On this day 2 years ago...

On this day 2 years ago we were halfway through our journey to our new home.  I didn't get to make a "Happy 1 Year Anniversary in Our New Home!" post last year because, well... I wasn't here.  I guess I'll always be 5 months shy of being here as long as the rest of the family, but I made the sacrifice of my time here to jump-start my career in Cincinnati and so far that has paid off.

I never did write about what it took to get us all here, though.  It wasn't an easy trip, but it went about as well as it could.

We left the house in Talladega for the last time with my dad seeing us off.  He came to help us finish loading the truck and brought someone to help do the last bit of cleaning in the house.

We left with a large U-Haul full of our possessions and a van full of animals.  Shaun and Shadow rode with the stuff, while me and Kira rode with the animals.  The (expected) distress of the animals as we began our journey broke Kira's heart a little and I felt that, too.  But they eventually calmed down and just rode.  We stopped often for bathroom breaks, both for us and the dogs.  It went about as well as it could - no one was injured, lost, sick, or dead.  Stressed?  Absolutely.  But we all made the first half of our journey in one piece.

We ended up at a hotel somewhere halfway between Alabama and New Mexico.  It was likely in Texas.  Me and the kids shared a hotel room to get some rest.  Shaun (poor, sweet, caring Shaun) "slept" in the van with the animals because they obviously could not be left alone.  He did not get much rest, as you might imagine.  Nevertheless, we got on the road the next morning and continued our journey.

At some point late in the evening there was a traffic jam.  It took HOURS for it to clear up.  We walked the dogs.  Kira had to pee so bad that she peed in a cup in the van.  (She was so, so proud of being able to do that.)  Eventually it cleared and we were on our way again.

We got to our new house super late that night.  We were all exhausted.  The only thing we really had to do was unpack the animals so they could begin to settle in.  The cats were easy enough.  We knew that Sindar and Adrian would share the bedroom with me and Shaun.  Leon was obviously bunking with Kira.  The rest of the cats had the run of the house.  Anansi (the tarantula) was easy, as well.  She was in her tank for the whole ride, so we just put her tank somewhere safe.  We put the dogs in the covered dog kennel outside since they were not reliably house-trained.  The weather was nice and cool.  We gave them blankets and food and water.

Next, it was time to move Bruce (the ball python).  He was in a cat carrier because his tank was in the truck.  I (stupidly) reached for him without thinking that he might be stressed or hungry, and he struck my hand and immediately wrapped it up.  It took a few minutes for me and Shaun to get him to let go.  I know that sounds scary, but it wasn't too bad.  He barely left a mark.  The cats have done more damage to both me and Shaun.  Anyway, we got him loose and put into his tank to let him settle, and then we all went to bed.

Overall, it could have been worse.  It was a 2-day move carrying everything I hold dear halfway across the country.  Many of my plants died before the move (due to humidity), during (falling and breaking in the truck), and after (I had to adjust to how to care for them in this new environment), but I'm grateful for all of us who made it safe and sound.

Life in New Mexico has been great to us.  The state welcomed all 4 of us jobless heathens with healthcare.  There is free college, too.  The weather has been amazing with no natural disasters.  The food is the best I've ever had.  There is plenty to do:  Hiking to see the Petroglyphs, balloon rides, skate parks, going to the mountain (whether by tram or by car it's a beautiful view), we have Santa Fe with all that it offers (including MeowWolf and the burning of Zozobra), White Sands, Balloon Fiesta, the Badlands, ruins to visit, the calderas with Elk and Prairie dogs, and that doesn't even count what all is in Albuquerque!  We've been here for 2 years (as of tomorrow!) and still haven't seen it all.

Anyway, that's the story of our move - two years later.  I'm sure I've forgotten many of the details that I wanted to remember by now, but what's important is that we made it.