~on the subject of being homesick~

A good Sunday evening to you all my friends and family~wherever you may find yourself in this world of ours.  I am thinking of you, each of you, and hoping that everyone is ok.  This is my first ever blog post written as a new resident of the state of Colorado.  I'm on the western slopes now and it hasn't taken me long to figure out what Dorothy meant when she said to her beloved pet, "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas any more!"  Believe me when I tell you, I am not.  

The nearly week's worth of time since Mike and I were married back on Tuesday, the 21st of May, has flown quickly by us.  The day of our wedding was a very joyous occasion, filled with happiness and a whole lot of people :)  The service was wonderful and when my good friend, Judge "Buck" Lyle pronounced us "husband and wife", it marked the beginning of a new journey, a new adventure in our lives.  Both Mike and I were so thankful, so very appreciative for all of the people who helped us out on that day and were in attendance at our wedding.  Many who could not be there sent their well wishes to us and we were equally grateful for those good folks.  There were probably about 150 kids there and I don't think you could have asked for a better group of young people.  I didn't hear a peep out of any of them and as their teacher, they made me so proud.  I told Mike beforehand that if we could just get them up close enough to where they could see and hear what was happening, that they would be good listeners and true to form, they most certainly were.

I was especially very proud of the children who helped in our ceremony.  Emma and Matt, 5th grade students of mine, as they read the scripture verses and Nadonna and Darin, former co-members of the "broken arm club"  who were the flower girl and ring carrier did such a special job.  They are dear and precious  children who mean this whole world to me.  

The days following this past Tuesday have been  fast and furious ones, with much to do before we left Kansas on Friday morning.  We spent time going to the cemeteries over near Halstead where all of my family members are buried, visited the one remaining aunt that I have living, caught up with as many old friends and family as possible, and even took a trip down "memory lane" when we visited the place where our encounter with one another began in the first place, the small Reno County town of Haven, Kansas. How strange a feeling it was to go back in time, well kinda/sorta, and see so many things that had meant so much to us as kids growing up in the "land of long ago, and far, far away".  

Here we are in the hallway of the high school.  Once a Haven Wildcat, well then always a Haven Wildcat.  Mike and I represent the graduating classes of 1973 and 1977.  In as much as some things change, they still in a weird sort of way, stay the very same.  You know it's kind of  funny how each of us could walk over and find the lockers that we used from our senior years~when on any given day, either of us can misplace our car keys or cell phones with little effort.  Hard to explain!

Our trip home from Hutchinson, Kansas to Montrose, Colorado on Friday of this past week was one that I will always remember.  It was a journey filled with "bitter-sweet" moments in time and if I said that I never felt any sadness about going away, then I would be the greatest liar of all time.  Sad moments WERE there, right alongside the very joyous ones.  It's not easy to just pick up and walk away from a life that I have known for the past 57 years.  Only a very foolish person would think that could be the case. 

I fought back tears several times along the way but for the most part I was able to keep things in "check".  But it was at a certain point along the way, just as we were leaving Salida  for the last 130 miles of a very hard journey, I lost it.  Really, I lost it!  It was my turn to be driving and I remember telling Mike that it wasn't a good thing for me to be so tired and so sad at the same time.  With tears rolling down my face, I pulled over to the side.  

We had just passed the sign shown below and what a rush of memories it brought back to me.  I'd seen it 6 times before as I made the way to Montrose to visit Mike.  It was always at that point in the trip out there that I realized how close I was to finding Mike.  I never gave any thought about how far away from my home in Kansas I was~my only thought was that I would seeing Mike very soon.

Well, for some reason on Friday, it finally hit me at that point in the trip that I was nearly 500 miles away from Hutchinson, Kansas.  It was there, on that particular stretch of Highway 50, that I realized just how much I had left behind.  The three kids, Oblio the roundhead, my old house, family and friends, Bogey's diet vanilla Dr. Peppers, riding along the Martinez Bike Path, and a thousand things more~I missed them all and heck I hadn't even made it to Montrose yet!   And I was sad, really sad.

But for all of the things that I left behind, sitting right alongside me in the front seat was the "blessing" and you know, he really understood what I was going through and will continue to go through in the days to come.  I have to get used to a lot of changes, rather quickly as a matter of fact.  But no matter what, no matter how many tears are shed by me, there is wonderful man who is now my husband, Mike Renfro, who will be right beside me to get me through all of the rough spots.  And for that and for the least of things, I have become ever more grateful.  

It's been a busy weekend with lots to do here.  Unpacking will take days I'm afraid but shoot, that's not so bad.  I made a new friend, my first friend actually, when I took the week's washing to the laundromat.  She's a nice lady named Pat and she is the owner of the Southside Laundry.  I decided this morning that I was going to make every effort to introduce myself to someone this day, to make at least the attempt to befriend someone.  I asked God to just show me ONE person, only one that I could call a friend.  Sure enough, He heard my prayer and now I definitely cannot say that I know only Mike.  I will meet more people as the days go further on.  Yet no matter how many I meet, I shall never forget the good folks, my dearest of friends back in Kansas and points beyond.  You guys are an important part of my life~I love you all.  We shall meet again somewhere down the road.

I'm learning a new language, by the way.  It's time for "dinner" (not supper like I am used to referring to it in Kansas).  Mike is an excellent cook and we kind of have this arrangement...he cooks, I do dishes.  Not a bad deal and what I like to refer to as a "win-win" situation.  I am well cared for and loved...you will never need to worry about me here.  We still shake our head in wonder, Mike and I do, as to how we managed to find one another in the first place after an absence of nearly 40 years.  Guess we really don't need to worry about the answer to that most perplexing of questions...rather, we are happy that it happened at just the right time in our lives.    Have a great evening everyone~from our home here on the western slopes to your homes, wherever they might be.