With James laid to rest and our finances settled it's a bit depressing to see how easy it will be to leave Jacksonville behind. I'd dreamed about living in the Pacific Northwest forever, and now I'm finally in a position to make that happen. A week of researching and making calls and I've picked out our new home – Forks, Washington. I easily found a realtor and took about a dozen virtual tours ending in the perfect little Craftsman style house that was ridiculously cheap to lease with an option to buy.
Luckily James had a life insurance policy though his employer. It was modest but enough to pay off his credit cards and student loans. Then I paid off both the vehicles. I was sad to see it go, but the best choice was to sell my compact commuter car and keep James' Land Rover; his truck had more miles on it, but we're moving to the opposite coast and a 4 wheel drive truck just makes more sense. I didn't make any profit on the sell, but at least a local high schooler has a cute safe car now. I'll miss my little blue car though. I let Alice run around the yard while I peeled all the stickers off the back. Maybe I'm neurotic, but I made a list as I went so that I can replace them and put them on the Rover.
Moving with a toddler proved to be a logistical nightmare. No matter how I planned, there was no viable option for me to move us myself by renting a big U-haul and towing the truck. I can't have Alice in the front seat in her carseat. I've hired a moving company and rented a small Winnebago to drive with the Rover in tow. I feel like I'm on the old-school Road Rules, minus the steer skull. I figured it would be pretty fun to camp along the way and hopefully Alice won't end up with cabin fever from being constantly strapped in a car seat. Plus I'll have a built in emergency pit stop just in case I can't make it to the next exit when I need to pee.
The day before we left town I called my parents to let them know that I was leaving for Forks. The only real concern that either of them held was whether I had a job lined up yet. When I replied that I had a house rented, but was planning on doing a job search once we got settled they were less than impressed. To say I was ready to get out of this town and away from them was an understatement. Both of them were borderline alcoholics and I'd rather not have them around Alice. I'm certain they won't miss us and I surely won't miss them. As far as I'm concerned my children are my family now.
Sadly, James' mother wasn't much different from my own. With James gone, Carol withdrew from me almost as soon as the burial was over. I thought she would want to keep in touch at least for Alice's sake, But I guess the bond between her and James' child died with him. When I called her to let her know we were relocating she wished me a safe travel and made it clear that she wouldn't need to hear from me again. Carol and I always had a rocky relationship, but I always assumed it was because in her mind I had taken James away from her. Apparently I was wrong.
One final call to the realtor to double-triple-quadruple check that she received my payment for the first six months and we're set to go. The pack and play is set up in the Winne, Alice's carseat is installed in the back, Vermont has a litter box in the bathroom, and my purple shamrock is riding shotgun. One last check to make sure the brake lights are working on the tow vehicle and we're off!
One pregnant widow, one twenty month old and one 13 year old cat named Vermont. The new trifecta of awesome.
If I've planned this trip right we'll arrive at our new home on Friday and the movers will arrive on Saturday. Alice and I will sleep that last night in the Winnebago, then the big mover-men will set up the heavy furniture. The RV rental folks said they would try to have someone come out to pick up the Winne on Saturday. I'm not entirely sure what try means to them, but I'm counting on someone picking it up. I don't have anyone to help me with a car shuffle.
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Thank you for reading!
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