Day 1: San Diego to Phoenix

4/16/2010
This morning was a flurry of last minute disorganized organization. My mom asked "You have full tank?" (of course not), "Forget your hand cart?" (of course we did), "Why don't you take some of these leftovers?" (reluctant to take any more luggage, but glad I took that extra bagel & cream cheese). My dad, in his melancholy state, sat in the papason with our dog Princess, and said "This brings me back to 30 years ago going to Canada." For him, my move is not only a life change for me, but a journey recounting his own past. "We will be there with you!" he exclaims, and I know that mentally, he already is.

I was doing a last load of laundry, passing my sister's bedroom, remembering when we used to share one, and how she couldn't sleep without me talking to her, or else she would get mad at me for some stupid reason and say "You're not my sister anymore" and roll over and go to sleep, leaving me upset and confused, but knowing she'd be my sister again in the morning. I think I'll miss her the most. Of course I'll miss my parents, but my sister and I have something... awkwardly amazing. From our random incomprehensible inside jokes, that sometimes only entail grunts or the closed fist "acorn" dance, to the pride I feel for her when she says she is finally feeling at home at her university and her friends there. My little sister. Not so little anymore. But I still need to be her big sister. I'm not done being there for her, no matter how many thousands of miles away, I know she still needs me. And I need her.

On this first day of driving, I'm still not realizing that we are moving, really MOVING to New York. It feels like another fun trip Danny and I are taking. It's a good trip so far.

We're trying to decide. Do we take the GPS directions, or the "scenic route" directions from Google. Of course, I love Google everything. I used Docs to plan out the itinerary and share it with family/friends. I used Maps for the initial planning of directions and estimating driving time. I used Search to find the giant ball of twine (too far out of our way for this trip) and Route 66 stops. But as much as I love Google, we should have gone with our TomTom for this route. Maybe if I had known the way a big better it would have worked. But as we merged off the 8 East to another Arizona Highway (234 I believe), I did not do very well reading signs and directions at the same time. Danny had to make about 3 U turns and wait for countless Semis to pass before we could get on our way. Lesson learned: If you don't know where you're going, probably should stick to the GPS. Or at least schedule enough time to plan to get lost or get turned around. We wanted to get to the Browns by dinner, so we didn't have that luxury.

Pat and Steve Brown are such fun people! Tonight was filled with Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero De Avolo wines. Steve shared his expertise in wines, cheeses, and let us into his "man cave" where he keeps stacks and stacks of CDs. I was in contact with Pat all day and she made me feel so welcome even over the phone. Now, after a light dinner, we've decided that we'll attend the Great Arizona Picnic tomorrow. We're really excited to spend the day with them and get more connected to this side of the family. Pat also has pictures of Danny's great grandparents' wedding!

I am imbued with the importance of family today. Lesson learned: If you don't know where you're going in life, make sure you stay connected with family, because they'll always take care of you. Schedule enough time to get lost in the tangles of family politics and drama and it will be well worth the effort.