Open Up That Golden Gate

Here's a picture of the house I'm moving out of, taken this morning.

The men are finishing packing and loading up the truck as I write this. They spent all day yesterday packing but didn’t finish. Take my unsolicited advice and don’t accumulate stuff. I really hope I learned my lesson; I’ve been throwing away running magazines from three years ago and performance reviews from thirty years ago (!) all week. We’ve had four garage sales and I’ve actually gotten quite good at it. We’ve made several trips to Goodwill, gave stuff away and threw away even more.

Life has been so hectic lately that I haven’t had time to be sad. My good friend Paula came over a couple of times to help me sort what goes and what stays and we had a tearful goodbye. It’s very difficult for me to say goodbye, although I know that I will remain friends with Paula and some others forever. I stopped by Starbucks today and said goodbye to some of the regulars. It’s weird to know that you’ll never see some people again when they’ve been a part of your life for so long.

My house hasn’t sold yet, but I won’t be staying here any longer and that’s a strange feeling. When I first saw this house sixteen years ago I didn’t like it but it grew on me. And I knew this was the neighborhood I wanted to live in. We had moved here from Southern California and I loved the house I lived in there and wondered if I would feel the same about this one. I do. We have remodeled extensively, so there’s a lot of me in it. This is also the longest I've ever lived in the same house.

But as much as I’ve enjoyed living in Minneapolis, I’m a Californian at heart and I truly feel like I’m going home. The move is easier because I know what I’m getting into. I’ve stayed in my new house several times and I know the area. I even found a running group, although I’ve yet to run with them so I don't know if there's anyone who runs at my speed.

SD and I bought a pickup truck and we’re driving back to California. We’ll stop in Wichita, Santa Fe, and Las Vegas and should be in our new place by Thanksgiving. Of course, the moving van won’t be there yet so we’ll have Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant with my parents. I’m hoping the van will arrive by Friday. I’ve reconnected with a former roommate and she’s going to be visiting family in my area for the weekend, so I’m planning to see her.

California, here I come!