This week marks a very momentous week in the lives of the Powers Family. 1 year ago we packed up our belongings, left our New England town and drove across the country to the land of the unknown. To say the past year has been a breeze would be a lie but it wouldn't be lying to say that it has been one of the most exciting yet challenging years of our lives. From a new home, new friends, new schools, new businesses, pretty much a whole new everything. We still look the same but I think we're different. Each of us has grown a new sense of self determination. We have each other to help us through the bad spots and we're there for each other to cheer for the accomplishments. So congrats to us, the Powers, for digging deep and finding that courage that allowed us to make one of the biggest and best decisions of our entire lives!
This entire week will be dedicated to our journey to California...
I think I just removed one of these green stickers the other day. Nothing like having everything you own marked with a green sticker. The only thing that comes into my head while watching the Pats on Sunday is how someone needs to take that green moving sticker off the back of Brady's helmet.
People asked us how the heck we did it all. The drug of choice was coffee and I'll just say our pot was never turned off. Between the selling of a life business and the selling of a home in addition to planning a family move somewhere unknown there wasn't much time for sleeping! You rarely saw our hands without a cup!
Watching him watch it all go made my eyes tear up more than once. Then it would be followed by 'What the hell are we doing?'
I like to think it rained, ok poured, on our moving day because it was the tears I didn't have time to cry. Trust me though, I cried when I made that final walk around the home that was no longer ours. I cried when I hugged our neighbors good-bye and I'm pretty sure I cried all the way to MA that night. I was sad, scared and EXHAUSTED and I think that those 3 things does not make a good combo when you start to cry because it's hard to stop! There wasn't a whole lot of time to reflect when it all moved so fast. Sitting back today and reflecting on that piece of our lives I'm so glad we did it. The choice was the right one. Change is scary but sometimes it's the things that are scary that are the best in life.
GOOD-BYE NH...
The kids were already out of the house waiting for us at our neighbors. We set up the camera on auto and I stopped crying long enough to have a final shot before we closed the door on a big part of our life.
So, we just started our journey and I turn around at the gas station only to be stared in the face with this grouchy one. The grumpies made many visits to our car in the four days we were stuck in there!
And then there were the times where we thought we were all going bonkers! Just think about this, 86 hours of total travel and about 46 of those hours spend in the car. We left Tuesday morning from Belchertown, MA and arrived in Monrovia, CA at 10pm. Only one nap from grumpy in the entire 4 days so who the heck wouldn't go bonkers!
Stopped at McDonald's that first night and shortly after that the real tests began! We both don't like McD's and it's obviously not good for you but when you punch in food to the GPS and it's the only option then you have to go for it. You just hope they have a play place so your kids can run wild before you strap them back in for another 4+ hours. (Bingo...so, that was a bonus!)
The one time they both slept. It really was a LONG, ROUGH night in that Ohio hotel room!
When you stop in Indiana and you're 2 it's mandatory that you chew on a stick.
I could only dream that we'd be in Monrovia CA after only a day and a half of driving! This exit was just a big tease but it did keep us entertained for .05 seconds!
OKLAHOMA
Fries and the dog kept the kids entertained for a bit. Wonder how Scott is doing back there in his car of silence.
NEW MEXICO
The land of NOTHING! I just wanted to be able to see trees again. The road into Scottsdale, AZ brought me that joy!
View ahead and behind. This is one of my favorite photos, I just think it looks cool.
Trains, planes and automobiles. Not too many planes and cars got quite boring but the trains were so cool!
Red road, a favorite from our journey. Scott doesn't remember the red road. Guess he was in a trance of SILENCE. Good thing I have a photo for him.
ARIZONA
Chantz insisted that I take a picture of just him. Absolutely YAYA! I can't believe how big he is now!!! I think he's grown an entire foot in a year.
Family snap shot with the timer. CLASSIC! We've been on the road for 4 days and have had very little sleep. These random unfixed photos are the ones that make life worth remembering! Raw and Real!
Standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona, such a fine site to see. Anything for entertainment at this point!
Remember those trees I wished for way back in Oklahoma? Well, hello Scottsdale, SO glad to see you & your trees! This was also the first time we saw Los Angeles on a road sign. We were all in and made our bets, we WILL drive to our new home this night!
Our very last sunset on our journey. Such a beautiful site and it seems as though the rays are beaming us with energy to make it the last few hundred miles!
WE MADE IT!!! 3100 miles, 86 hours, 4 days, 3 hotels, many potty & gas stops, 1 nap, 1 broken down car, 1 night of puking, 1 REAL BAD wrong turn, 1 illegal shortcut, 1 chewed branch, 1 broken dvd player, 1 brand new dvd player, 1 dollar store trip for new entertainment and a WHOLE LOT OF ADVENTURE! Love my family for making this one of the most exhausting yet memorable experiences of my life!
Let me put in the disclosure that I was taking photos and driving. Most of the photos aren't really of fantastic quality because my eyes never left the road. I never knew what I had for photos from the day until we stopped for the night and I checked them out! It was like a mini Christmas present every night of traveling.
I will be adding a few more photos of the 1st Monrovia Morning onto this post at some point so feel free to check back!
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