So Long New England
Dear Blog,
There is so much to say... Let me start from the beginning of this exciting and bewildering new chapter:
This story begins on June 6th when Evan pulled a crazy move and surprised me at the end of my work day for our 1 year anniversary. I wasn't expecting him until 9 that evening but there he was at 6 o'clock jumping the staff entrance wall to greet me as I walked out! He whisked me out to Gloucester to sit at the beach we visited the day we met and then off to dinner at a restaurant called Duckworth's Bistrot in east Gloucester Square. Getting surprised by Evan, seeing the ocean, the warm atmosphere of the restaurant, all of it culminated to make a magical evening. The restaurant was such a romantic little place with only a few tables, a bar in the back corner that could seat maybe five, some Christmas lights around the ceiling, and some truly delicious wine and seafood. Afterwards Evan even took me to the park where we sat on the swings our first day meeting. He pulled out an iPod and speaker so we could have a dance together before going home to tuck ourselves in with some tea and Game of Thrones. What a night! I am, needless to say, one very lucky woman.
The final days at work were a bit chaotic as we wrapped everything up and I made sure I left everything in good order. I had the most heart filling and equally heart wrenching goodbye with my coworkers and friends. The morning of my last day in the office we all gathered around a few I.T. hardware carts displaying a feast of donuts, bagels, coffee-cake, fruit, juice and coffee. Bob Wilson took photos with a neat Polaroid camera from his expansive vintage camera collection and the department gave me a huge card with a picture of Evan and I and El Paso on the front. I'm looking at it now. You guys are like family. I feel so fortunate to have gone out with so many laughs and kind words exchanged and friendships cemented. To all of you surrogate brothers and sisters and crazy uncles (I say that with love and you know who you are!) I hope you can picture me before you right now saying to you with all the muster in my heart, "Thank you. You are spectacular to me." And wait! I'm not done! Thank you for the pints and pizza at Punter's, thank you for laughing with me and putting up with me for nearly two years and for being the one real reason (besides the world class art) that I looked forward to the 9-5. I feel strange not being able to help you and nag you anymore so make sure you have plenty of tissues stocked in the supply cabinet, remember to sign the absence report on Thursdays and please laugh everyday and take care of each other, at least for me! Karen- if I somehow meet Josh Groban I'll tell him that he needs to get in touch with you. Katie- Just take what annoying vocalization skills you learned in our office, use them upstairs and I'm sure you'll get sent right back down! It's bound to work! XOXO
SO!
This marks the end of my 2 years living in Somerville, Massachusetts and 7 years total in New England. Everything was so whirlwind leading up to moving day that I hardly knew how I felt about it when it came. Looking back I might describe it as shock. There wasn't much sadness or joy for that matter. I would call it equal parts readiness and resolve. The whole week it had rained but somehow everything worked out. On Wednesday the 13th, Evan's dad, uncle and sister Cait helped me move the boxes out of my place and into the U-haul we rented. It was the only day that week that the sun was shining and there was a cool breeze. With their help we finished loading things up in no time and once at the trailer terminal an hour away, we managed to save a lot of money by organizing my things in the back of a truck trailer. We were dusting off our hands and patting each other's backs with hours to spare before dinner! I'd like to thank the Cooper family for their hard work and good humor during the move- you folks are so generous and helpful, Evan and I couldn't have done it without you.
On the morning of Friday June 14th- our last day in my apartment- I woke to an alarm set for 7:50, threw on some sweatpants, a raincoat and my silver rain boots and let the latch catch softly behind me as I left to feed the meter for Evan's car. Three dollars later I, the impermeable woman, walked home past the barber shop, over a banana peel, around the corner of the apartment building and up the steps to the turquoise door. Inside I paused at the window before my empty little third floor studio and watched the morning commute unfold in Davis Square for the last time. Turning to my door with its brass #8, I shook out my umbrella and pried my feet from the tall boots, realizing that this was most likely the last time I'd see rain for quite some time. With 302 days of sunlight per year, El Paso, Texas is a dry, hot, city of the sun.
Before long Evan and I were both awake. We spent the day boxing the smaller "shippable" items left behind in kitchen cabinets and propped against the walls (a task which ended up being much more difficult than previously expected. My note to future self is, "Never leave anything to the last minute. Not even the 'easy' stuff." We gave away my remaining groceries, sold my microwave and A/C unit and lastly my mattress set and frame around 11:30 at night. When all was said and done we were driving our FIVE DUFFELS FULL of my things to Evan's mom's apartment in Malden, where we were going to spend our last Boston evening. After a quick shower we sank into that cloudy nest she'd made for us and dozed off for a good five hours of sleep before having to rise and make an early flight.
Now you're probably wondering why in god's name we had five duffels. Let's see: A deceivingly large amount of clothing that had been packed into a tiny closet, pots, pans, plates, odds, ends, shoes and goodness knows what else but thank god for Evan's ability to check a slew of bags for free because he's in the military. We carted those heavy things over to the skycap, said some sleepy but cheerful goodbyes to Evan's family at the curb (thank you AGAIN for all of your help!!!) and we were off on our first duo adventure!
Two flights and six hours later as our plane glided down onto the El Paso Airport's runway I was amazed again by all the red earth with its endless mounds of thorny brush tightly stippling the landscape as far as the eye could see. Because of these small, green-backed hills I like to call this place, "Land of the living Brillo Pads." With excitement I reminded myself that this was not another visit but the start of something entirely strange and new and that I was here to explore and build another home, this time with Evan. Once we made our way out of the airport and out into the hot Texan sun, the dry heat vaporized the spit right out of my mouth. It was 103 degrees and getting warmer if you ask me. Evan's friend and former barracks roommate, Dustin Akiona from the great state of Hawaii, met us there by the airport doors and helped us tote the duffels to Evan's car, baking somewhere off in the sea of glinting metal.
Once at our apartment complex it took a good chunk of the afternoon to sign the lease and even longer to find a new bed, which we financed from a Mattress Firm. Ugh... I feel so grown up. Evan's friend Chris Ball came and met us with his flatbed truck at the factory store over the mountains (sounds like a country song, doesn't it?) and together we roped up the deliciously soft memory-foam mattress and drove it back to the apartment. The rest of our day was spent trying to pull the basics together. We were exhausted. Sunday was equally tiring- rounding up more basic household necessities and cleaning up. By Wednesday the truckload of our/my things was delivered with frustrating damages only to my dresser which Evan repaired and I'm now painting, and sadly our flat screen TV. Perhaps we took a hit with that one, but I feel lucky nothing irreplaceable was lost. We now have a new Vizio and the apartment really feels like home.
There is so much to say... Let me start from the beginning of this exciting and bewildering new chapter:
This story begins on June 6th when Evan pulled a crazy move and surprised me at the end of my work day for our 1 year anniversary. I wasn't expecting him until 9 that evening but there he was at 6 o'clock jumping the staff entrance wall to greet me as I walked out! He whisked me out to Gloucester to sit at the beach we visited the day we met and then off to dinner at a restaurant called Duckworth's Bistrot in east Gloucester Square. Getting surprised by Evan, seeing the ocean, the warm atmosphere of the restaurant, all of it culminated to make a magical evening. The restaurant was such a romantic little place with only a few tables, a bar in the back corner that could seat maybe five, some Christmas lights around the ceiling, and some truly delicious wine and seafood. Afterwards Evan even took me to the park where we sat on the swings our first day meeting. He pulled out an iPod and speaker so we could have a dance together before going home to tuck ourselves in with some tea and Game of Thrones. What a night! I am, needless to say, one very lucky woman.
The final days at work were a bit chaotic as we wrapped everything up and I made sure I left everything in good order. I had the most heart filling and equally heart wrenching goodbye with my coworkers and friends. The morning of my last day in the office we all gathered around a few I.T. hardware carts displaying a feast of donuts, bagels, coffee-cake, fruit, juice and coffee. Bob Wilson took photos with a neat Polaroid camera from his expansive vintage camera collection and the department gave me a huge card with a picture of Evan and I and El Paso on the front. I'm looking at it now. You guys are like family. I feel so fortunate to have gone out with so many laughs and kind words exchanged and friendships cemented. To all of you surrogate brothers and sisters and crazy uncles (I say that with love and you know who you are!) I hope you can picture me before you right now saying to you with all the muster in my heart, "Thank you. You are spectacular to me." And wait! I'm not done! Thank you for the pints and pizza at Punter's, thank you for laughing with me and putting up with me for nearly two years and for being the one real reason (besides the world class art) that I looked forward to the 9-5. I feel strange not being able to help you and nag you anymore so make sure you have plenty of tissues stocked in the supply cabinet, remember to sign the absence report on Thursdays and please laugh everyday and take care of each other, at least for me! Karen- if I somehow meet Josh Groban I'll tell him that he needs to get in touch with you. Katie- Just take what annoying vocalization skills you learned in our office, use them upstairs and I'm sure you'll get sent right back down! It's bound to work! XOXO
SO!
This marks the end of my 2 years living in Somerville, Massachusetts and 7 years total in New England. Everything was so whirlwind leading up to moving day that I hardly knew how I felt about it when it came. Looking back I might describe it as shock. There wasn't much sadness or joy for that matter. I would call it equal parts readiness and resolve. The whole week it had rained but somehow everything worked out. On Wednesday the 13th, Evan's dad, uncle and sister Cait helped me move the boxes out of my place and into the U-haul we rented. It was the only day that week that the sun was shining and there was a cool breeze. With their help we finished loading things up in no time and once at the trailer terminal an hour away, we managed to save a lot of money by organizing my things in the back of a truck trailer. We were dusting off our hands and patting each other's backs with hours to spare before dinner! I'd like to thank the Cooper family for their hard work and good humor during the move- you folks are so generous and helpful, Evan and I couldn't have done it without you.
On the morning of Friday June 14th- our last day in my apartment- I woke to an alarm set for 7:50, threw on some sweatpants, a raincoat and my silver rain boots and let the latch catch softly behind me as I left to feed the meter for Evan's car. Three dollars later I, the impermeable woman, walked home past the barber shop, over a banana peel, around the corner of the apartment building and up the steps to the turquoise door. Inside I paused at the window before my empty little third floor studio and watched the morning commute unfold in Davis Square for the last time. Turning to my door with its brass #8, I shook out my umbrella and pried my feet from the tall boots, realizing that this was most likely the last time I'd see rain for quite some time. With 302 days of sunlight per year, El Paso, Texas is a dry, hot, city of the sun.
Before long Evan and I were both awake. We spent the day boxing the smaller "shippable" items left behind in kitchen cabinets and propped against the walls (a task which ended up being much more difficult than previously expected. My note to future self is, "Never leave anything to the last minute. Not even the 'easy' stuff." We gave away my remaining groceries, sold my microwave and A/C unit and lastly my mattress set and frame around 11:30 at night. When all was said and done we were driving our FIVE DUFFELS FULL of my things to Evan's mom's apartment in Malden, where we were going to spend our last Boston evening. After a quick shower we sank into that cloudy nest she'd made for us and dozed off for a good five hours of sleep before having to rise and make an early flight.
Now you're probably wondering why in god's name we had five duffels. Let's see: A deceivingly large amount of clothing that had been packed into a tiny closet, pots, pans, plates, odds, ends, shoes and goodness knows what else but thank god for Evan's ability to check a slew of bags for free because he's in the military. We carted those heavy things over to the skycap, said some sleepy but cheerful goodbyes to Evan's family at the curb (thank you AGAIN for all of your help!!!) and we were off on our first duo adventure!
Two flights and six hours later as our plane glided down onto the El Paso Airport's runway I was amazed again by all the red earth with its endless mounds of thorny brush tightly stippling the landscape as far as the eye could see. Because of these small, green-backed hills I like to call this place, "Land of the living Brillo Pads." With excitement I reminded myself that this was not another visit but the start of something entirely strange and new and that I was here to explore and build another home, this time with Evan. Once we made our way out of the airport and out into the hot Texan sun, the dry heat vaporized the spit right out of my mouth. It was 103 degrees and getting warmer if you ask me. Evan's friend and former barracks roommate, Dustin Akiona from the great state of Hawaii, met us there by the airport doors and helped us tote the duffels to Evan's car, baking somewhere off in the sea of glinting metal.
Once at our apartment complex it took a good chunk of the afternoon to sign the lease and even longer to find a new bed, which we financed from a Mattress Firm. Ugh... I feel so grown up. Evan's friend Chris Ball came and met us with his flatbed truck at the factory store over the mountains (sounds like a country song, doesn't it?) and together we roped up the deliciously soft memory-foam mattress and drove it back to the apartment. The rest of our day was spent trying to pull the basics together. We were exhausted. Sunday was equally tiring- rounding up more basic household necessities and cleaning up. By Wednesday the truckload of our/my things was delivered with frustrating damages only to my dresser which Evan repaired and I'm now painting, and sadly our flat screen TV. Perhaps we took a hit with that one, but I feel lucky nothing irreplaceable was lost. We now have a new Vizio and the apartment really feels like home.
Two years ago when I first moved to Boston I could never have predicted all of this. That's the funny thing about life, isn't it? I feel that now I'm out here I'm more confused by it as ever. But I'm glad for it. Starting new is a huge challenge. I'm still looking for work, battling some boredom during the day, facing old emotional demons that come back in the quiet space I have to think and reflect about the last couple years, and yet this will all build me up, I'm sure of it. I wake to the most wonderful man-my best friend-every morning and have seen the most amazing sunrises of my life. I've watched the sun set over the mountains, marveled at the vast amounts of sky and land, and I'm only beginning to rev up whatever stores of persistence, resilience, and drive that I have. I have time to decide what I want to do, who I want to be, what means the most to me. Taking a step back I see the friends who've been by my side all this time and I value them and their friendship more than ever. Every day is a fresh start- something I didn't feel so much when caught up in routine, and I'm grateful for this feeling and this challenge. I'm scared and I'm excited about where life will take me personally and where it will take Evan and I together.
Speaking of Ev- I think he knows but I'll write this here for him anyway- I am so inspired by his extraordinary strength, his ability to adapt and find solutions to anything obstacle big or small, his huge heart, his love and his friendship. He is so much more than a Love. He's been my council and been patient and understanding when I've been tough to deal with or when I've been dealing with some really tough times. He's wrapped me up and made me feel safe and loved whenever I started to feel lost. He's been my fellow goofball, dance partner, team mate, fort builder and nest maker. I value his opinion and love his honesty and frankness. I'm out here because I love and trust him and I think together we can accomplish some really cool dreams we've been weaving together. It's going to take a lot of time and a lot of hard work but working with him is what's making me really excited about life right now, and I'm glad to be starting on this journey with him.
Tank crossings, cacti in the grocery store, dust devils, tumbleweeds- it's a really different world over here. I don't like all of it. I hate some of it, the unpredictability of army life in particular. But, I love trying something new and different. I love a challenge. I love living with Evan. After almost a year of dating via Skype I pinch myself sometimes as I pick him up from work. I'm keeping my finger's crossed in terms of finding work myself- I'm applying to be a zoo keeper believe it or not, among many other things. I have no idea what I'm doing but who does? With Evan to keep me grounded we're just going to take it day by day and do whatever it is we do with attitude and as much confidence as we can both muster (and feign). So, to all of you thinking of taking risks, I tell you this- wait until your gut tells you that it's right (I do believe it ultimately will), and then follow that dream and that risk tenaciously no matter what anyone says. Be brave. Have faith. Be good to yourself, be good to your friends. Life isn't easy. Laugh in its face and make it look like it is.
Lots of love as always,
Em
Speaking of Ev- I think he knows but I'll write this here for him anyway- I am so inspired by his extraordinary strength, his ability to adapt and find solutions to anything obstacle big or small, his huge heart, his love and his friendship. He is so much more than a Love. He's been my council and been patient and understanding when I've been tough to deal with or when I've been dealing with some really tough times. He's wrapped me up and made me feel safe and loved whenever I started to feel lost. He's been my fellow goofball, dance partner, team mate, fort builder and nest maker. I value his opinion and love his honesty and frankness. I'm out here because I love and trust him and I think together we can accomplish some really cool dreams we've been weaving together. It's going to take a lot of time and a lot of hard work but working with him is what's making me really excited about life right now, and I'm glad to be starting on this journey with him.
Tank crossings, cacti in the grocery store, dust devils, tumbleweeds- it's a really different world over here. I don't like all of it. I hate some of it, the unpredictability of army life in particular. But, I love trying something new and different. I love a challenge. I love living with Evan. After almost a year of dating via Skype I pinch myself sometimes as I pick him up from work. I'm keeping my finger's crossed in terms of finding work myself- I'm applying to be a zoo keeper believe it or not, among many other things. I have no idea what I'm doing but who does? With Evan to keep me grounded we're just going to take it day by day and do whatever it is we do with attitude and as much confidence as we can both muster (and feign). So, to all of you thinking of taking risks, I tell you this- wait until your gut tells you that it's right (I do believe it ultimately will), and then follow that dream and that risk tenaciously no matter what anyone says. Be brave. Have faith. Be good to yourself, be good to your friends. Life isn't easy. Laugh in its face and make it look like it is.
Lots of love as always,
Em
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