Living Quarters Limbo
Week 2: November 10-17
The Facts
Joey has spent every weekend in Michigan since moving. The house in Rouge provided what we needed for our time there, but it was just too stinking big for the two of us and somehow it ended up being filled to the brim with things. I thought I did a good job purging for the last several months, but there was more crammed in than I realized.
When we lived in our first apartment right after getting married, I would stand at the door with my eye glued to the peephole eagerly waiting for Joey to return from work. I'd open the door when I saw him reaching for his keys and he would have a slightly disturbed, yet pleased look on his face. Then I would follow him around til he got annoyed. I didn't have a job yet and we didn't have pets or friends back then so I was very lonely. There was a day this week where I waited for him at the peephole and beat him to opening the door that felt like straight up deja vu.
I applied for some jobs in the elder care field.
Tried a sushi sample at Kroger. As if that place could get any better.
I donated platelets. I'm trying to get one more donation in before the end of 2018. I walked there. This is great because it's so close and also because even the cold weather here isn't cold enough to stop me from going outside for 10 minutes.
We've been listening to a Bluegrass covers playlist on Spotify. I've loved listening to covers of all kinds for a long time. A lot of the significant music choices for our wedding were covers. I finally realized why I like them so much- it feels adventurous because I'm trying out new music, but it's not that risky since it's still familiar. I guess I discovered I like change, but only a little.
I was bored for the first time. It lasted several hours.
Iris drank out of the toilet. That was new.
We ate at Wild Eggs for breakfast one day this week and liked it. We made a return visit to Feast where I had the best sweet potato fries I've ever eaten.
I hate to perpetuate stereotypes, but strangers have been so much more polite here! The Kroger employees, the platelet staff, people on the street, cashiers at fast food places-- literally every interaction we've had has been pleasant or neutral. This is basically the exact opposite of what we've grown accustomed to in Michigan. Or maybe these people are totally average and living in Michigan just made us lower our standards for human decency. Either way, moving south has been like a breath of fresh air. (Oh. It has also literally been fresher air than Downriver. That's nice, too.)
The Feelings
Joey and I have gotten better at expressing our expectations for stressful events like this, but emotions have certainly been running a bit higher than usual this week.
I don't know why I expected the moving process to be easier than this. The first weekend, Joey went back alone for the bikes. The second weekend, I went with him to organize some leftover items and grab other things we wanted with us in Louisville. The drive there was uneventful, but it only took a few minutes of being back in the house to feel all the feels and start crying. It smelled like when we first moved in and were blissfully ignorant of the trials awaiting us. The house even sounded the same as it did when we moved in because it was empty again. I specifically remember feeling nostalgic when I heard the echo of the bathroom light switch this weekend. It's such a small thing, but there's a lot attached to it.
Our very last Saturday in Michigan did not go anything like I thought it would. We woke up expecting to have the house full of able bodied friends to make loading the moving truck take 5 minutes. We anticipated having men with big muscles bring up the 4,000 pound workbench from the basement. We had a moment of panic when we realized no one was coming and we were going to have to load this darn truck by ourselves again--but at least it wasn't raining this time.
A wild plot twist appeared!
You know who showed up to help us? The local teenagers. And I hate to admit that when they messaged me saying they were coming, Joey and I kind of dreaded it. We were afraid that they'd just be a distraction. Joke's on us! They worked incredibly hard doing tasks I was dreading (like wiping out cabinets and cleaning the refrigerator) and they never complained. They were with us for about 5 hours doing whatever we asked them to. It makes me feel like crying thinking about it. A good cry. A humbling cry. Makes me think those unbelievably difficult years leading teen group weren't the huge waste of time they felt like. Maybe giving the teens snacks and chatting for a few minutes (even though we didn't always want to) every time they popped by unannounced was worth it. Honestly, I think spending our last day in River Rouge with them was surprisingly fitting.
P.S. Everyone needs friends like Whitney and Justin. These two had an exhausting and full day of their own and they STILL came and helped us with the storage unit and the final stages of cleaning the house. Incredible.
The Requests
This weekend was our last weekend in Michigan for a while. I'm ready to make our apartment in Louisville really feel like home for now. I suppose this is more of a praise than a request-- the hardest part is done and now we can settle down a bit.
Church update- It's weird to observe what sticks out to us as visitors in a church after our years in the trenches. We certainly learned a lot living and serving in River Rouge, but I think we'd both do the whole thing differently if we could. Keep praying for us as we try out other churches in the area.
The Facts
Joey has spent every weekend in Michigan since moving. The house in Rouge provided what we needed for our time there, but it was just too stinking big for the two of us and somehow it ended up being filled to the brim with things. I thought I did a good job purging for the last several months, but there was more crammed in than I realized.
I applied for some jobs in the elder care field.
Tried a sushi sample at Kroger. As if that place could get any better.
I donated platelets. I'm trying to get one more donation in before the end of 2018. I walked there. This is great because it's so close and also because even the cold weather here isn't cold enough to stop me from going outside for 10 minutes.
We've been listening to a Bluegrass covers playlist on Spotify. I've loved listening to covers of all kinds for a long time. A lot of the significant music choices for our wedding were covers. I finally realized why I like them so much- it feels adventurous because I'm trying out new music, but it's not that risky since it's still familiar. I guess I discovered I like change, but only a little.
I was bored for the first time. It lasted several hours.
Iris drank out of the toilet. That was new.
We ate at Wild Eggs for breakfast one day this week and liked it. We made a return visit to Feast where I had the best sweet potato fries I've ever eaten.
I hate to perpetuate stereotypes, but strangers have been so much more polite here! The Kroger employees, the platelet staff, people on the street, cashiers at fast food places-- literally every interaction we've had has been pleasant or neutral. This is basically the exact opposite of what we've grown accustomed to in Michigan. Or maybe these people are totally average and living in Michigan just made us lower our standards for human decency. Either way, moving south has been like a breath of fresh air. (Oh. It has also literally been fresher air than Downriver. That's nice, too.)
The Feelings
Joey and I have gotten better at expressing our expectations for stressful events like this, but emotions have certainly been running a bit higher than usual this week.
Our very last Saturday in Michigan did not go anything like I thought it would. We woke up expecting to have the house full of able bodied friends to make loading the moving truck take 5 minutes. We anticipated having men with big muscles bring up the 4,000 pound workbench from the basement. We had a moment of panic when we realized no one was coming and we were going to have to load this darn truck by ourselves again--but at least it wasn't raining this time.
A wild plot twist appeared!
You know who showed up to help us? The local teenagers. And I hate to admit that when they messaged me saying they were coming, Joey and I kind of dreaded it. We were afraid that they'd just be a distraction. Joke's on us! They worked incredibly hard doing tasks I was dreading (like wiping out cabinets and cleaning the refrigerator) and they never complained. They were with us for about 5 hours doing whatever we asked them to. It makes me feel like crying thinking about it. A good cry. A humbling cry. Makes me think those unbelievably difficult years leading teen group weren't the huge waste of time they felt like. Maybe giving the teens snacks and chatting for a few minutes (even though we didn't always want to) every time they popped by unannounced was worth it. Honestly, I think spending our last day in River Rouge with them was surprisingly fitting.
P.S. Everyone needs friends like Whitney and Justin. These two had an exhausting and full day of their own and they STILL came and helped us with the storage unit and the final stages of cleaning the house. Incredible.
The Requests
This weekend was our last weekend in Michigan for a while. I'm ready to make our apartment in Louisville really feel like home for now. I suppose this is more of a praise than a request-- the hardest part is done and now we can settle down a bit.
Church update- It's weird to observe what sticks out to us as visitors in a church after our years in the trenches. We certainly learned a lot living and serving in River Rouge, but I think we'd both do the whole thing differently if we could. Keep praying for us as we try out other churches in the area.
A word from Joey: "Long John Silver's is always swill no matter how good you want it to be." This hits close to home because I always crave it, but Joey never lets me get it. I guess last time I had it, I was deeply disappointed, but I DON'T REMEMBER THINKING THAT AND I WANT TO TRY IT AGAIN.
A bonus word from Lauren via text message: "KATIE. LJS is always going to disappoint you. Let me be the only LJS in your life." (She has the same initials as Long John Silver's. Poor thing.)
A bonus word from Lauren via text message: "KATIE. LJS is always going to disappoint you. Let me be the only LJS in your life." (She has the same initials as Long John Silver's. Poor thing.)
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