It is all finally starting to feel real. The fact that we are moving across the country in a few weeks is starting to set in. I got butterflies in my stomach thinking about it as we were moving out of our little apartment yesterday. Oh that little apartment. So little. So very very little.
For the past 9 months we have been renting what was built to be a "maid's quarters" in the basement of a garage. It is 250 square feet of efficient tinyness. The family we were renting from have been the most wonderful landlords and it truly was a great experience being there. During my last school term, though, there were a couple of times that I would just stand in the middle of the room (at the foot of the bed where it abuts the "kitchen") and go "I'm going crazy in this cave!" On the days when it was raining too hard and Alex had the car at work, I would be trapped there doing homework...no Internet access...no cable...torture.
So the other day, as we made trips up the driveway and loaded their garage with our boxes of stuff, both Alex and I stopped to watch the sunset for a moment. We stood silently, thankful for our little cave. The apartment overlooks Lake Oswego and for being such a small place, it is gorgeous. We were so blessed to have the time we did there.
Alex and I are all moved out now. Our stuff is safely stored in our landlord's garage until the 14th. Now we are spending our last few days in Oregon with my parents and with our friends (the ones with the dog that got skunked). We made sure to stop by our favorite places one last time in Lake Oswego. We had a little coffee date in the patisserie that we visited the first time we came to this town.
During our date, Alex asked me what I would miss the most about the community we're leaving. I had to think about it moment. The a a lot of things I love about Portland and Lake Oswego. In Lake Oswego in particular, I decided what I will miss the most is seeing everyone walking around with dogs. Everyone loves to stop and talk about their dog with you here - it's a very easy way to meet people around town.
It is going to be so strange having to start all over. Learning the good places to eat, learning the way people in Cary and Raleigh interact around town, learning the best way around traffic... We're going to miss Portland. I think the food is the part we will miss the most. Man, the food here is good!
Last night we went out to Pizza Italia with my folks. My dad is doing some business up here so we get to spend a little more time with them before my mom has to say goodbye (you know, with lots of tears and everything that makes goodbyes hard). My dad's old business partner has a loft in the Pearl District with an extra room that we stayed in. The view is killer.
Just a few days left to soak up this city. It definitely teaches you not to take a place for granted. I imagine what it would feel like if we hadn't explored as much as we did. Leaving would be so much less significant. I'm glad that it is significant. It means we were here...really here.
