Goodbye Portland, Hello Phoenix

My husband and I always talked about moving "some place sunny" eventually. In fact, we talked about this even before being engaged. He loves the sun and I get tired of the dreary rain. We talked about Phoenix because he spent time in that area while he was in the military and loved it. Both of us were born in and spent our early childhood in Portland, eventually moving to Gresham. 

As much as we talked and wished to move, I honestly never thought it would actually happen. So, when he applied for a job in Phoenix,  I was a bit surprised that a week later he was on a plane to The Valley of the Sun for an interview. I didn't think he'd get the job - not because I don't believe in him. I just did not think we would really ever pick up and move.  

I was proved wrong. 

He called me mid afternoon that same to tell me they offered him a position, he accept the offer, he was moving in two weeks. 

My mind was filled with thoughts. Yay, sun year round! New adventures! A new city to explore!! Then reality set in. I have to tell my parents I'm moving. How am I going to tell my best friend? Crap, I gotta look for a new job! Greaaaaat, I'm left behind to pack up the house and decide what to sell and what to keep.

It was the scariest and most exciting news I've ever received. I imagine it's a bit like finding out you're pregnant: You're excited, yet your life as you know it is about to change (and you pray it's for the better).

I stayed behind for two months for a several reasons. The first reason is we had one month left on our lease; I was not going to pay the enormous lease-break fees for one month. Two, I wanted to give my employer enough time to interview, hire, train, and get the new employee comfortable. Three, I could really use as much paycheck as I can get! And last, I wanted to spend as much time with loved ones as humanly possible - I wanted to spend so much time with them that they would be begging me to leave! 

The month's of June and July were quite a blur. I worked full time, so my evenings were spent filling boxes. One set of boxes for a garage sale, then next set of boxes for belongings to keep. That left my weekends open for, yup, more packing! I gotta say, of all the activities on earth, packing and moving are my least favorite. You get to the point where you just want to get rid of everything and start over. But, then you realize that's really not practical so you suck it up and pack more boxes. 

My dad, Christie, and Gavin were my saviors. All three of them have full time jobs as well, yet they still came over after work and some weekends to help. Without them, I really would not have been ready to move out by the end of June. 

July was only slightly less stressful than June. I moved in to the spare room in my mothers house. My evenings were now free, but my weekend were filled with organizing and pricing all the items of our life for a garage sale. By that point, I was ready to give all that crap away. But, I was very thankful for the help of my stepmother and some family who donated their precious weekend time. 

After the move and the garage sale, I had three whole weeks of left of July to spend with family and friends. I spent so much time at Christie and Gavin's house I was afraid they were going to ask for rent. I tried to do some touristy stuff around town, I ate at all my favorite restaurants that I knew Phoenix did not have, I tried to keep my social calendar fairly full. I knew if I had to much time to myself I would talk myself out of the move....

View from Marine Drive heading east

One of my last Saturdays in town I ventured out to Vancouver to visit my looooong time friend, Beth. We got some coffee and walked around the waterfront on the Vancouver side. It was so great catching up with her one last time before I left. On my way back to Gresham, I was feeling really sad. I've known Beth since freshman year of high school; aside from family, she's one of my oldest friends. As I was driving, I told myself to suck it up and be grateful for having an amazing friend for so long. That quick change of attitude had me realizing I probably wouldn't get to see the gorgeous view of the Columbia and Mt. Hood before I left. So I snapped a few pictures with my cell phone. 

Another view, further up river

The sunny sky, the water, and the alluring view of Mt Hood was all I needed to perk back up!

My jeep, Washed, waxed, and ready to go!

My dad and I got my Jeep washed and mounted the night before we left. Why, you ask? Because he wanted to hit the road at 5am (!!). 

After a tearful goodbye to my best friend of about 20 years - yes, twenty - and even more crying saying good by to my mom, my dad and I left. I was so emotionally exhausted after that last week in town. Saying all those goodbyes just about killed me. 

I had to tell myself that Phoenix is only a two hour plane ride, people love to visit that part of the US due to all the sun, and it's not like I was moving over seas - I would see them all again soon.

My dad was in charge of navigating because I have never taken on a road trip of this kind before. He wanted to drive over Mt Hood, through Klamath Falls to Susanville, CA, then down to Las Vegas, and finally Phoenix. He had recently made that same drive when he sold his truck. I figured we would take I-5 down to I-10 then head east. But he said his way was much more scenic, and I knew I could use the beautiful distraction for the journey.

My dad driving with the sun rising

My dad drove first over Mt Hood. We traded places in Bend. I tried to not wallow in my sadness and focus on all the trees and sights driving over the mountain had to offer. Again, I told myself that I was leaving, but not forever.

The summit peaking over the hills

I always loved the drive between SkiBowl and Mt Hood Meadows.  It's pretty cool to get closer and closer to the summit and watch it peak through the hills at different turns.

Would you believe I've never been to Kah Nee Ta? I've heard very good things about it though!

Beautiful view of Mt Jefferson!

Me trying to get creative with camera angles. Worked out fairly well.

Dropping down in to the Bend area. I was getting pretty antsy at this point. I wanted - scratch that, I needed to get out of the car and stretch my legs and walk around for a few. My dad didn't take it as a very good sign that I couldn't ride from Gresham to Bend without going stir crazy. 
I can't read or play on my phone while being a passenger in a car without getting car sick. I can read for a few minutes, but then I start to feel nauseous and have to look away. It gets annoying to read for five minutes, stare out the window for five minutes to feel stable again, then read, then stare...... It's pointless. Usually long car rides put me to sleep. The low hum of road noise, the smooth ride, and being in a chair that can recline usually makes me pass out cold. 
When Josh got out of the military he asked me to drive with him from Mountain Home, Idaho to Gresham "to keep him company". I was wide awake until we got to Baker City and didn't wake up until Cascade Locks. He wasn't impressed. 

Excellent picture of the Three Sisters mountain range. I did a little research about the mountains and I found the names of the "sisters": Faith, Hope, and Charity. Not sure who named them, and I'm even less sure as to why, but it's an interesting bit of trivia.

Last stop in Oregon was Klamath Falls. We fueled up at the Fred Meyer and I decided to have a look around Freddy's since Phoenix doesn't have any stores remotely like them. It's not like I'm an obsessed FM stalker, I think they tend to be a bit over priced, but there's no denying it's handy to do some grocery shopping, pick up a new DVD, then linger in the clothing and shoe area. 
I meant to stop at the Leaving Oregon sign, but I swear there wasn't one! I was driving, so one would assume I should easily see it coming up in the distance. I even told my dad to keep an eye out so we could pull over. But, alas, no sign. Oh there was a stupid Entering California sign. But none for Oregon.
So we continued on.......