Today marks one week of sleeping in one place, a first in the last five weeks. It just so happens to have been one week in our new place. Other than about a room and a half, we’ve unpacked quite a bit and are starting to settle in. We even went so far as having our first house guests, first sleepover and first party in our home this weekend.
Somehow, I managed to organize a “surprise” party for the hubby today in celebration of his upcoming birthday. To do so, I invited everyone we knew in the state and thankfully, all seven of them came. This included a sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew as well as…oh, how to explain this connection…a good friend’s older sister and her husband and almost-two-year-old daughter who are now becoming our good friends, too. No one lives in town, so I’m quite grateful they all made the trek out, and he was more surprised than I could have hoped.
We had pie and ice cream, sang as he blew out all 25 candles and went swimming in the pool afterwards. All of the elements of a good birthday party were there, really. All in all, it was a fantastic day and a great way to celebrate with those now closest to us. Now, hours later, I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that we live here. I know we’ve been gone awhile and have started trying new things and places, but maybe it’s actually more odd to consider that we aren’t going back. Or at least not for a long while, if ever. Sure, we’ll probably visit at some point in the distant future, but as it stands now, not to live there. I think today was the first day I really thought about the fact that “we aren’t there” more than the “we are here.” This isn’t merely a trip we’ll recount with Iowa people when we get back. We might talk on the phone or skype with them about some of the details, but the more and more we live farther away, the less and less our average everyday lives will overlap. It’s sad and strange and true all at once. With that loss has to come the establishment of new routines, new traditions and new people. But in the interim, it’s a strange thing to consider. On a birthday, it’s easier to notice the difference between this one from the last one, or even the difference in our lives since my birthday a couple months ago. While I’m so glad we got to celebrate his birthday with our favorite people in the state, it did cause me to recognize some of the voids as well. We live here now, not there. We live here, not there.
Hmm. That will take some getting used to.