I wrote about our 2023 December trip to the Tampa area. We came back for nine days in March to find a place to live within a one-hour commute from Caleb’s transitional position into the civilian sector at Cummins Inc. We were supposed to move into our new place on April 12th, but the carpet had to be replaced, which took the weekend. We were able to stay at a friend’s place and got a discount on the rent. Then, the moving company we hired showed up two hours late, after we’d moved half the 16-ft truck up a flight of stairs, and still demanded to be paid in full.

Caleb unpacks boxes and puts their contents in cabinets… some things are still missing. We keep busy with spring fests, local parks, clubhouse events, making new friends, and going diving. Caleb had to take two months off work (from the Navy) before starting his new job. We had to go somewhere… that’s where Ireland comes in for ten days in May. We explore museum deals, live music venues, and visit a long-time friend before we go to San Diego for a week in June. We leave directly from the hotel to drive up to Washington, where we will join Caleb’s Uncle Ed on a cross-country trip.

We will visit 25 states in two weeks, which was enough time to stay a night at Jessi’s (Caleb’s sister) in Montana, visit his mom, Terri, at work, stay a night at Kris’s (Caleb’s brother) in Wisconsin, and a half day at Niagara Falls with Ed’s old friend Mark. Maine would mark the goal of this trip, and then we skipped more stops the closer we got to our new place so we could rest over the holiday weekend. Caleb started work on Monday morning before I got out of bed (before the sun did too!) He agreed to work four days at ten hours each for four months.

August and September are spent with friends — in their pool, at the park, at restaurants, paddle boarding, celebrating my birthday, and at a women’s expo. We go diving, donate blood, replace the mirror motor on the car, shop for some necessary trail supplies, and buy a freeze-dryer (so we can make our meals for the PCT we’re planning to hike in 2025). My friend, Farid, came to visit from New York City for five days, and we spent them cooking and beaching it up when we weren’t in the hot tub. The tide wasn’t always in our favor, but it was a great time. Though I love my alone time, I also enjoy house guests.

Now, we’re in October, and I just received my first emergency evacuation. I didn’t heed the order to leave. I filled up camelbacks as a water supply, and Caleb grabbed our highlighter suits from the garage so we could walk around for live storm updates. The water in the pond went up, we went to bed after 10pm with high winds and blue lightning, and woke to a beautiful morning — no traffic stress, no worry about gas, no getting in the way of those who needed to get out because their homes were already damaged less than two weeks ago. People outside the state were more concerned for my safety, and I’m grateful for their consideration in this situation.