a paying job since we moved here, so I won't be doing THOSE good-byes, but I have gotten to know quite a few of Chris' co-workers, as well as friends here in town, and will miss them a lot. One thing about Forest Service, or BLM, or any work organization that often requires its employees to live and work in places that are often away from family is that they become part of your family. Other friends and neighbors in the community as well become family. Those are the folks you can really count on to watch kids in emergencies, take care of pets, houses, and often they're the folks you share holiday meals with. They send you flowers when you're feeling blue, send you flowers when you get a new job. They lend you tools, share their home-made jam with you, plow your drive way when you're off visiting your "blood" family. That's what I'll miss the most. Friends. It's hard, but in this day and age, it's so much easier to keep in touch. I hope all of you will.
One new twist this time around is that my kids will also be leaving good friends behind. Last time we moved they were only 6 and 8, but now they're old enough to also want to keep in touch. I told them I'd take the leap of faith and get them both email accounts. (yikes!). They'll be monitored initially (ie until they're 25), but at their ages, it'll be important to give them lots of opportunity to call and write. I hate pulling the kids away from their school and their friends, but we're moving to Pendleton with the intentions of staying there quite a while. We realize it'll be much harder for them to move as they get even older.
Lastly, I'll be saying good-bye briefly to Chris soon as he makes his second cross-country trip out there to start his job. We still are waiting for a date for the house closing in Pendleton, but so far things are going smoothly. The house appraisal takes place today, so we should know soon when we'll be able to take possession of the house. We'll keep you posted. Until then, good-bye!
2 comments:
I'm glad things are going smoothly with the move. Chris P has been occasionally (sp?) updating us at work, but now I can keep up with you myself (assuming I keep up on my internet usage). How is all going with your Michigan house? How long will you have to stay there after Chris moves to Pendleton? I hope things continue to progress well, and you'll have to let us ORegonians know when your back in town! :P
Hi Michelle! Thanks for stopping by! We just heard that the bank and realtor in Pendleton are hoping to close by the end of next week. So we're hoping we can be moved out of here by the end of October. The MI house has yet to be seen by any potential buyers here :-( It's been on the market for 5-6 weeks now. We'll be paying 2 mortgages for a while, but hopefully not too long. Who knows, maybe I'll be looking for another lab job in Pendleton..... Hope all's well with you!
Post a Comment