Hey folks! I know it's been a while since my last post. The last month has been a pretty crazy one for me. My family had been living in Southern California for the last 5 1/2 years, and for the most part, we loved it. What we didn't love was the lack of job security. So when a really good job offer from Blue Sky Studios (They do the Ice Age movies) came in, we jumped at it. The only problem? It was literally on the other side of the country in Greenwich, CT, 2802 miles away. But it was a great opportunity, so we rented a truck, piled all our junk in it, and hit the road. (I'm purposefully glossing over the packing process, which was awful.)
I've driven cross-country a few times, and loved it. But I'd never done it with four kids under the age of seven. Thank goodness for dvd players and Disney. Speaking of which, on one of our last California days, we hit up Disneyland one last time and grabbed a plush Perry the Platypus, and decided he was going to be our traveling buddy.
I highly recommend driving across this amazing country. There are a million things to see, and even things like the open expanses of Kansas can be breathtaking. But again, maybe don't do it with little kids and a moving truck. (All said and done, the kids did great, though.)
After five long days on the road, we finally pulled into our new home in Connecticut. It was hot and humid, trees blocked the horizon in every direction, and there were spiders everywhere. I know I wasn't alone when I thought we should just turn around and head back.
But one word that kept coming up when we told our friends and family about the move, was "adventure." "This is going to be such a fun adventure" they'd tell us. And you know what? They were right. Getting lost and adjusting to new things and leaving our comfort zones and seeing my kids' faces when they saw fireflies for the first time. This is an adventure. And what's life for if not to have adventures?
A great American hero, Neil Armstrong, passed away this last weekend. As I was reading about his life, one quote of his really stuck out to me. He said, "I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine." Great words to live by, and ones I hope I can follow. I don't want to miss out on adventures because I've become complacent, even if it means leaving behind everything I know. The clock is ticking, and so are our hearts. Let the adventure begin!
4 comments:
Great Armstrong quote, Dan. Love the pictures too. You are INSANE for doing this with the added degree of difficulty of cute kids, but you survived. CT looks BEAUTIFUL. And congratulations on the new job!!!
Anita will be so jealous of your plethora of spiders. You'll have to mail her some.
When you get more settled, show us a pic of your new writing space...before it gets piled on and as bad as mine.
Having just moved this past weekend, I feel your pain (cross-country in five days, though-you lunatic! I did it in two weeks when I moved west). Good luck in Greenwich!
What a great post, Dan! And those pictures are AWESOME. Your kiddos are adorable. Greenwich is known for it's beauty (spiders aside). I think you'll fall in love faster than you realize. :)
And Armstrong's words ... beautiful, and so true.
Thank you guys! I probably am insane, but CT is definitely beautiful :) After 6 years in California, I'm excited for fall, though less excited for winter. But the kids will love it.
Hope you're settling in well Michelle!
Thanks Anita! I do like the little buggers. (My kids. Not so much the spiders...)
And the Armstrong quote is so cool. I hope I can apply it at least a little bit.
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