So months ago now, I embarked across the country (yes, traveling once again) to make my new home in Portland, OR. I actually did keep track of my journey a good bit of the way and have pictures to prove it! I am now in Portland but about to leave for India so my stories fall far behind on date.
I will post slowly so as not to overwhelm. Pictures are going to be on Picassa soon. I’ll put up a link when I have it 
Pre-departure
Packing never seemed to end. I think we could have stayed in Richmond indefinitely packing more things to ship or fit in the car. Jake had a good handful of things to take with us but nothing compared to me. Having grown up in the same house for 25 years, there is a lot of stuff that is mine. And then there is a lot of stuff that my Dad wants to be mine. This scene was common in the last few months (you’ll appreciate this if you know my Dad and I and our house):
Dad: “Suzanne, don’t forget to leave your SmartPass. Oh, are you taking this very old and very fine piece of furniture? What about this one? And this lovely box of tissue? How about these boxes of stuff in the pantry or this jar of jam?”
Me: “Thanks Dad, I will be sure to leave you the SmartPass (when I leave in 2 weeks). No, I am not taking this very old and very fine piece of furniture that has sat up in the attic for 20 years waiting for me to take it. You may eat the jam and use the tissue yourself. I am driving a VW Jetta Wagon, not an 18 wheeler. But maybe next time…”
One of the things that absolutely had to occur before leaving VA was Jake getting his driver’s license. Having lived in a place that did not require one (Singapore) to get around as a teenager, he never had one. Fortunately, while I was in India our dear friend Jonney taught Jake to drive my car on a driver’s permit. Sadly, since then, he had not then gotten the license. So on Tuesday morning, Jake passed the in car test at DMV (first in line at 8am and did not leave till 10!) and now has a license to drive me across the country…cough….I mean so we can split the driving
Jake's ID (this is a joke from a movie for all you non Gen Y)
This is actually my car in a ditch and having just hit a telephone poll. This was pre-departure. Ask me for the full story sometime
