Packing Up

The kids and I arrived back in Phoenix late Monday evening (on different airlines, but it all worked out fine). It was great being together as a family once more. And, of course, I had a special time greeting Blossom, our English Springer Spaniel. I hadn't seen her for weeks, and I've been missing her a lot. Margo and I refer to her as our source of immediate, unconditional, tactile affection.

Margo has been extremely busy packing. The house is pretty much just boxes now. It's kind of eerie -- no pictures on the walls, no food in the kitchen, no clothes in the closets. It really doesn't feel like home. Then again, that feeling of "home" started fading sometime at the end of last year, but it really hit me coming home to the sense of emptiness now. Kind of haunting.

I read the final Harry Potter book during the flight home. It was good. (Well, the epilogue was really cheesy and disappointing, but I can't point out any specifics without spoiling the entire story. Suffice to say most readers will wish Rowling padded the ending with some more information.) As with the other books, I think it's a great discussion-starter for parents and kids on the topics of courage, sacrifice, friendships, family, etc. Lots of great stuff to explore.

We ate at Wongs for the final time today. Boy, I'm going to miss that place! It's been our favorite restaurant here for the past decade. There has always been something warm and comfortable (and delicious) about going there. When our server came to the table to greet us, she asked, "Is this the family's last time then? It's the end of July and you are moving, right?" It's like that old Cheers theme song about how nice it is to go someplace where everybody knows your name. I sure hope God helps us find something similar in Virginia!

The next couple of days will be filled with final packing (including the computer here, so I'll be out of touch for a while), saying a few goodbyes, offering a couple of people opportunities to tie up loose ends, closing down bank accounts, taking keys off our keychains, packing the truck, and hitting the road. I'm flying back to Virginia on Friday (so I'll be there for church this weekend), but Margo and the kids will be driving across the country. I'm praying they have a great time seeing the world go by, feeling the rushing of a new adventure ahead of them, forging a few new "roadtrip" memories, etc. Of course, they'll have the dog with them so that'll add a fair amoung of chaos. And I predict at least one of the kids will be curled up in the back seat devouring the Potter book.

Next Monday I'll sign docs for our new house and pick up the keys. The moving truck arrives on Tuesday. New life, here we come!