It’s been a while since I’ve written on here but we’ve been really busy lately. We’ve been thinking about moving to the states, specifically New England, for quite a while now. After I went to Florida in May I realized that we needed to be back by the sea. So at some point we looked at a map and chose Portland, Maine. We looked on Craiglist and found an overwhelming amount of jobs. I called a Starbucks downtown and the manager told me that he needed help so he hired me on the spot. After that everything just fell into place. There were a few kinks that needed to be worked out but it all out played out pretty smoothly and before we knew it we were on the road in a 12 foot Penske truck.
I must start with saying goodbye to my family I had really only just began to know about a year ago when I moved to London. My Auntie Fran wanted to hold a going away party for us at her house so we drove to Seaforth with my Granny and Gramps, were welcomed by my Uncle Steve and Auntie Fran, my cousin David and his son Tyler who were soon followed by my cousins Martha and Mark with their kids Erin and Eli. We ate pizza and talked about the family, took pictures and said our goodbyes. It wasn’t easy. My Auntie Fran had quickly become a role model for me while living here. At 70 she does tai chi, is publishing her first book and is the one of the best damn grandmas I’ve ever seen. She is more up to date on pop culture than I am. She’s an extraordinary person and I will miss her greatly.
 |
| Auntie Fran's peonies |
My mum and I had basically held it together until the night before. My Granny, Gramps, Scott, Aunt Sara and mum had gone out to dinner that night just to say our goodbyes. While saying goodbye to Granny she told me she loved me, which is a rarity, and I broke down. I’m terrified that the next time I see her she won’t remember who I am. That’s the way her disease goes but it’s still a harsh reality to face. My mum and I had a really hard time at this point and both just couldn’t hold it in anymore. The day of was very busy so we were pretty distracted but it was still weighing on both of us. We said our goodbyes, to both my mum and Molly girl, and were on our way. We needed to make a stop before heading out of town and it was there that my mum called to tell us we had forgotten the blender. So she met us there and we had to say goodbye again. Saying goodbye once was hard enough. I’ve never been so far away from my mum and not knowing when I will see her again is really difficult for me. I already miss her so much.
Back to being on the road..driving a small moving truck through a town is no easy task. Knowing that I would have to do the whole drive on my own was a daunting future for me. We had planned on getting to Albany, New York that first day. Since we couldn’t start our journey until 3 in the afternoon that seemed like a good stopping place. But of course, the line at the border we chose to cross over was huge. We waited there for almost an hour and a half so we were very behind and could only stop in Utica, 90 miles west of Albany. We woke up early, with about 4 hours of sleep, and drove the rest of the way to Portland. We got in around 1, got our apartment keys, and started feeding the meter outside of our building. We had to move the truck after two hours so we worked quickly. Well, Scott did most of it. Thank goodness for him. We’re on the sixth floor so moving wasn’t easy. We are grateful for our height now though since we have a view of the bay.
After finally finishing that we had to find a place for our Penske so we drove around the city until we finally asked a policeman who turned out to be very nice and helpful and let us park at the government building. We found a great independent coffee shop with wifi and let our parents know we arrived safely, as we don’t have cell phones or internet. We asked the barista where to get good seafood and he directed us to a hole in the wall that fisherman frequent. He asked if we wanted something more trendy but we wanted nothing of that so we headed to Gilbert’s. Oh my goodness. We took a table on the patio by the bay, ordered the clam strips, lobster roll and crab meat sandwich. It was the best seafood I’ve had just shy of the dauphin we had in the Keys with our friend’s family. The lobster was like butter, just melted in your mouth. As was the crab. I could honestly go on and on about it. But I’ll just make you jealous and that’s not nice..
I will write more about our struggles with the Penske, getting rid of boxes and exploring this beautiful town we’re quickly beginning to love later. For now, have a great day and enjoy everything. Thanks for reading.
We didn't realize how many things we had until we moved into our tiny apartment. Before we even got our chairs and my desk up the stairs we realized we didn't have the space or the need for them. We left the chairs in front of our building expecting to take them to the Goodwill but one of our neighbors asked if he could have them and he swept them away. I had about seven boxes of clothes, yet I still wear Scott's, and boxes of knick knacks and posters. We were blessed with huge windows and walls so we were able to fill those with all of our art and personal items. I thought I would feel cramped and crowded to live in a 250 sq ft apartment with a man and a chinchilla. But I've never felt more free and open. I can feel Scott and I growing closer already, working together to make our small area a home. Without very much space we've discovered what we thought we needed we truly just wanted. We're not crowded by stuff and unnecessary items. Living right downtown and paying cheap rent also helps.
