A Cariad Life

Well…it has been a very busy couple of weeks with a lot of goodbyes to our friends and family in Washington, purging of unneeded items or items we don’t have room to pack, and preparing for the last leg of our journey before we go to France–a month in SC/NC and 2 final nights in NYC.

Just over a week ago, we sold my car, which was a bit emotional for me. In no way is this meant to be vain; it really is a reflection of what material items had begun to mean to me before starting this journey. Becoming a chief officer by the time I was 40 had been a dream of mine, as well as owning a BMW. I did both of those and when in May, I resigned from my position–there was a bit of an identity loss–who was I without a title, the salary, and the responsibility? Growing up in a happy home, though one not rich in funds, buying that car also represented having “made it.” As I shared in the beginning of this blog, this process over the last six months has been so much more than deciding to move to France–it has been a journey of self-discovery–who am I, what (and who) do I love, and what layers need to be peeled away so I can focus on what is most important? Where and in what do I want to invest my energy as I move forward and who am I really trying to impress? Selling the car was one of those layers–it is not my identity. It was just another thing–a thing that is too expensive to maintain and insure. We will have to buy a car in France, but it will most likely be a small Fiat or Peugeot–something that we can park easily and can maneuver through narrow streets.

Last week, while Darrell was in Colorado for a conference, I finished packing our six suitcases, mailed three more boxes to France, closed our Bainbridge Island PO Box, said goodbye to friends, cleaned our temporary home next to the water, and gave our Jeep to Noah, who gave his to Caleb. Our friends hosted dinners for us, and we received such thoughtful notes and gifts to include aprons with our names and the name of our B&B on them.

The boys had dinner with us the last night in Washington, and we had a good family hug. Noah, without being asked, prayed for our journey. Throughout these times, I have paused and reflected, allowing myself to fully experience the moments…sitting with a cup of tea at my friend, Leah’s house, as we look out over the Puget Sound; being surrounded by good friends for dinner at Bruciato’s on Halloween night; having wine around the fire pit at my friend, Christine’s house; my last ferry ride leaving Bainbridge; and, the feel of the wheels of the airplane lifting from the PNW ground.

On Saturday afternoon, we arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina and picked up the rental car we will have for the next month. After a brief overnight visit with my mom, we arrived at our 3rd floor annex apartment rental in downtown Greenville, SC, on Sunday. We are sharing this house with the owner and two college students, who are also renting space in the home. Our space is spacious with a living room, dining/work area, and bedroom and bathroom; however, it only has a kitchenette with a small refrigerator, so we’ll get an early start living a European lifestyle and shopping daily for our food. Interesting note, 25 years ago, Greenville was our first home upon getting married. We lived just about a mile away from where we are staying now. As Darrell has mentioned, this return to Greenville isn’t “full circle,” it is the intersection of a figure eight, another new circle is yet to come.

Over this month, we plan to see family and friends here, take lots of great walks all over Greenville (check out the link below–it is a great city!), obtain our SC driver’s licenses, continue to work remotely, and finish up final details for the purchase and running of the B&B–our first guests arrive December 15! We are also still waiting for our passports and visas–trusting they arrive by December 6 when we fly out. (I’m feeling a bit of stress about that!) I’ll keep you posted!