Yes, it's been more than a month since my last post. But I can't even keep a decent diary, so what did you expect?
Oh, for me to try harder? To try and find a little discipline?
I hate when I talk common sense to myself. Fine, let's catch up then, shall we?
The packing is done. Halle-freakin-lujah. My last day at work has come and gone; the worst of which was saying goodbye to my library kids. I may not have given birth to them, but they were mine just the same...and they'd staked their claim on me as well, which made for a few tear-filled goodbyes. Thank goodness most of them are old enough for Facebook so I can keep in touch. My mom and stepdad came north to get my sister's bins and my boxes and took them down to their home last Tuesday. Bring on the holiday o' turkeys(which was very enjoyable), the farewells to friends(bittersweet), and moving day.
The twin, who has been living with the parentals for about three weeks now, came back north for the holiday. Our cousin C1, who grew up in the apartment above us, traveled up here with her husband and children And since her parents still live above us, the twin and I decided to stay up north a little longer so we could see them one last time before the big move. Catching up with numerous cousins, who are all insane, and ridiculous amounts of fantastic food made for a fun afternoon and evening. Friday we dedicated to saying goodbye. A last lunch with our closest girlfriends. There was some sadness there, but all of them have internet, FB, Skype and webcams so keeping up with each other won't be too hard. Another visit to an ex-coworker that I adore, and her two daughters, one of whom I am godfather two. Yes, I said godfather. o.O
We also stopped by one of my favorite married couples, C2 and M. M grew up with us, and his wife C2 became part of the circle when they started dating. I don't see them very often, but it doesn't mean that that we're any less close than I am with my ex-coworker or my best friends. While we hung out with them, their closest friend and my childhood buddy, L, stopped by on his way out to the club with C1's hubby.(Have I confused you yet?) L is one of the sweetest, funniest, most down-to-earth guys I've ever known, and we've known each other since we were five, having gone all the way through school together, including college. Saying goodbye to him was especially hard; but seeing it in his face, which is rare, had the twin and I near tears. So many wonderful memories there....
My co-worker, B, was the last stop. We've been through a lot, and a mean A LOT. After 12+ years, what do you expect? We've had our ups and downs, but we've always had each others backs, especially when it came to our divide-and-conquer supervisor. I worry about B, because she's a favorite target...but I think she and my replacement will get along just fine, and work together to counteract our supervisor's bad habits.
Please, God.
Bring on Saturday. Moving Day. As I told The Englishman, there was no real sadness, no tears...more of a bemused sorrow. A kind of shock that we were finally walking away. Don't get me wrong, the twin and I are very happy to leave that apartment behind. We've been spinning our wheels for the last few years, stuck in limbo with no real destination. One one hand, my move to the UK, and the twin's subsequent move out of state has been a blessing in disguise; the jump start we both needed. But on the other hand, we grew up there. Thirty some-odd years, with a few away at college and living on our own before we took it over after our parents divorced(hellooooooo, rent control!). Now it's time to leave it all behind, you know? Our dad came to help us out, which was a very pleasant surprise, since we expected something completely different. And no, I'm not going into it, except to say that I'm glad there was no drama.
Once the twin drove onto I-95, however...the smiles broke out. The twin is now amongst our mother's family, and we are one huge happy clan, let me tell you. Our cousins have been nagging us to move down here for years, and once they heard I was leaving the country, they sat on the twin until she found a job and made this move.
As for me, I'm considering this my three weeks intermission. I'll repack my boxes, ship them out, participate in my cousin/unofficial little sister's wedding, then say a few more goodbyes before I fly across the Atlantic to my husband, and the life that is waiting for me there.
But for now, it's time to finish this laundry.
