When the rep walked up to the house we were about to turn back over to the military housing company, I bristled at her container of Lysol wipes. The wipes wouldn’t have been a big deal, but paired with her attitude, I got a little defensive. I get that they have to make sure the homes are properly cleaned, but….seriously? We’ve spent the last three days cleaning behind the movers that were not only late, but short handed. (She had also done a pre-move inspection so she already knew our house was in great shape.)
Through the process, she test cleaned various spots through the kitchen, re-wiping down the inside of the dishwasher, refrigerator and every drawer in the kitchen. She checked every window, every blind, every sill. In all of our base housing experiences – we’ve never had someone this persnickety. We passed with flying colors, but I did have to have a mental chat with myself to not say something through the process. (For the record, the house was cleaner now than it was when we moved in. I resisted the urge to comment on that out loud.)
With that done and keys handed over, we drove away from our very last base house. This was the last chapter of active duty military life left to close. I exhaled as we drove away, the reality sinking in. Eric and I did a little giddy car dance/high five as we drove back to the kids to pack up.
We. are. done.
No more moving every three years (unless we want to), no more being told where to move, and no more short(er) term planning. We can stay put for as long as we want!
THIS IS EXCITING!
It was a stunning day in the PNW. Definitely another one of those sunny days that fool people into moving there just in time to experience months of Fall/Winter/2nd Winter/Almost Spring. After a visit and hugs with the parentals, we hit the road to Seattle so we didn’t have to get up as early for their flight. Eric took the 2-legged minions to SoCal, and I am on the road with the 4-legged ones! I love road trips and it’s been nearly 3 years since we’ve been anywhere – mostly due to Covid. Seattle traffic was great practice for the 8 lanes of I-5 in my future! Have I mentioned that I am alone? For the first time in about 6 or maybe 7 years?! Mind blowing. I have been looking forward to this trip for weeks! I definitely crave alone time; to read, to listen to music, to write, to think, and to just be.
After getting them all set for their flight, the doggos and I headed south with the tunes playing and yes, lots of singing all the things, stops for coffee and eats (when it was finally open), and even a DOG PARK!
About 5 minutes after arriving in Portland, I missed the turn to stay on I5, and took a scenic detour over another giant bridge in Portland that made my tummy squeemy. (I’m not so great with heights + freeway speeds. For some reason I will visualize driving off the bridge and falling to my doom. Yes, I do in fact have an overactive imagination.) I later learned Squeemy Bridge’s actual name is Fremont Bridge. I would post a pic, but I couldn’t take one for the white knuckles and aforementioned imaginings of plummeting to my death. You can google it. (And likely be unimpressed as the photos do not do the height justice. At all.)
Back on the correct freeway, we moseyed our way down to look for the Starbucks’ Oregon mug that was out of stock at every location on our move up from San Diego in 2019. It only took 3 stops to find the coveted mug – mission accomplished!
We made it to Grant’s Pass the first day, and it was HOT. Heat advisory 100 degrees hot. It’s been a minute since we’ve been in this kind of heat. We are now comfortably tucked into our well-air conditioned hotel room for the night and ready for tomorrow’s adventures!
I can’t wait!
Lori's Life and Other Stuff 
