Looking Back: Moving Across the U.S

I thought I would fill in some of the gaps from when Will and I first met until I started this blog, kind of like a  pre-blog catch up.  I want to do this while my memory of the events are still pretty sharp.  Again, the goal of this blog is to be a record for Colin.  The big event that I would say is the beginning of "Colin's story" is when Will and I made our trip across the U.S. to start out on a new life for both of us.  It is the best decision I have ever made.  This one decision has changed so much in my life! It has led me to so many great oppurtunities and put me on a path that I never would have thought my feet would walk.  I miss the west coast, it is definitely a part of my soul and a big part of my upbringing.  I think some of the major differences between Will and I come from growing up on two very different coasts.  I also miss my family. I hate that this life changing choice of mine had to involve taking me to a place so far from home. I wish they would have all moved with me, but as my dad said to me before leaving, "You need to live your own life" and so do they.

OREGON and CALIFORNIA

From Portland we headed down to my hometown to say a quick goodbye to my family. It was nice having a few days to spend with them, so they could get to know Will a little better. Then on Super Bowl Sunday we started our journey; heading towards California.  We decided to go the southern route since it was the middle of winter and we were hoping to avoid any snow. I am not a fan of driving in snow.  Living in VA has forced me to embrace that situation more.  Plus, there were some states in that direction that I was excited to see.  Of course ,we did not drive as long on our first day...you know since we had a Super Bowl game to watch!  We stayed in Sacremento for the night so we could enjoy the game.  That is probably one of the most memorable Super Bowls for me.  Colts vs Bears.  We enjoyed the game while drinking beer and eating Taco Bell.  We made the mistake of walking to the store first and then going into Taco Bell with a 6 pack of beer.  Very classy!  This was Will's first time to Cali.  I wish we could have spent more time there so he could see some of the amazing cities. I would have loved to show him some of my favorites, like San Fran and Fresno.  I also was hoping we could stop by Crater Lake on the way down, but we were in a time crunch so no go...some day. I love that place and really want Will to see it.  Since we waited, Colin can see it too!  The little munchkin would be impressed.

Arizona and New Mexico

What stands out in these two states is how sunny it was for being the middle of winter. I found both states to be very pretty, in a way that involved not too many trees, but the change was nice. I really liked New Mexico.There was snow around but it was so bright and happy feeling, not gloomy at all.  At certain times of the day it was warm enough that  I was wearing just a t-shirt.  We made it through these two states pretty quickly.  I believe the whole trip took us five days. Will transfered to a location in Virginia and had to start a week or so after we got there.  So, he wanted to get there with some time to adjust and visit with his family.  It had been a while since he had seen any of them.

Texas and Oklahoma

The tip of Texas is a bit BORING!  I was literally waiting for a tumbleweed to roll by me.  I was a little let down that it never actually happened.  I also wanted to see an armadillo but you can not have everything!    There were also tons of cops on a highway that barely had any drivers. They still managed to find people to pull over.  Cops make me nervous anywhere I am but I will admit I really did not want to get pulled over in Texas.  I was still pretty excited to see all of these areas because my mom grew up all around AZ, NM and TX when she was younger.

Going through Oklahoma meant a lot to me.  My mother is half Cherokee and a lot of that heritage can be traced back to Oklahoma (because of the Trail of Tears) and other states that we were not going through at the time. We decided to spend a little more time there.  We went to some local shops and just explored the area.  This is a state that I have always wanted to go to for that reason.  My two great-grandmothers, who were full-blooded Cherokee, from my understanding did not talk a lot about their heritage and time spent with their tribes, so not a lot is passed down to the younger generations. It meant a lot to me to go there and to be able to see the area that some of my ancestors could have lived.  

Arkansas and Tennessee

I love some peoples' accents in Arkansas!  There is just something about it that is so friendly.  I kept talking to this girl at a place we stopped for lunch.  We was just so sweet and wholesome sounding.  That is sad but that is what stands out to me about Arkansas.  Will and I both thought that Tennessee was by far the prettiest.  We liked that there was so much open space. We were tempted to stay there!  We stopped in Memphis to visit a  few of the music museums. I think that was one of Will's favorite stops.   

Virginia

I was getting very nervous the day we made it into Virginia.  We were tired and I felt unprepared to meet Will's family after however many days of sleeping in hotels and driving all day long.  Before getting to his mom's house Will took me to see a beautiful view of Virginia (the picture of me below).  We had made it and were ready to start our new life.   

This was such a great experience.  I do wish we could of had more time to explore each state we drove through, but we were on a schedule so maybe another time... 


Below is a little map I created.  Hopefully you can see the little line going through some of the states.  That is our trip...a very loose idea of where we went!  Not exact.