Words on Writing

I'm going to take a quick break from writing about our move for this post. Just a lot of things on my mind that I want to put it out there so I have some accountability.

I love writing. When I was a teenager I loved writing stories. Actually, writing stories started way before that. I used to be embarrassed by what I did when I first started writing, but now that I am older, it's interesting for me to look back on when my writing started and to remember how creative I used to be.

I don't remember the exact age when I started writing these little stories I wrote and I really wish I had some of them to look back on. My story line was very simple...I would think of someone I would marry (usually it was someone famous, George Michael, Barry Manilow...hmmm..lol) and then I would list when we got married and then each of the kids we would have. I would write out the full names of the children, their date of births, how much they weight, etc. After deciding who my family would be, I would start writing this families story. Sometimes there was a child that got sick and I even remember writing in a few times that one of the children died. I had so much fun writing these stories and I was even writing them into middle school. I usually kept them pretty hidden and I didn't want anyone to know what I was writing. Well, one day as my Dad and I were driving somewhere he asked me about these stories I had written. He was confused and really didn't understand them. I think when he asked me about the stories I was so embarrassed that I quickly tried to change the subject. The subject was never brought up again and I never wrote those kind of stories again.

When I was in high school one of my favorite classes was the typing class I took my freshman year. My hands instantly felt at ease on the keyboard and within a few weeks I was lessons ahead of the teacher. It was freeing typing out words and sentences and I loved (and still do) the way my fingers are able to move, at times, faster than I can think. After being introduced to typing I immediately went home and asked my parents if they had a typewriter. This was 1989, so it was way before the home computer and you were lucky if your family had a typewriter.

I spent hours and hours typing stories. I had started to read Danielle Steele books and I was kind of using her theme of there being a love story, and then something tragic happening in the middle of the love story. I remember one time my Mom had a friend over and they wanted me to read a story that I had been writing and working on. This was the first time that I had read out loud something I had written...and at that time, my writings were very personal to me. I remember seeing my Mom and her friend completely engulfed in my story. I think at one point my Mom's friend even cried a little in one part. It was amazing to me that I could write something that would affect something so deeply that they cried.

 Somewhere along the way, I stopped writing. Starting a blog in 2005 helped open that door and I dreamt of maybe one day writing a book. I always thought that I wanted to write a book about my life, but I am also realizing there are lots of stories in my mind that would love to be freed.

I'm excited about this writing spark I seem to have found and I really want to work on becoming a better writing, learning how to write in an elegant way that makes my words float on the page.

I'm can't wait to get started.

Leaving Leadville: Moving Day is Here

September 14, 2016...the day we are moving. I remember feeling sad, scared, anxious, nervous and just about every other feeling that day. 

No matter where you move, whether it's down the street or across the country, it's going to be stressful. I had mentally prepared myself for the move, but there is always going to be something that comes up last minute. 

I think the movers were suppose to be there around noon and they didn't get until until 3pm. It was crazy watching all of our possessions being loaded up on a truck and just praying that we have everything at the end of the journey. 

9 Comstock on the morning of the move

Last night needing oxygen

All ready to go

Last minute packing

We lived among boxes for months

Goodbye Subway..I won't miss you

Leadville

Left my mark on the house

Empty garage

It was a beautiful day

Finally the movers show up

One of the many things we had to say goodbye to

Moving on out

It's for real

We found the stash of cat toys

Neat the end

Everything is all packed up and and I stop, look around, and take one last picture

As we left, the beautiful day turned into cold and rain. It felt like Leadville was crying because we were leaving

About 5 minutes after the movers got everything in the truck, the skies opened up and it started pouring. We only had 45 minutes to drive, but we were anxious, Lizzy was anxious because she hates rain, the cats were anxious because they were locked up all day and now suddenly we are in their least favorite place...the car! 

By the time we were in the car and ready to go, we were both exhausted both physically and emotionally. We had hoped the movers would be done by early afternoon so we could make it to Denver that night, but like any move....things always seem to be late. 

It was so bittersweet driving out of Leadville. I knew we were going to have a great new life in NY, but this had been our home and it was  hard leaving not knowing when or if we would ever be back to the little town at the top of the world. As we drove out of Leadville, the rain stopped and it turned to snow. This is the exact reason so many moving companies would not come to Leadville....you never know when it's going to be a total white out snow and there's nothing worse than driving a huge 18 wheeler on a 2 lane highway in white out conditions. I felt it was pretty ironic that it started to snow as we left...it was as if Leadville was giving us one last dose of winter before we headed to sea level where it would be months before it would be cold enough to snow. 

We made it to our hotel that evening and the next day would be the start of our 2,000 mile adventure. I am not sure if I have ever been more scared in my life. But I kept telling myself (and reminding D) that...no matter where we are, we will be okay as long as we are together. We would say this many times in the next 10 days as we drive east in search of our new life.