So, yeah, we are moving. There are moments (like right now) where I can't believe we are actually moving out of the mountains. My pwdrgrl is leaving her mountains and we will rejoin society when we move to Long Island, New York. We have had the best life here in the mountains. I moved here a little over 5 years ago and it's been as if we have been on this 5 year honeymoon, up in the mountains away from everyone, but now it's time for us to move close to family and friends and a place where I can work in the one of many areas of social work that I enjoy. Plus, we are going from living at 10,200 feet above sea level to being at sea level. We have decided that oxygen is a good thing and there's just not enough up here at the top of the world. When we go down to sea level (or anything lower than 6,000 feet), we both feel like we can run a marathon. When we visit New York, I never need as much sleep and I wake up ready to go. After being here for 5 years my body is just really tired. The altitude has been a great thing for me because it has allowed me to totally adjust the way I eat. It has been necessary for me to drink at least 8 or more cups of water a day. I learned quickly that once you become dehydrated the altitude sickness can take over and you feel miserable. Living at high altitude has also caused my appetite to completely change. For the last 3 years my appetite has been cut in half. When we go places people are shocked that Dede and I share many of our meals. It's not uncommon for her to cook one pork chop and we will share it and then have a veggie. I feel like I have learned how to re-eat and how to make better choices overall. I still have days when I am really bad and don't eat well, but that feeling doesn't last long like it used to.
Leadville will always be something special to both of us. We were married here and this house is where we fell in love. I still remember sitting in the exact spot I am in right now when D came over and told me she loved me for the first time, we learned how to live together as a couple in this home, we welcomed pets into our family and said goodbye to several. When we got married one of my co-workers made us a sign from wood in her backyard that has our names, the date we got married engraved into the wood. And it has Leadville, CO carved into it. I knew that we probably wouldn't stay here forever, so when we got this gift I knew it was going to be extra special since it says Leadville.
We are trading the mountains for the ocean. Our life is going to be completely different and we will friends and family just down the road....it's been so long since I have been around any family (2007) that is there for you. Everything is going to be so new for me. D has lived there before (it's been almost 30 years, but some things never change) but everything is going to be so new for me. I have decided that I will be lost for at least for the first year....it's a good thing that I don't usually get too upset about being lost. For me, it's the only way to really learn.
New York has always always had a special place in my heart. My maternal Grandmother was born and raised in Brooklyn and I was told stories about her growing up and I feel in love with New York from all her stories. Plus, the Watchtower Tract Society was based out of Brooklyn, NY until just a few years ago, so I was taught that this was the most holy place in the world. The first time I visited New York was in 1987 or so when I went to visit a friend from summer camp that lived outside of NYC in New Jersey. It was Thanksgiving and they took us into the city that weekend and I was just in awe of everything that was NYC. I visited that friend one more time, this time in the summer, and again I begged for us to go into the city and again, I was in complete awe of everything I saw. I remember it being hot, but I still loved everything about it. On this one particular trip we also went to the beach and I just thought it was so cool where my friend lived.
My ex-husband I visited my cousin J there in 1999; she was living (and still is) at "Bethel" (what the headquarters are called) and when we went to NYC with his parents we made it a point to get the big tour of Bethel. J and her husband lived in a great but very small apartment in Brooklyn Heights where they were surrounded by other young married couples all working for the Watchtower. Again, my love for New York came out and I spent many hours dreaming of what life in NYC would be like.
I decided to start blogging because there is so much going on right now that I want something I can look back on and read my feelings and reactions. I have missed writing so much and there have been so many times that I have wanted to write, but honestly I have been lazy. If I want to keep writing I need to make myself do it. I love writing and sharing my life and stories with others, now I just need to make myself do it!!
Kansas City--Leadville (PB)--New York
