Subtitle

Thoughts from a Colorado native, exiled for a year to Indiana.

13.9.10

I really didn't ditch this blog...

...I just haven't had internet access until now!

OK, let's be real honest.  I'm pirating off someone's unsecured connection.  Hey, if you don't secure your network, don't be surprised when people suck your bandwidth.  I'm not a pirate, I'm an educator.  Learn the lesson!

Although, pirates are sexier.  Oh well.

So, we're in Indiana.  We got here on Thursday of last week.  A trip that was supposed to take us 18 hours took us nearly a week.  But, I can't complain too much, I didn't do any of the driving. :)

The girls are adjusting well.  Peyton had her first day of first grade today.  She goes to Amelia Earhart Elementary, and the school is beautiful.  It was built in 1995, so it's fairly new.  Her teacher is bubbly and energetic (just like Mrs. Sharp, her Kindy teacher, was back in Denver).  She came out the door today all smiles and when we asked how her first day was, she said "AWESOME!" and bounced and danced around.

I think that's a good day.

We're all settling in.  The girls are taking over the place like it's where they were born.  Eric's in his element, so he's back to behaving like a high schooler (love you, sweetheart!) and I'm....well.  I'm just here.  I'm keeping busy, because when I don't, I want to cry.  I miss Colorado.  I hate humidity, I hate not knowing my way around, I hate feeling isolated and alone because I don't have my friends.

I'll get over it.  I'll find a job here soon and things will work out.  If I keep busy, things are better, so I'll keep busy.

But I'll never stop hating Indiana.  God, the corn.  The hideous amounts of corn.  The smell of rotting corn.  I want to cut off my nose.  Don't even get me started on the humidity.  Barf.

6.9.10

The Adventure Begins...

My name is Amber, I've been a Colorado native for the past 33 years.  It was a condition I was not eager to change.  Really, I was well on my way to achieving that goal when several things happened.

Well, realistically, just one thing happened.  2010 happened.

This has been a bad year for our family.  It all started with a very sick girl (who is much better now!) and ended with job loss and losing the home we were renting to foreclosure.  We've bounced back from problems like this before...but this time, there's no bouncing back.  We've gone through our savings, we've gone through 401(k) funds, we've used all of our leeway on time we can stay in our home.  We have no more resources, so the time has come to do something drastic.

It turns out that our "something drastic" is an interstate move.  We're headed toward Lafayette, Indiana, and a cozy little house we will temporarily reside in with my mother in law.

I have resisted this move with all my power.  When it first became the only clear and realistic solution, I threatened suicide.  I'm not proud of that, but I did it.  I also screamed and picked fights and cried a lot.  I did a lot of very non-adult things.  But, I am not a stupid person.  Overly emotional, yes, but not dumb.  It quickly became apparent that this was not only the best choice, but the only choice.

So.  We're moving. Temporarily.  I've committed to a year, no more.  We'll see.

Thus far, the move is not going well at all.  First of all, we were supposed to leave on the 13th of August.  We ended up leaving on September 3.  Clearly the packing took longer than anticipated--plus, I had to have an emergency root canal, and severe environmental allergies hampered my ability to help to a certain degree.  But, it got done and we got rid of the majority of our belongings, put some in storage and packed the rest into two minivans and hit the highway.

We made it as far as Limon, Colorado.  8 miles outside the Limon exit, both the battery and brake lights came on.  We rode into a TA truck stop and checked into a Comfort Inn.  And that's where I'm typing this from right now.  The van is now fixed, we might leave tonight.  Or, we might all rest tonight and head out in the early morning.  Right now, nobody seems to want to include me in decisions--they just tell me what's going to happen and then act surprised when I get pissy.

Whatever.  That seems to be the tenor of this move--just spit instructions at Amber, don't give a crap what she thinks.  In making this move--which was supposed to be the RESPONSIBLE decision--I've apparently rescinded my adulthood.  I anticipate a lot of pissiness in my future.  At least for a year.

And that's the backstory.  I've started this blog to chronicle my year in exile. Both the bad and the good--because everyone assures me there will be both.  I have my doubts.

I guess we'll both find out together, won't we?