I've been to Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota, Buffalo...

Yep, we're on the move again. After two years in the land of rainbows, we're on our way back to the East Coast. It feels like 'back to the future', given that we've both lived in that time zone for much of our lives, but both John and I are new to the Hampton Roads area. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's nothing like the DC metro area!!

As always, there are a lot of mixed emotions. While we would never dream of settling in Hawaii for many, many reasons, going for long walks/jogs/bike rides along sapphire-blue water lined with palm trees in the morning is a joyful part of my life. Being able to go outside any day is a delight when one has a toddler. And there are some people here who will forever be a cherished part of my life.

But we're focusing on the positive and getting fairly excited about it. A large concentration of our family is on that side of the US, so we'll be within a day's drive of most of our family. After being six time zones away in one direction or the other, this will be a wonderful change. Considering I almost went to William & Mary, I obviously love the area and the historical aspects of it. And of course, living near the water again makes me a happy camper. I've been looking for churches already and think I may have already found the one God has planned for us, so my excitement level is building quickly.

And I'll need it. This will be my fourth move and fifth location in five years. Yikes. At least I'm not moving 12 time zones at once with a cat and an infant; going without all of your household goods for 4 months with a child that age is a bit of a challenge (though we did quite well after mailing a few boxes ahead). Granted, we'll be doing this move with a nearly-preschooler, aforementioned cat, and now a dog who is NOT a happy traveler, but the time zoneage has been cut in half.

We'll have our things packed out in early September and hope to see them again sometime in early November. It's a little stressful trying to figure out what you send, what you send in the "quick shipment" (the stuff that's only in transit for a month or so), and what you'll pack. Emily's always been pretty adapatable, so I'm hopeful that this will go well. And this will make 64 time zones or so that she's flown over before she turns 3. She should get her own level of frequent flyer miles.

I lay in bed early this morning and listened to Reveille, feeling that sense of farewell that I get before another move. This was our first experience living on base, and it was perfect given the options. Unlike most other locations, we both really loved it. My best girlfriend here, Diana, and I have talked frequently about the uniqueness of military life and the experience of family life on a military base. How many people are sent off to sleep with Taps and awakened by Reveille? How many have the opportunity to teach their two-year-old to stop what she's doing, place her hand over her heart, and stand still through the broadcast of the national anthem at 1630? (Yeah, she does. It's incredibly cute. Along with the stage-whispers of "ssssss, moosic tow-wer, hand, heart!")

The best news of last week was finding out that Diana and Craig are also leaving in a few months. They're heading to DC, so they'll be within driving distance. This is the absurdly gorgeous family with five beautiful boys who have been our buddies since we all got here at the same time two years ago. Seriously, it's like the Catholic Stepford Family. The Pascoes came from Japan, we from Germany, and we hit it off from the minute we met at orientation. When I came to the two older boys' first Holy Communion, Diana made such a fuss and said, "You know, in this life we never get to have family come to these types of events. You being here is our family." In her words, she and I are two peas in a pod, while John and Craig are very similar as well. It helps "the boys" to realize they're not alone in being married to spunky and outgoing girls. Saying goodbye to Diana was the part of leaving Hawaii that has been causing me the most sorrow, so I'm pretty pumped that we'll be in the same state again soon.

Odd thing is... I think I've forgotten how to dress in cold(er) weather. And I have no idea how to dress a little girl! The concept of closed shoes is a foreign one to this beach baby, so this should be interesting. Of course, our families--both from Pennsylvania--will scoff at the idea of considering southeastern Virginia 'cold', and I would have laughed at that idea most of my life as well. We'll see what happens, and I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing SEASONS again!!!

Off go to work on my PCS notebook again.