Speaking of change, 2007 has been known as "The Year of Transition" in the Foster household. We started the year with the announcement of our first baby on the way...and the excitement grew as DH embarked on a quest for employment with his upcoming completion of his PhD work. When he landed a job just outside of Portland, Oregon, we knew we were in for quite a year. Packing began and our stack of boxes grew while my belly did the same. As we prepared to leave from our Pennsylvania home, it struck me how much I was leaving behind. I suppose it isn't possible to go on a journey and stay behind at the same time. So, the time came and we packed up our trusty Penske truck and said our farewells. Family, friends, jobs--everything I was familiar with and so grew to love was changing--for good. With the journey ahead, it was easy to look forward and not back.Our week-long trek across the country was an experience of a lifetime--probably not something I would do again soon, but a fun trip nonetheless. I never realized how big, flat, and dry our country is--of course, what I saw of our country was a view from Interstates 80 and 84 and a short detour in search of a place to have lunch on a lonely road leading to Elk Horn, Iowa...where we found no lunch. To sum up the trip: Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois are not a whole lot different from Pennsylvania, except for the gradual increase in flatness. (Yes, that is now a word.) There is nothing in Iowa; and Nebraska is flat where you can see for miles, while you drive for many, many, many more miles. Finally, Wyoming greeted us with mountains, which was highly more entertaining as we faithfully followed Penske...and followed, and followed, and followed. Into Utah we went for a short jaunt, with more entertaining mountains. Back to the flatlands we went as we headed through Idaho and into Oregon. Ironically, with the fame of the northwest rains and its association with the state of Oregon, one would assume the state would be green. Much to our amusement, the east 2/3 of the state can be characterized as "desert". It wasn't until we were heading down the Columbia River Gorge that we actually saw trees. I almost forgot what they looked like.
A few hours later, we pulled into our new driveway, where the sun was shining; the air was fresh; and the grass, trees, and flowers were lush and green. This was the smell of "new."After about 5 weeks or so of unpacking and organizing...and realizing how few people I knew, our son, Noah, was born on August 29. What a joy it is to become a mother!! I am amazed every day by this incredible blessing that is this little man. It crossed my mind during one 2:00 am feeding that having a baby is a little like having a new pet--a very high maintenance pet. Okay, okay, not the best of analogies, but what do you expect from a sleep-deprived mother at 2:00 am?
Welp, I suppose that is enough for the first entry. I imagine they will not all be this long. DS needs a bath and soon a bed, so farewell for now.
