New beginnings

So, I'm here.  After months of preparation, weeks of mixed excitement and anxiety, and days of heartfelt goodbyes with amazing friends and family, my mom and I boarded the first flight out to Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix on Wednesday, August 17th, ready to begin a new life with a fresh start.  With the whirlwind of emotion surrounding the idea of leaving behind my "home," I had been nervous about the actual day of departure, especially the thought of separating our little tight-knit family with some indefinite stretch of time before seeing Dad again. 

When the morning finally arrived, I had a most-unexpected reaction to leaving: I felt numb.  Like God had applied some emotional anesthesia to my mind, I was unable to fathom the grandiose life change for which I had been planning since April.  In a way, I needed that anesthesia.  As an extremely emotional and sentimental person, it was better to not "feel" very much that morning.  Crunched in the backseat, wedged between four large boxes, two suitcases, two laptops, and sections of my mom's mobility scooter, I dazed out the window as my dad began the drive to the airport.  Perhaps the 30 sleepless hours I had just spent packing my most important items and cleaning my condo for selling affected my outlook...but it didn't feel real.  In some ways, it barely feels real now.  More on that later...

Long story short, I had anticipated much anxiety throughout the travel process--managing all the boxes, saying goodbye to Dad, maneuvering my mom's and my two rolled carry-on luggages and two large and heavy laptops through security, helping her board the plane, retrieving the checked baggage, loading the shuttle back to the condo, etc.  It felt overwhelming, as even smaller trips through airports had posed challenges in the past.  But my wonderful friends' prayers must have paid off because I felt God's support through the process. Whether it was passing all the boxes through the 50-lb. weight limit test (one of mine came through at 49.8 lbs.), or providing the free rolling luggage cart off to the side, just at the moment when I thought my arms might fall off from lugging everything, or sending the kind gentleman to help snag those four nearly 50-pounders off the moving luggage carrousel for us, my anxieties melted and our needs were met.  It was probably one of the smoothest travel experiences my mom and I had ever had together, especially considering the unique circumstances.

Anyway, I have been in Arizona for exactly 24 hours now, and like I said, it still doesn't feel quite real that I'm here permanently yet.  Perhaps it's because my condo in New Berlin still houses all my furniture and most of my personal effects until it sells.  Perhaps it's because I've stayed in this Scottsdale condo on and off for over three years now, and while many visits have been extended stays, I knew I'd be flying back to Milwaukee no more than four or five weeks later.  I think I will feel temporary until something more major happens, like I begin a job here or move into a new place.  Regardless, I can tell already from the look on my mom's face, her appreciative hugs, her laughs, and overall more relaxed demeanor (even a mere five hours after we landed), that moving here was the right choice.  God led me here for a reason, and although there are still a lot of unanswered questions about my future job, real estate situation, and finances, I know that He'll take care of us throughout the process.  New beginnings.  :-)