As I get close to leaving...

I am daily thinking about things I am sad to leave and also reminded of what I am excited to see in NC.

Leaving Wydaho:
I am sad to leave the daily enormity of wilderness here. Everyday I see the below sign at the top of The Pass, and every single day I am in awe of it. (Although, there are already days this month when the weather is bad enough that I am just trying not to skid into the buffoon in front of me going 5 MPH because it is snowing and I really can't see the view.) I will certainly miss having my pick of extraordinary places to run after work, places that are essentially totally on my way home. Despite their accessibility, it is a constant possibility to bump into an unsuspecting moose or bear, although that has yet to happen. I particularly like running with Daisy, because she bounds up the trail and hopefully warns whatever looms around the corner. Jasmine stays so close to me, I don't think she helps me out much to warn creatures!

I will miss the small town-ness and remote-ness of both Jackson and Victor. Both towns really offer everything imaginable, and I really appreciate not having miles of industrial blah to tread through to get to the good stuff. The good stuff is virtually everywhere. There are so many places I have not gotten to explore, but I have gotten a pretty incredible sampling across all four seasons, and I am grateful to have experienced more than a week of touroning. I will certainly miss moose. I still love any chance to see one!

Returning to NC
I would say that at least one of the peaks of our yearning for NC just was when Phil and I saw The Avett Brothers in concert this summer in JH. A friend had tried unsuccessfully to introduce me to them, but from the second they hit the stage, it was quite different from listening to them on a stereo. For those of you who don't know them, they are a group from NC and they are a pretty wild mixture of rockabilly, bluegrass, bare naked ladies, violent femmes, and perhaps a hernia. They certainly break a lot of strings and play like they are strumming for their lives after escaping a civil war era, abusive step-father at the height of puberty. They are a must see and I am getting pretty hooked on them ever since. Phil and I hooped and holler'd every time they mentioned anything about NC and I would say that was truly the beginning of the inevitability of returning to NC soon! I am listening to them nearly every night as I pack, and bits of southern accent are again making themselves comfortable in my vernacular.

I can't wait to be warm in my house. I can't wait to be welcomed by both friends AND strangers. I am excited that most of our family will be a few hours away. I am excited for the limitless green of the mountains and the lushness of the South. I am excited not to drive 50 miles a day. I am excited to see the ocean and get more use out of my flip flops. I am excited at the possibility of being a homeowner without first being a millionaire. I am excited to be a millionaire- maybe in 2075! I am excited to swim and water ski and go barefoot.

It will be both a sad day to leave and a happy homecoming to return!