Nearly Three Months!!!

Will here!

The Berlin Family has been on the move in more ways than one. In fact, it may even be more ways than ten. We've only said it about 30 times so far, so you should know that we keep booked up. Some days we wonder why, but then there are days like this past Saturday (when I was having some pretty surreal stomach issues) when we were hunkered down in our apartment for about 7 hours. Soon, it wasn't the stomach pain that was surreal, it was the cabin fever. We ended up running a couple of small errands and taking a late night stroll just to get some air. Maybe it's the air we like, and maybe it's the frenetic pace of things that gets us the most air.

So, I know Clare mentioned in her last post that we had some big plans for the rest of our summer, and these plans have really taken off! We are planning an epic cross-country road trip at the end of July that will spill over into August. We'll travel a total of 5,800 miles, drive for over 95 hours, see the highlights of three National Parks, and drive clear to the City by the Bay, old San Fran herself. This has been a dream of mine basically since I realized that I had the power to set events in motion, and now that Clare and I can see the impending beginning of Med School (the trip puts us back 48 hours before the start of that journey), we feel that this is an appropriate way to cap off our first summer of married life. Three months in, and we're looking forward to scratching one more life goal off the Bucket List. Excellent!

On top of this, the Berlin Family has re-started its house hunt. This time we're coming in with a slightly higher budget, one we are hoping will help us avoid most of the houses out there that have gaping holes in the walls, exposed electrical wiring, deadly black mold in every cabinet, blood stains on the floors, or were previously operating as bustling meth labs. That litany is all based on true experiences. True experiences which we are hoping to sidestep this go-round. To be clear, Clare and I definitely don't have anything against fixers. A dream of ours which we've seen come into focus over a period of years is to one day find a dilapidated old farm house on a good-sized lot (plenty of room for kids and grandkids to run around like wild people) and restore it to a state that would rival its former glory. But, that is something that requires two things: time and money. We are short on both, particularly the latter on that scale. So, that's a dream on hold. Right now, we need something that is pretty much move-in ready with maybe a few scattered cosmetic things to be done here and there. Maybe we have to put in floors. Meh, no biggie. Replacing duct work and removing walls, well, that's a different scenario.

Anyway, this is where we are now. So excited about the possibilities, and so enthused about what is coming up! As we move forward with so many things, we are doing our best to appreciate the little things in life: the coolness in the breeze, the impending blooms on our crape myrtle, the mewing of our cats, the wonderful feeling of a full tank of gas. "Don't let big ambitions overshadow small successes." One of the best fortune cookies I've ever cracked!

In the meantime, I'm pining for our adventure to the West. A part of me lives out there, lost in those golden hills, gazing up at that 180 degree sky, rolling like fog across those peaks. Oh man, oh man, I cannot wait.