Pros and Pros

Jon had to be in Maryland today for a business meeting, so he flew out early and did some house hunting yesterday. It's a little ironic, since I will be the one spending most of the time in the house. But I trust his judgement and we'll hopefully have a forwarding address in a day or so. Which is good because moving day is almost upon us (as in, we will be in Maryland in 2 weeks).

Jon's absence is always hard on the kids and they have been particularly on edge this time around. Lots of whining, fussing, fighting, and tantrums. Of course, I've done a few of those things myself. Jon hasn't been traveling as much lately and we're all out of practice. Then there's the whole packing thing thrown into the mix. It's been a rough couple of days.

But enough complaining. The point of this post is to look ahead, to focus on the things I am looking forward to about Maryland, as well as the things I will not miss about Colorado. Both are short lists, but it's a start.

Things I will not miss about Colorado
(1) I will not miss getting shocked when I: (a) get out of the car (every. single. time), (b) push a grocery cart more than 5 feet, (c) hang up my clothes in the closet, (d) give my boy a kiss on the top of his head after he's been rolling around on the rug.
There's a lot of static electricity around here and sometimes I feel like I'm in some sort of experiment run by aliens.

(2) My ceramic topped stove. Obviously, this is not something unique about CO, but I really hate this stove. We bought it because the original was very old and starting to break down, and people seem to like these new fangled contraptions. I don't. They can scratch, crack, and you have to use special cleaners. I really hope our rental doesn't have one of these. I don't think I could take it.

(3) Sparse trees. It is a cosmic joke that at this altitude, where shade makes the difference between pain and pleasure, there are so few trees. The older communities have more, but they take a bit of maintenance and patience to get started.

(4) Itchy skin. It's dry here, people. Really dry. In the winter, without adequate supplies of body lotion, you can literally see your skin flake off. Jon and Anna have sensitive skin, and have a particularly rough time with this. Even I struggle in the winter, with that dry skin itch that simply won't go away.

(5) Gallons of sunscreen. Living a mile high means we are a mile closer to the sun, and I am here to tell you that the sun generally wears it's cranky pants. It really wants to burn your face off. So we douse ourselves with sunscreen throughout the seasons. And my kids hate sunscreen. They really really hate it. And the good stuff is expensive. Really really expensive.

Things we will like about Maryland
(1)  Pick your own fruit. Orchards are a distinct bonus. We loved picking our own fruit in CT, as well as the higher quality of produce in general. Colorado does well with greens and other veggies, but the fruit leaves much to be desired. Although it seems like you can by many varietals of apples in CO, they pretty much taste the same.

(2) Renting. Similar to #2 above, this is not a state-specific thing. Nonetheless we will now be renting for an indeterminate length of time and I can't say I mind all that much. I'll miss the tax break, and the freedom to improve/destroy my home as I see fit. On the other hand, I will not miss worrying that the hot water heater could go at any minute, and pricing out new furnaces when the time comes (you know it will). I'm also looking forward to less square footage. I hate washing floors.

(3) The ocean. I don't really know how close the salt water beaches are, but surely there will be something within driving distance.

(4) Crab. Let me be clear on this point. I do not wish to catch a crab, boil a crab, or prepare crab in any way. They are as ugly as sin, and too similar to local arachnids I have seen.  But I will eat a prepared crab, enjoying every buttery morsel. Just don't make me look at it beforehand.

(5) Autumn. Autumn in Connecticut was so lovely, and I assume it will be similarly beautiful here. Because there will be actual trees. (See #3 above).

(6) New job. This is the best part of moving. Jon will enjoy his work more, and you can't put a price on that. It's been a hard few years for him in this respect, and I hope he feels more valued and challenged in this new position.