Jersey road trip West...
Four days ago...my husband and I packed up my little Chevy Sonic with our two cats and several bags of clothes and stuff and began a journey across country. We are making our way to Southern California, where we will begin a life near the Pacific Ocean. I think we considered the benefits of our geographical move, but underestimated the impact it would be having on us emotionally.
Sean and I have been married for 5 years and together around 7....yet I think this may have been one of the biggest undertakings of our relationship. When we decided to move to the California coast to enjoy year round proximity to the ocean, we knew our life was going to be different....but I'm not sure we understood how many ways it would change. I know I've tried to anticipate all the ups and downs but even my controlling nature couldn't predict how it actually felt till we got on the road.
We decided to drive cross country to minimize the impact on our cats, Vilma and Baby. It has still been traumatic for them...spending hours each day in a box, inside a larger box that moves and bounces. I feel bad for them...and so we try to give them time to adjust each evening in our hotel room. But that respite is brief, as the following morning we chase them around and get them back into their boxes and start the traumatic drive all over again. They are losing patience with our routine this week and I can't say I blame them. There is no getting around it...so, we continue to move forward and get a little closer to our permanent home each day.
Today, Vilma had a major cat spazz attack that I can't really explain. I thought she was having convulsions or a seizure right after we got in our hotel room. I thought we were going to lose her and it just touched off every raw emotional nerve that has been ignited on this trip. Within moments she was fine...eating, exploring, and using the litter box in a normal manner. I had a mini emotional meltdown, complete with tears....and then let the events of the day go.
I'm tired....as I've been driving every day for about 8+ hours. Our stops are infrequent for gas and potty breaks. Which means we've all been in the car, just moving forward. The hotel rooms are gentle breaks where we can all stretch out on a soft, forgiving surface that doesn't roll anywhere. We look forward to sleeping....the cats look forward to exploring. It is a relief for all of us for about 8-10 hours...and then the morning brings us around to our next trip. Each leg of our journey has had me facing a variety of feelings and memories that I didn't consider when I packed my bags. I had no idea that I was going to be experiencing this move in such an emotional way.
Day 1-Jersey to Ohio. Naturally, I was thinking of my parents most of the time as we drove out of Jersey and through Pennsylvania. I recalled day trips when I was a child to Dorney Park, Crystal Caverns, etc. As we moved into Ohio I remembered stories my father used to tell about his days when he drove a truck for a living an things mom would tell us about the early days of their life together. As we drove to our first hotel, Sean and I reminisced about my Mom and Dad and smiled at their memories. It was their passing that released us from our commitment to stay in New Jersey for them. So, we drove under three mountain tunnels and emerged heading toward our future in California.
Day 2- Ohio to Missouri. Uneventful trip. Cats are doing really well on the journey and are pretty quiet in the car. I struggle with driving a long distance. The scenery is pretty monotonous and I need Sean to keep talking to me to prevent me from nodding off. We make our way to a little town called Cuba and call it a night before the rains come.
Day 3-Missouri to Oklahoma. Sean and I can't help but notice that without planning it, our road trip is actually following much of the historic old Route 66. That has been pretty cool for us and we marvel at the history and the site of so many old or abandoned businesses along the road. We've talked to some nice people on our brief pit stops. Sean is having some nerve pain and is really uncomfortable but insists we keep going and don't make too many stops. We get to our hotel and avoid the damaging, intense thunderstorms and flooding reported on the nightly news.
Day 4-Oklahoma to New Mexico. With a brief passage through Texas, I'd have to say this was the prettiest scenery I've scene so far on our journey. I'm really tired today...I'm worried about the cats, who both are skittish and irritable. Vilma has a mighty freakout which scares me and makes me aware of just how much this move is impacting all of us. Everyone settles down....I realize how far we've come, and how much is left to go. We have driven 1,930 miles so far....we are 3/4 of the way through our journey.
Two more days...and we'll be finally be home....
Sean and I have been married for 5 years and together around 7....yet I think this may have been one of the biggest undertakings of our relationship. When we decided to move to the California coast to enjoy year round proximity to the ocean, we knew our life was going to be different....but I'm not sure we understood how many ways it would change. I know I've tried to anticipate all the ups and downs but even my controlling nature couldn't predict how it actually felt till we got on the road.
We decided to drive cross country to minimize the impact on our cats, Vilma and Baby. It has still been traumatic for them...spending hours each day in a box, inside a larger box that moves and bounces. I feel bad for them...and so we try to give them time to adjust each evening in our hotel room. But that respite is brief, as the following morning we chase them around and get them back into their boxes and start the traumatic drive all over again. They are losing patience with our routine this week and I can't say I blame them. There is no getting around it...so, we continue to move forward and get a little closer to our permanent home each day.
Today, Vilma had a major cat spazz attack that I can't really explain. I thought she was having convulsions or a seizure right after we got in our hotel room. I thought we were going to lose her and it just touched off every raw emotional nerve that has been ignited on this trip. Within moments she was fine...eating, exploring, and using the litter box in a normal manner. I had a mini emotional meltdown, complete with tears....and then let the events of the day go.
I'm tired....as I've been driving every day for about 8+ hours. Our stops are infrequent for gas and potty breaks. Which means we've all been in the car, just moving forward. The hotel rooms are gentle breaks where we can all stretch out on a soft, forgiving surface that doesn't roll anywhere. We look forward to sleeping....the cats look forward to exploring. It is a relief for all of us for about 8-10 hours...and then the morning brings us around to our next trip. Each leg of our journey has had me facing a variety of feelings and memories that I didn't consider when I packed my bags. I had no idea that I was going to be experiencing this move in such an emotional way.
Day 1-Jersey to Ohio. Naturally, I was thinking of my parents most of the time as we drove out of Jersey and through Pennsylvania. I recalled day trips when I was a child to Dorney Park, Crystal Caverns, etc. As we moved into Ohio I remembered stories my father used to tell about his days when he drove a truck for a living an things mom would tell us about the early days of their life together. As we drove to our first hotel, Sean and I reminisced about my Mom and Dad and smiled at their memories. It was their passing that released us from our commitment to stay in New Jersey for them. So, we drove under three mountain tunnels and emerged heading toward our future in California.
Day 2- Ohio to Missouri. Uneventful trip. Cats are doing really well on the journey and are pretty quiet in the car. I struggle with driving a long distance. The scenery is pretty monotonous and I need Sean to keep talking to me to prevent me from nodding off. We make our way to a little town called Cuba and call it a night before the rains come.
Day 3-Missouri to Oklahoma. Sean and I can't help but notice that without planning it, our road trip is actually following much of the historic old Route 66. That has been pretty cool for us and we marvel at the history and the site of so many old or abandoned businesses along the road. We've talked to some nice people on our brief pit stops. Sean is having some nerve pain and is really uncomfortable but insists we keep going and don't make too many stops. We get to our hotel and avoid the damaging, intense thunderstorms and flooding reported on the nightly news.
Day 4-Oklahoma to New Mexico. With a brief passage through Texas, I'd have to say this was the prettiest scenery I've scene so far on our journey. I'm really tired today...I'm worried about the cats, who both are skittish and irritable. Vilma has a mighty freakout which scares me and makes me aware of just how much this move is impacting all of us. Everyone settles down....I realize how far we've come, and how much is left to go. We have driven 1,930 miles so far....we are 3/4 of the way through our journey.
Two more days...and we'll be finally be home....
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