The Journey that Lies Ahead

 
Time Flies by Sericite on Flickr

Just 13 blog posts thus far in 2010. Not one single post since June 24. If you scroll all the way down to the bottom, you'll see scenes from--how embarassing--last winter.

In my case, such a dearth of postings from this perfectly prolific blogger could mean just one of three things:

1. I have been unable to write because my experiences are too close for expression.
2. I have been unable to reveal developing news.
3. Both.

All good things to keep in mind for future reference, and in this case the answer would be--ding-ding-ding--numero trois.

Even now I'm not feeling particular poetic about the events of the past few months. But I've been missing you, blogfriend, and I'm hoping that if I just spill all the beans in one swell foop, I won't have to worry about getting even more behind in the task of catching you up.

So, here goes. And pardon the brevity on each of these events--see numero un.

Since we were last together:

• We put down our beloved Scout, the most magnificent family dog. It happened on a Monday morning after a Sunday of knowing absolutely that it was time. We are still missing his presence in our lives, and yet are ridiculously amazed at how clean our house stays.


• Nicole moved to Toronto to begin graduate school. After countless good-bye parties, a three-day 37-hour trip in the car to deliver her there, some sketchy experiences in neighborhoods in which we did not belong, and a most tearful good-bye which has since moved into the top five most difficult moments of my life, we left her to discover new realms and to solidify her place in the world of advanced degrees.


• Mark and I decided to move to southern New Hampshire. Certainly one of the most difficult decisions of our lives, but one that has been a long time coming. I have written often of its mesmerizing charms, of my affection for its landscapes, and of the closeness we share with my brother and his family who have lived there for seven years. With Nicole tucked away in Toronto and Beccah's desire to live in nearby Portsmouth, New Hampshire once she graduates next May, we started putting the wheels in motion to make the Big Move.


• Not the least of which was securing jobs. The company Mark works for has offices in Cambridge and Waltham, Massachusetts. Turns out his higher-ups were more than happy to transfer him to that part of the world and will pay for our move to boot. As for me and my love-affair with my job at Paper Crafts magazine, well, I couldn't be more fortunate. I've stepped down from my role as creative editor, but have moved into the new role of trends editor. My new tasks are to grow the Moxie Fab World and to report on trends even more than I already do. I will continue to write the Moxie Fabs column, contribute to content concepts, and attend trade shows. Truth be told, I am perfectly giddy about what lies ahead!


• Not the second least of which has been getting our house ready to put on the market. We've cleaned out, chucked, re-organized, scrubbed, touched up, and altogether refurbished this little place we call home. It has been for sale for five weeks now, and in this weak market, anything goes.


• With so much change swirling around us, it's only natural that my normal acute levels of anxiety would sky rocket. By the end of June I was paralyzed by sudden, violent bouts of diarrhea that came without warning. I was unable to hike, attend gatherings, or go to the grocery store without fear of becoming symptomatic. In July, I made an appointment with my doctor who put me on Celexa, an anti-anxiety medication--which took four weeks to take effect. By August I was feeling calmer than I had felt in my entire life. In September I had my first-ever colonoscopy which turned out normal but gave me the official diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a condition I am certain I have had my entire life.


• Mark and I took a two-week trip to New Hampshire to look for a house. After literally countless hours poring over the listings of homes for sale in the areas in which we would ultimately like to live, we prioritized, reprioritized, and hashed out the "ideal home." We put an offer on one such "ideal home," contingent on the sale of our home in Utah. The owners countered, refusing to accept an offer based on a contingency, played hard ball with the terms, and so we withdrew our offer. If this "ideal home" is still available once our house sells, we'll put another offer on it.


• While we were in New Hampshire, Nicole decided to call it quits in Toronto. To make a long story short, it turns out that the program that she was pursuing no longer exists. They changed the program but not the literature that markets it. After vetting all the possibilities there and coming to no advantageous conclusion, she decided to cut her losses, come home, and go a new direction. She'll be home on Saturday.

And so now, we wait. The pieces are in place for our Empty Nest Adventure. Our nest isn't officially empty (is it ever, really?) with Beccah living at home after breaking up with her boyfriend and Nicole en route in a matter of days, but Mark and I are, indeed, pursuing our own little dream. We're grateful to be doing it with the blessing of our lovely daughters, our family, friends, and co-workers, and we're keeping our hearts and minds open to the magic in the journey that lies ahead.

Comments

[Bethany]

Oh Scout, we'll miss you! If I was in the market to buy a home, I'd buy yours in a heartbeat. I've always loved your home and enjoyed when we got to hang out there in high school. My favorite was your custom made halloween window decorations. Thanks for giving the update on the fam--hope everything works out for everyone!

[Jennifer Schaerer]

Whew. Has all that REALLY happened in the past 4 months? ;-)

[Kelley Eubanks]

Wow!! That is about all I can say! That is a whole lot of stuff to be going on at one time! I will be praying for you guys! I am so sorry about Scout! We have lost 4 animals in the 12 years we have been married! Two of them we had to put down! So hard!! So hard!! But sometimes it has to be done because you don't want to see them suffer! We have 3 left. One of which is an inside cat! I love my cat but I realize that he is old and I am looking forward to living in a house without an animal in it! We have had a cat inside our entire marriage! Anyway... rambling because it is late and well... that is what I do!

Glad to be knowing what is going on in your life! I will be keeping you guys in my prayers! Love ya!

[Nina]

Wow, lots of exciting things going on, Cath. I look forward to hearing about your new moxie Fab and life adventures that lie ahead.

[Vanessa Menhorn]

Glad to see you blogging again, Cath! All the things that happened sound a lot longer than only four months! I followed most of it on facebook and was so sad to read about Scout. That's so so hard and it always breaks up old wounds to read about losing a pet.

I hope your big move will work smoothly and that you don't have to care about any more medical issues! Enjoy your time with your daughters!

Vanessa x

[Sandra]

what a roller coaster! Hang in there, you know for sure there will be more twists and turns ... take care of your health!
Best regards,
Sandra

[Pam Abbott]

Wow! I'm sending you lots of positive energy....take care!

[Gale R]

Oh Cath . . . I knew about some of this because of FB but Nicole's problems with her grad program was news to me. I had something similar happen the first time I went to grad school, except I kept trying to make it work and spent 1 1/2 years there before leaving. I am so glad she figured it out so quickly . . .
For how slow the housing market still is here in the NE I am shocked the owners of your dream house did not accept the offer. If it is really meant to be your home it will still be there when you are ready - if not then that just means there is a better house waiting for you.

[jo]

Many times over the past few months I would check this site, only to see that it had not been updated. I am so glad you are back! Some of the news is good, and some of the newa is sad, but it's still good to hear it. Hope your house sells soon and you can look forward to "the move." So sorry about your dog.............how hard it is to let go of our pets!!! Looking forward to more posts on this site.

[Shemaine Smith]

Oh my goodness I was holding my breath for a few minutes when you said you were moving. The trade shows would not be the same without your smile Cath! I am so sorry about your dog. We are animal lovers and living in the city can be challenging to be a pet owner. Our faithful family friend is currently a tenacious cat named Maya. She's quite a pistol and sweet Lily wants to hug her but this cat is not into that kind of PDOA! She'll roll over the arm on the chair and swat at miss Lily as she runs by bringing me much amusement. I am sorry to hear your daughter is leaving Canada but happy for you as we know how much you have missed her. Glad to see you posting again!

[Susan]

Hey, Cath,

I so totally understand of what you write. We lost our beloved Norwegian Forest cat, Jessie, who was a huge part of our family, last Christmas time. It was a season of many losses for us. And my art was not comfort for awhile. Something only time can heal. You'll certainly 'know' when that time has passed. And yet as those calendar pages are ripped off, so are the encumbrances along the way to your new life. Journey though, Moxie Fab leader, heeding those rest stops.

[Nicole]

Yay new blog post! I stopped checking a while ago and had a random thought to do so tonight in the craziness of trying to move back home. Glad I did! Can't wait to see you this weekend! (Probably Sunday now.)

Love you mom!

[Viola Mahr]

Cath, blessings on the days ahead in your busy-crazy life :)
Just a quick note, I'm one of those who were featured in the recent Moxie Fab World challenge (Perfectly Placed Pleats) ... so far me and my fellow winners haven't heard anything about receiving a moxie-fab winner badge for our blogs. Can you update us on that? Thanks!

Viola

[Megan Hoeppner]

Oh no. I'm SO sorry to hear about sweet Scout. I'm glad you had so many happy times with him. I hope you find comfort in your memories of him. He was a good boy! :)

[Michelle Philippi]

I've been coming by to see if the strawberries have moved down on the page - and they have. I always love reading your life, Cath....I don't know you at all, but it makes me feel like a friend. Sorry about your dog - I think that's why I don't want to get pets for our kids...the saying goodbye part. Well that and the they can't clean up after themselves so who would clean up after the dog? yeah, me...and no thank you.
Oh my @ your daughter going to Toronto and back again...unfortunate...but just must not have been meant to be and something different and more suitable and just better will present itself. The irony of your little adventure as empty nesters and now both your daughters are coming back before you even get out of dodge. Ah, parenthood.
Until next time - - good luck getting that house sold.

[Kathy W]

Cath, wow, you and your family have had quite the year. I am so sorry about Scout; I lost my beloved Jake two months before we relocated from Oregon to Utah. Anyone of your news items would hit the big time stress category; wishing you all the best as you wait and see what happens with your Utah house.