May 5, 2013 - the first day of our adventure! The boys and I headed out at 7 AM. Explorer loaded with my most prized possessions and nothing but time + the open road ahead of me. I sobbed, leaving Casey behind was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.
Part of me was happy that I was getting to say goodbye to our home in such a casual manner and with most of our stuff still in it, but the other part of me was so sad to know I would never get to say a true goodbye to an empty house.
I sobbed as we drove away. My life, as I had known for the last 7 years, was changing in that very instant. Every decision we had made in the last 6 months was leading up to this very moment. I had to keep reminding myself that this was, in fact, exactly what I wanted.
I turned the corner and suddenly noticed people holding signs, but I was busy trying to figure out why the audio for the DVD player wasn't working. It truly was an urgent matter - it was, after all, my lifeline for the next 2 days! About the third sign in I realized exactly WHO they were and I just lost it. I came to the stop sign, jumped out of my car, and yelled: "OMG! I just realized who you were. OMG - that is the sweetest thing ever. I love you, guys!" For a brief second, I thought about turning around. But I knew if I did, I might never leave. NOW I understood why Casey was so adamant about what time we were leaving - my dearest friends and family had organized this wonderful farewell for us. It was unbelievable! I thought my heart was breaking, but then as I reached the stop light I saw Casey standing on the corner waving goodbye as we drove out of sight. I was just trying to keep it together and focus on the road, as I could barely see through my tears. I had to keep reassuring Ian + Milo that I was okay. Just sad to be leaving this life behind, but very happy about the road ahead too. Hard to articulate to a 5 and 2 year old, but what a wonderful way to show us how much we are loved and going to be missed. I am so blessed with a wonderful husband, family, and friends!
I wasn't too nervous about the road trip. I knew I had to pull up my big girl pants and just do it. I was armed with a lot of gum and caffeine; determined to make it "home" by Monday afternoon. The boys were wonderful - truly! They played, watched movies, took naps, and didn't complain {too much} about being strapped in for 8+ hours. We made it all the way to Altoona, IA our first night. Grabbed a bite to eat, checked into our hotel, went swimming, and all in bed by 9:30 PM. Exhausted!
We got off to a little slower start on Monday morning. I promised the boys we would stop for lunch as soon as we got to Wisconsin. Once I was in the state, I knew I was going to make it just fine. We stopped in Platteville at a little Dairy Queen tucked off the highway. I instantly felt right at home - I sure love the people of Wisconsin, so nice and genuine. I am sure they could sense the frazzled-ness on my face and the boys were ever so happy to be out of the car that I thought I was never going to get them to eat. I was able to get a few giggles and sweet smiles from them though.
We pulled into Mimi and Papa's around dinner time. I was SO relieved to be done driving. We arrived safely and I could finally exhale. We had dinner and rested up that night. The boys couldn't wait for sunrise because this was happening...
Ian's dream come true! It is really the best thing ever. Loaders, excavators, and trucks...oh my! A front row seat to all the action. It is loud and dirty and a bit of an inconvenience, but a godsend for me. Free entertainment for my little men - can't beat that!
Tuesday was a busy day for me - I only had one day to run all my errands. In the morning we dropped off all of Ian's paperwork for school. He got to meet his teacher/classmates and see his classroom (the same room his Daddy and Aunt Megan went to kindergarten in). Ian is the kid that will just jump right in, so I wasn't too worried about him but I did feel relieved that he got to see it and meet a few people ahead of time. Milo was quite disappointed to learn that he would not be going to school with him though:(
Wednesday was a big day! Ian's first day at his new 4k and my first day of work. I am fortunate to have a flexible employer who understands that family comes first, so I was able to take him to school his first day. The night before he had told me that I could just drop him off because "I got it, Mom". I went with it, hoping that he would change his mind. I was so happy when he let us all walk him up to the playground and hang out until it was time for him to line up for class. My big boy!
Reality quickly set in for all of us. I had to find ways to keep us busy because the weekends were long! Especially when the boys were waking up at 6 AM (sometimes earlier) every day. Ouch! I am not the morning riser in our family, so it was exhausting for me. Much respect to all the single moms out there. I don't know how you do it. It didn't take much for me to become mentally and physically drained. The lovely spring weather in Door County didn't help either. It sure is easy to forget what May is really like - rainy and cold. BUT, I did what I could to make it work (with the help of my in-laws, of course) and counted down the days until Casey arrived.
My friend, Paige, is the coordinator for Sister Bay events and she organized a goat parade for the town. Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant houses goats on their roof in the summer. It is a fun little attraction and a parade is the perfect way to kick it off. So, despite the crappy weather, the boys and I headed north for the day. It was cold, raining, and even snowing at times. I am pretty sure the boys were thinking "And this is the place you moved us to?!". Fortunately, there were goats to distract them. Ha!
The following weekend was Mother's Day weekend. The boys helped Mimi with her garden and then we headed to The Farm for a fun picnic. Ian vaguely remembered The Farm, but I don't think Milo had any recollection. He was a bit stunned by the excited baby goats, but caught on quickly. Ian ran into some school friends there and I met a couple of other moms. I also got a tip on signing Ian up for the summer soccer program. Small town life sure is nice:)
The following weekend we took an impromptu road trip to Indiana. We met my parents in norther Indiana for some more farm fun! We went to Fair Oaks Farm - a dairy farm full of fun, educational stuff for kids. I was a full 3 weeks into single mommyhood, so I wasn't at my best. I think my parents were worried they might have to check me in to a local hospital or something. I just wasn't myself. I was stressed, the boys were stressed, we all missed Casey, and I just wanted some sleep!!! It was great seeing them and I know the boys had so much fun with Grandma + Grandpa. I just hope the next time we see them I won't be so on edge.
The boys were amazed by the milking process!
How do these glasses look? Fabuuuuulous, darling!
We missed the baby calf being born by just a couple of seconds. Bummer! We were there long enough though for Ian to shout, "What is hanging out of her uterus?". Ha! Life lessons around every corner;)
After a fun day at the farm, we found a hotel and settled in for the night. We had a quick bite to eat, then took the boys swimming. I was shocked when they actually said they wanted to go back to the room. You know they are tired at that point! Grandma brought Uncle Jon's old sleeping bags for the boys to use. Not sure who was more excited about the retro sleeping bag - them or me!
The next morning we headed to the Jelly Belly warehouse for a fun little tour. Who can resist jelly beans?! The boys were enamored with Queen Elizabeth. We each got a treat bag of jelly beans at the end and then we were off. It was hard to say goodbye to the 'rents, but knowing that I will be able to see them more often made it a little better.
We headed back home for what should have been a fairly quick trip. The boys fell asleep and I had the car to myself. Suddenly, the lights turned off and there was a loud ringing sound. The cruise control worked, but I had no idea how fast I was going. There was no power on my dashboard and then the car started jerking. I tried not to panic, but that is easier said than done. I took the next exit and bam! My car lost power steering and so there I was. I dialed up my mother-in-law because I really didn't know where I was or what I should do. The boys were both awake by now and again, having to see their mother in a state of distress. I reassured them once again and let them know someone was coming to help us. They didn't seem to phased - they were just excited that they got to be out of their seats and "driving".
While I was on the phone with the 911 operator, a sweet woman rolled down her window to ask me if I was okay. I was sobbing (for the 871st time in 3 weeks!) and told her someone was on their way to help. It wasn't 10 minutes later when I saw a car pull up behind me. It was that same woman - armed with Gatorade and snacks. She said she was going to stay with me to make sure I was okay - she had no idea I had 2 small kids in the car with me. What a blessing! She restored my faith in humanity that day. She was so sweet and sure enough, stayed with us until my mother-in-law was able to pick us up. Fortunately, we were only an hour and a half from home so it wasn't too much of a trek for her. But now all I could think of was the fortune I was going to have to pay for repairs and towing on a holiday weekend!
Once we got home from Manitowoc, the official countdown to Daddy was in full force. I knew we just had to make it through ONE more week and he would be with us. Our new life was great, but he was the missing piece! We had work, school, and general life to keep us busy. The days did seem to go by quickly. The giggles and smiles from my boys on Friday night were priceless. I know it has been hard for me, but not even close to how hard it has been for their little worlds. I knew all was going to be right with the world once Daddy was home!
Again, I REALLY need to figure out how to convert my iPhone videos so that I can post them here because I got the BEST video ever. Alas, I only have some cute photos to share. So...I thought for sure the boys would ask me all day Saturday when Daddy was going to be here. But they both only asked once, in the morning. I told them that he would be here after Milo's nap. I took the boys out and about that morning to kill some time and Milo went down for his usual nap. It was raining pretty hard, but I needed to run to the store. Ian chose to stay home with Mimi while I ran to the store. While at Econo, I get a text from Casey asking where I am. I urgently replied with, "At the store - stall, stall! I don't want to miss Ian's face." I hurried home and continued to get a play by play of their whereabouts. I thought for a second that Milo was going to sleep through it, but he woke up not even 2 minutes before Casey turned the corner. We got everyone onto the porch to "watch the rain" and it wasn't long before we all heard the rumbling of the big, yellow Penske truck. Ian sat up to look and immediately squealed "Daddy" - Milo quickly followed suit. Jumping and shouting for joy! It brought tears to my eyes; I was so happy for them...for me. Together again - at last:)
Ain't no rest for the wicked - Sunday it was up and at 'em! The boys were thrilled that they got to ride in the moving truck with Daddy.
Family and friend (thanks, Dustin!) met us at the storage unit and in 3 short hours our entire life was contained in a 10'x24' space. Let the house hunting begin!
Saturday we took the boys to the Manitowoc air show. It was raining when we woke up, but we hit the road in the hopes the weather would change once we got south. It did, thankfully!
This was crazy - she is only held on to the top by a leather belt. What?!
My little firemen!
We are also blessed to have new friends in our neighborhood as well. Casey's childhood friend, Ben, and his family just live around the corner. They have a 12 year-old son and 2 girls that are the same age as our boys. Insta-friends for all! It sure is nice having buddies just around the corner...
Father's Day at The Farm - everyone got to enjoy a sweet treat at the end of a super, fun day!
Ian joined his first organized sport on June 19th. Door County SAY offers a great 5 year-old soccer program. He was so excited to start! His cousins love soccer and play it often at their home in VA, so he gets to hear a lot about how fun it is. We have asked him in the past if he wanted to give it a try and this summer is the first time he seemed interested. So, we jumped in with both feet. The best part for me is my friend, Callie, has a son who is also in the program so I get to see her every Wednesday night. A win-win!
June 21st was a big day for my father-in-law. He is officially retired from the Sturgeon Bay School District. Woo-hoo! We were so happy to be able to celebrate with him (kid-free thanks to Molly!) and hoping retirement treats him well.
Festivals, festivals, and more festivals. That is what summer in Door County is all about, right?! The city hosted a kick-off to summer event last Saturday. I took the boys and met up with my friend, Sarah, who is about to have a baby any day now. It is so nice catching up with old friends and celebrating all the new excitement in our lives. Plus, who can say no to a FREE event with bounce houses, music, crafts, and a fire truck to hang out in! Not this boy...
I do appreciate that he is buckled up though - safety first, friends!
They converted the sand volleyball court into a money pit. They had a pile for different age groups and all the kids got to dig in for coins. How fun! Milo chose to sit it out (just like his mama, doesn't care to get dirty), but Ian jumped right in and came out with $1.10. We were a little late to the game, but hey...a $1.10 more than he had the day before.
Saturday night we got to enjoy the kick-off to movies in the park. It was Madagascar 3. A movie we have seen, but never outside in a park. Super cool indeed!
So far our adventure has been wonderful and we look forward to all that our new life has to offer us. More to come once life settles down a bit. Happy summer!
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