The last time I wrote on this blog it was from an apartment in Chicago. I now write from a house in Omaha, Nebraska. We live here now.
Surely I have had to talk about. Life has changed pretty dramatically since October. I’ve always found it ironic that the times in which life is the most interesting, or perhaps the most complicated, there’s rarely time to write about it. Oftentimes there’s not enough time to even process it. In many instances, that’s how these last few months have been for me and my family.
Life isn’t easy. Well, at least not in the stage of life that I’m in right now. It’s not bad, either. It’s just draining, and it takes a lot of work. I’d like to say that most of the time it is rewarding, but honestly, I often don’t feel that way. I just feel tired.
In short, this is a brief timeline of the last few months:
Late August – Sarah loses job. We begin search for new one. My mom and brother move out to Omaha, NE area.
September – Sarah applies for jobs at various parts of the country.
October – Visit cousin in Omaha for her wedding. Stay with mom and brother. Consider getting job out here and moving.
November – Travel back to Omaha for a job interview. Sarah gets offered position. Told we have about two weeks until start.
December – Sarah starts job while Andrew goes back to Chicago to finish a grad class and to finish up details with apartment. Sarah and boys stay with my mom and brother. Begin search for a place to live.
January – Decide on place to live. Some delays occur. Move in on the 29th.
February – Begin life in new home.
So that’s a VERY condensed timeline of the last few months. I haven’t taken much time to really process or step back to really process all that has gone on, but I think I’m finally getting to the point where things have finally begin to settle and routines have been established and I’m able to start reflecting a bit on life.
Living at your mom’s place for two months is not ideal. Especially with two very young boys determined to get into everything. There are times when you really feel you need your own space. There have been times throughout all the transition that I have felt very overwhelmed and anxious. This is not something I’m accustomed to. I generally can go with the punches. But it was a challenge this time around.
I did manage to stay sane for the most part, but not without help. Obviously, having a partner to do all this with helps keep me sane, even if sometimes we encourage insanity in one another. Even though I didn’t write here at all, I did write and communicate with some of my best friends on this earth during these times. These are friends that allow me to just vent about things and be my raw self, not necessarily having to feel like I have to keep up any kind of appearances. They allow me to be transparent without being judged.
Another thing that has allowed me to keep my sanity has been podcasts and audiobooks. During this time Serial was a very hot podcast, and one that I, like many across this country, listened to religiously every Thursday. I am also a very loyal Radiolab and Moth Podcast listener. In January my favorite podcast, Under the Influence, came back on. I also listen to TED Radio Hour, which these days has really marched up to the top of the list of podcasts I listen to as soon as they come out. I also listen to a number of other ones, such as This American Life and 99% Invisible and Invisibilia.
As I work around the house or unpack or whatever, I listen to these podcasts and the help keep me sane. And they also give me something to talk about. Because I don’t get much to talk about after hanging out with two kids all day everyday.
Well, this post was random and completely aimless, but I wrote something. And that was the goal for this evening.
Stepping Back 