This post about leaving DC and journeying west to our new home in Seattle has been a long time coming. I can't believe we've been here almost a month.
Leaving DC, our home of almost three years, was hard. Not because we wanted to stay- not because we didn't want change. But because it was an ending- and those are almost never easy. Leaving friends and family, jobs, and routines was tough. I'll never forget the excitement we felt when we found out that we were moving to the District--but we are more than ready for the next phase of our lives. We just wish we could take the people, our close friends and family, with us wherever we go. That's terribly selfish of us, I know- but I wish I could delicately wrap them in newspaper, beside my pyrex, or cuddle them in a blanket, and place them in the car with us, so that we never have to miss them. So that they can experience new adventures with us. We miss living our lives with them.
We spent almost 4 days driving from our home town in Tennessee (where we went for a short visit after leaving DC) to Seattle. Jared and I with our dog, Icky, in our car and my sister, Nikki, and our cat Louie, leading the caravan in our Budget truck that we quickly nicknamed Barb- a Waffle House waitress with a smoker's cough. We used walkie-talkies to communicate and gave ourselves trucker names (which were truly great- but are for us to know only :). Nikki saved our asses when she volunteered to help us-she is the most caring and kind, selfless and committed person I know. The Louise to my Thelma- the person that knows me best in the world. She always knows what I'm thinking- and I know she's thinking that she hates that I wrote something mushy about her. But it needed to be said. I love you Nik.
I don't know if I can fully explain what driving/moving cross-country is like- but I'm going to try. It was cleansing. Freeing. Exhilarating. Stressful. Expensive. Long. Too short. Fun. Exhausting. Fascinating. Boring. There were moments when I thought to myself, in those rare moments when my puppy was asleep in my lap and Jared was happily driving or when I was driving and listening to audio books while Jared was napping with the pup, that I was the luckiest woman in the world to be on such an exciting journey with some of the people I love most in the world and I felt (and still feel) so fortunate to have shared all those experiences with them, in particular.
I hope I never forget what it was like to drive by the Gateway to the West late at night- Jared and I both punch drunk and excited like kids, listening to David Sedaris' When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Or the beauty of the sun bouncing off the snow in South Dakota and walking up to Mt Rushmore with Nikki. Dawn in Montana- the sun on the mountains- listening to The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. And the beauty of Idaho! Who knew? Or the last two hours, driving through Washington- the wind turbines, mountains, water and bridges. I feel fine forgetting most of Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. No offense--those were the longest, flattest, most boring miles to drive.
We arrived in Seattle on the night of the 17th- beating everyone's estimation that it would take at least five days (have more faith in us, guys). Nikki, once again, kicked ass in helping us move into our new place. In following our grand tradition of eating pizza as our first meal in our new homes (we move...a lot)-we walked to Hot Mama's and grabbed several slices of Pepperoni.
And then Nikki left. And it's already been almost a month. I can't wait to share more of what we have been doing here and the new friends that are making Seattle feel like home. More coming on that very soon.
Thank you for reading-
Janice & Jared
Tomorrow, Valentine's Day 2015, we start our cross country journey to our new home in Seattle. A budget truck, our new car, a special needs dachshund, an ornery cat, my sister/cousin, Jared and I. 39 hours of driving time, roughly 2700 miles. 
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