Changes

So, in case you were wondering, this is what runs through my head in the middle of the night when I'm feeding Ellen. Feel free to skip this post if you were not wondering.

We're about to enter into a new "chapter" in our lives, and that is exactly what it feels like. Because we're essentially going BACK to where we were before. But there have been five years of progress and changes, so it's not really "back". When Jon left for Basic, we were engaged...I left to marry him. We've had five years of marriage and two kids. The Budds have moved to Oregon and added kids 2 and 3. The Ubels moved to Portland and had a kid. The Huwes got married. The Mundens got married. Aaron & Alison got married. Matt & Annie got married. Jan passed away. There have been numerous job changes. There have been changes at the churches that we each attended before we left (new pastors, new names). So while we do feel like we're going back home, it's to a different "back".
OUR life is going to look a lot different, too. Right now our "world" all takes place in about a 5-mile radius. Have I ever mentioned that my school is NEXT DOOR to our church/Jon's work? Or that the church where Emily attended daycare was one block down the same street as school/church? Or that my OB and our pediatrician are in the same building, which is attached to the hospital where both girls were born? And that hospital is across the street from Target, and next to Starbucks (is there anything more you could possibly need?). Nearly all of our friends are within this radius, too. Our "big trips" to south Shreveport for Olive Garden or Sam's Club or whatever take a whopping 20 minutes. When we move to Portland, our apartment is about 20 minutes from my school, and from the two churches we went to (we'll choose one, but we're giving both a chance). Our friends are all 20ish minutes away. There will be more driving. It will take more time to do things. Granted, I am still by a Target and Starbucks (again, what else do I really need?), but I have a feeling that the other things I frequent will take a bit more time. When I lived in Portland before, I used to drive ALL THE TIME, and it never bothered me. But I was single, and had my cool silver Honda Civic EX with the 6-disc changer and the sunroof (okay, so in Oregon it was more of a cloudroof). Now I've got two kids to consider and the cost of gas. I won't be able to make a "quick trip" most of the time. Things will be different.