The Road to Virginia...

... is actually many roads.  And there are a few different routes you can travel when starting from the Southern Tier.  You're probably going to start on I-81 South and from there you have a few choices.  But before going too far, make sure you stop at my favorite trucker station - The Flying J - and fill up your tank on that cheaper out-of-state gas!

But I am getting ahead of myself.  The day before moving, a Sunday, we were helped by some of our closest church friends, and we really appreciate the effort and time they gave to us.  Among those people was Andrea's family, who graciously volunteered themselves in traveling and moving us into our new apartment the following day.  Despite my fears that the moving truck (or apartment) would "shrink" as we loaded our possessions, it never did and everything fit with more than enough room.

The plan for moving required four drivers and four vehicles.  I accepted the challenge of driving the moving truck and was accompanied by our cat, Mert.  Andrea drove the family car (named Elaine) with her mother entertaining Evelyn.  Adam, who accompanied me to Virginia in my previous post, drove my car (Serena) with his sister, Becca.  And Andrea's father, D., drove down in the Charger so that everyone had a ride back to New York the next morning.

However, nothing ever goes according to plan.  We started over an hour late and the Charger had oil slowly leaking from its reservoir.  And when we were ready to leave, there was a loud and obnoxious wood-chipper in front of our house, which is a story for another time.  So as we left, we split into three groups.  Serena left first to get coffee and breakfast, Elaine traveled behind me, and the charger went to an auto parts store to buy some oil.

Before 30 miles had eclipsed, the cat had wet herself because of stupid wood-chipper and travel stresses, so I was happy when I finally got to the Flying J to meet up with Serena.  (Elaine continued on her trek, and we wouldn't see them again until we got to Virginia.)  In addition to getting fuel, I was able to clean-up Mert, who had pretty much given up on trying to convince me to let her out of the carrier.

With the exception of southern Pennsylvania, it was pretty smooth driving.  Having Serena travel behind me was great to block off cars in the passing lane when I needed to pass, and our fuel tanks were emptying at nearly the same rate.  We didn't have to stop again until we got to Maryland for refueling gas tanks and stomachs.  Eventually, D. caught up with Elaine, and they traveled in tandem for the rest of the trip.  Because our lunch stop was so long, D. and Elaine passed us as we ate and gave Mert clean-up.

From lunch we made it all the way to our new home, Breckenridge Apartments, and were meet by two of my new co-workers who volunteered themselves for physical labor.  Not more than ten minutes later, the rest our party arrived, and the rest of the evening was spent going up-and-down stairs, tending to the needs of Mert and Evelyn, and crashing out on mattresses, couches, futons and cots.

Unfortunately, the trip wasn't without some collateral damage.  By God's grace we all made it down without any problems, but when we attempted to start Serena at the apartment complex, the engine wouldn't turn.  Over the course of the next two days, I worked on it when I had the time, but ultimately, we had to get it towed to the mechanic.  In hindsight though, I'm just thankful it didn't stop working in Maryland, when we had lunch, because we would have had some serious complications.  So everyone who prayed for safe travels, thank you, because God was merciful to us there.

And that's about it for the Road to Virginia.  It's been fun to write about this transition in our lives, and we really appreciate all the support from friends and family that we've received.  Seasons of change always make us uncomfortable, but it's a way for us to lean into God and depend on Him all the more.  In our weakness and insecurity, there is strength and confidence in the One who is familiar with all our difficulties!

Scouting and Packing

After coming home from vacation, it was time to get to work.  Over the next five weeks, Andrea and I shoved all our earthly possessions into boxes, researched apartments online, and attempted to have one last gathering with friends, family and loved ones.  Lest I forget everything, may this post serve as a highlight reel.

Many mornings, days and nights were spent on packing things into boxes and assessing their value.

• Evelyn was blessed with a gracious, six-year collection of clothing that we stored in the attic, but without such a massive storage space in Virginia, we brought with us only what she would need for the upcoming year or two.  Thankfully, Andrea's grandma offered her attic to store the remaining clothing items for the short-term future, so we didn't have to donate them away. 
• Speaking of donation, it's amazing how much extra stuff we collected in only five years of marriage.  It's been nothing less than eye-opening to realize how much we really need and don't need in regards to material possessions.  So we piled bags upon boxes and were refreshed in the blessing that places like Birthright and consignment stores exist.  Although exploring it's ideas before the move, I think it is the motivation behind Andrea's most recent (and timely) minimalism kick.
• But really, we just spent most of our time packing and figuring out if we really wanted to move all our stuff.  It was exhausting and annoying and I'm glad it's over now.

In the middle of all that packing, I was lucky enough to drive down to Virginia with Andrea's brother, Adam, to scout out the prospective apartments that interested us as well as the surrounding neighborhoods.  It also doubled as a great bonding experience for Adam and me, considering we were in the car for over 12 hours that day.  Although it was a long day and a lot of miles, in hindsight, I was thankful that I was able to get there and back, and especially with no car problems for once.  Eating at Steak N' Shake for dinner wasn't a bad consolation prize either.


Our final weeks of living in the Southern Tier, of course, was peppered with both sadness and excitement.  As much as we were excited for the new adventures that await us, it's always hard saying good-bye to familiar places, and people, and our local Wegman's.  As much as we could, we scheduled our last weeks visiting these people and places, making the most of every opportunity.  Transitions are tough for nearly everyone, yet I am still steadfast and certain that God has placed us here for a reason.  It is our daily prayer as of late that we find ourselves a loving church and friends that we can love just as much as family.