A Slower Pace

It is now bedtime and I have the opportunity to reflect back upon a great day.

First, I got to sleep in with my little boy. Being there wrapped up in my warm cocoon looking out at the beautiful winter wonderland was very peaceful. That was all interrupted when my
wife ran up to tell me about the dogs running after the deer (see post below). But at least it got me out of bed and my heart pumping.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying our company, connecting up the family computer and organizing the office area, hanging pictures and watching our kids play in the snow. It was very relaxing and we didn’t feel a need to have to be anywhere or get anything done. Which was good because in all actuality, we weren’t going anywhere. I had to go check the mailbox and was ready for the 6 minute walk up there. But I decided that I should take the truck to begin to make a pathway through the snow. My logic was the more the driveway was traveled, the sooner it would melt and we would be able to use it.

I started up the Suburban in the garage and backed it out, turned it around and headed down the small slope towards the creek and the trees. It was going a little too easy so I decided to first try and turn around and head back up to the house and see what it would be like going uphill. If I got stuck or lost control, I wanted it to be in the pasture by the house, not down by the creek and the trees. Well, sure enough, while turning around I slowly stopped and then the wheels just spun. It is only 2 wheel drive so unless I dig it out, provide more traction or pull it out (or a combination of the three), it wasn’t going anywhere. The truck looks kinda funny sitting out there in the pasture. At least it isn’t up on blocks to fit the country stereotype.

Being funny, I walked in to the house and asked my wife if she liked it in the house. She looked at me weird and said “Yes” to which I replied “Well, good, because we’re not going anywhere anytime soon”. Again, the neighbors are probably thinking “Look at those California city folk”.

The kids were able to spend their first real day out playing in the snow. The first time it snowed a few days ago, it didn’t really stick. No sledding, no snowball fights, no snowmen. This time it was different and they got all bundled up for a serious time out there. They are figuring it out that getting ready properly by putting on all the stuff — long pants, double layers, gloves, mittens, cap, ear warmers, scarf — keeps them warmer and they can stay out there longer. My wife was busy in the basement so after they got outside, I was able to just sit upstairs and watch their antics. That is when I realized that they don’t know how to build a snowman. First of all, the snow was too dry, but they didn’t know that. They just started piling up the snow to make the first layer. When that didn’t work, they resorted to throwing the snow at each other. Since it didn’t pack, they weren’t snowballs, just snow piles that disintegrated when thrown. They probably had the most fun when they got the plastic snow sled thing and took turns pushing each other and sliding down the slope. It isn’t a big hill so
it took one person to push, the other to ride and another to stand before the creek and trees to stop the ride. The funniest is when my little boy (the youngest) tried to stop his big sister from going into the trees. She just mowed him over as he landed his little butt in the snow. We’ll see if he tries that again.

A little later in the afternoon, my wife came up to me again informing me that the dogs looked like they wanted out to go pee. In socks and shorts, I let them out and stood in the garage while they did their business (as I had done without incident many times before). Well, my female dog saw the neighbor dog a couple hundred yards away playing with the neighbor boy and ran over there. I threw on my boots and by the time I got over there, had to break up a dog fight. My dog put a small cut on the other dog’s muzzle. I reprimanded my dog and walked with the boy up to their house. I met the neighbor mom in shorts with blood on my hands and shirt. I apologized and asked if I could help out after putting my dog away. She was going to call a family friend to possibly get the dog stitches. I told her that if there was a bill to send it to me and apologized again.

When I came home, I disciplined my dog again and locked her away in the garage. I walked up to my wife with bl00d on my hands and shirt and said “This isn’t how I wanted to meet the neighbors”. Of course, that took an explanation and after all that, my wife decided we should go over there to make sure the dog was taken care of. I could drive the dog and the mom to the vet while my wife watched her kids. By the time we got over there, the dad was home from work. They invited us into their home and were very understanding. They had been through this before — both on the attacker side as well as the attackee side. We ended up chatting with them for a half hour and exchanged neighbor phone numbers and such. They were very nice and it looks like my wife found a new walking partner. A bad situation turned out to be a catalyst to meet some very good people.

The rest of the evening was enjoyable with a delicious dinner with our company followed by some good conversation and lazying around the house before bed.

Other post titles considered for this posting:

• My kids don’t know how to make a snowman
• This is not how I wanted to meet the neighbors
• I hope you like it here, because we’re gonna be here for a while

…..Dan at aslowerpace

I awoke to a sheet of white above and below the trees. All white snow on the ground, broken by the trees around the property defining the horizon, and topped by a grey-white sky. Very serene and peaceful – especially since I don’t have to go out in it today. Scratch that. My wife ran up to me to inform me that the dogs had taken off after some deer and that we needed to go after them. All my pants are in the laundry so I threw on some shorts, a T-shirt, a sweatshirt and my boots and ran after them. I opened the door to a 9 inch buildup of snow and was grateful that the top layer was frozen into ice and held my weight as I ran across the back pasture. The dogs only made it to the trees where they were stopped by the thick snow and maze of forest. They were just romping and having fun and chased me back to the house where they were happy to get back in the warm house (not as happy as I was). I can imagine the neighbors’ thoughts – “there’s them California city folk in shorts chasing after dogs”.

I bought my first snow shovel as well as our first plastic sled thing.

…..Dan at aslowerpace

The first big storm of the season is here. It started snowing around 9am, turned to rain around lunchtime and then changed to sleet the evening. It made it a challenge to drive around and get things done but we were able to take care of 3 out of 4 of the priority items — sign up for propane service, get a bank account and get our Kentucky licenses. The license part was a very nice surprise. First, we had to go to the local court house — a very nice, old small town court house with tall ceilings, stone steps leading up and local charm. The line for the driver’s license was non-existant. Compare that with my last trip to the California DMV where I had to wake up at 6am so I could be first in line at 6:30a for an 8am opening. When it finally opened, there were over 100 people in line. Here, we just walked right up and started the process. Two additional surprises: it cost only $9 and we walked away with our license. No exorbitant fees, no waiting 6 to 8 weeks, no bureaucratic non-sense. Just good old fashioned friendly service. My wife and I were very pleased. Thank you Shelby County Courthouse!

We spent the remainder of the afternoon at the SuperWalMart getting more odds and ends for the house. Because of the holiday season, the lines were long but everyone just talked with one another — whether they knew them or not. Quite a contrast to the Simi Valley WalMart we were used to — the friendly conversation, not the lines. WalMart needs to take a lead from Target or Vons and open more check stands. Almost all WalMarts I have been to could use more check stands to thin the long lines out.

We ended the day with a very nice dinner at Stoney River, a nice steak place that has some special meaning to us. At that spot we made our family decision to move to Kentucky as well as chose the house and placed the offer to buy the property. It was nice to share it with our guests — sis-in-law and my folks — and really enjoy the meal and company.

The drive home was challenging. The freezing rain froze the wipers to the windshield. And the ice scrapers I bought at WalMart were keeping the kitchen counter free of ice at home, but useless to me in the parking lot. We finally got on the road and the 25 minute drive evolved into a slippery 1+ hour adventure. Luckily, we took our time and arrived home safely but it isn’t fun driving on the narrow country roads in those conditions. I would rather have an empty parking lot in which to do donuts but my wife frowns upon such mischieviness. Maybe I’ll sneak out tonight.

The weather is expected to be more of the same tomorrow. I think I’ll sleep in and enjoy it out the window.

…..Dan at aslowerpace

As I promised in a previous post regarding the Oklahoma City National Memorial, here are a few thoughts during my visit.

The day was very cold — about 25F degrees. This was to be a quick side trip on our journey to Kentucky. I already felt that I was not giving enough time this memorial deserved but that is sometimes the way life is. I still wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.

(To give you background, I am the type that like to take these types of things in in entirety. I will ready every little placard, every little sign, every brochure so I can learn as much as I can about what is around me. My wife — and the kids — are opposite and want to see it and then, ok, we’re done. Remember Chevy Chase in Vacation where they make this long journey to the Grand Canyon, take a quick look, and then say, “Ok, that’s it. Let’s go.” — or something like that. That is definitely not me.)

The memorial takes up about 2 city blocks where the Murrah building used to stand as well as the street in front of it and the parking lot that was across the street. You can approach the memorial from almost any direction. We came from the north east which gave us a good view of what we came to learn was Survivor Tree. This tree was in a parking lot across the street and survived the blast. It has become a symbol of resilience and hope. It is surrounded by a terrace that overlooks the site. It has a quote etched into the stone that says “The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated. Our deeply rooted faith sustains us.”. The tree is a symbol of that.

During our visit, one of the local nearby churches was piercing the regular city noise with “O, Come All Ye Faithful” from its church bells. It made for a poignant moment.

From east to west is a reflecting pond that sits where the street used to sit. Very peaceful and serene. The reflections of the scenery around it disappear into the black below. The east “gate” represents the 9:02 time before evil bombed the building. The west “gate” represents the 9:03 time when all the lives were changed forever.

Just south of the reflecting pond, where the Murrah building used to sit, is the lawn with chairs representing each of the 169 victims killed. Each has a name on it and is situated on a level where that person last was in the building. Smaller chairs represent the children that were taken — very sad. While it was daytime during our visit, you couldn’t really see the light in each chair. But I am sure during the night, it is an awesome scene.

There are quite a few more things in and around the site that demand description but I didn’t have the time to see them. There is also an indoor museum that would take a normal person about 2 hours to go through. Inside they honor all the victims — killed and injured. It is my intent to make a special day trip to the memorial, probably by myself, so I can take it all in. I have been to many memorials — Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson Mem, Vietnam Mem, WWII Mem among others — but this one was one of the best at describing what happened, how it affected the city and people and how they were honoring those moving forward releasing the bitterness and embracing hope for the future. Lots of symbolism and representation made for a very powerful display. The folks in New York City would benefit by getting a hold of those on the committee that birthed this memorial so they could pay proper tribute to those we lost on 9/11.

If you ever get through OK City, stop by. You will not regret it. Allow for several hours, but, as in my case, if you cannot, stop by for just a little while. Every minute spent there is worth it.

God bless all of those affected that day — April 19, 1995.

…..Dan at aslowerpace

I have had my first two days on the job. Lots to learn and I have been trying to just soak it all in. It is a small copy of our personal lives — observing, asking questions, figuring it all out and adjusting.

Monday was very cold. Even the Kentuckians were complaining about it. I figure if I can survive this, I can survive anything the weather throws at me. The heater in my truck went out though so I will need to make that a priority to fix. It’s not bad going into work because the truck is in the garage at night, but going home in a truck that has been sitting in a parking lot all day in 20F degrees ain’t fun. I have my sweater, my jacket, my gloves and my beanie cap on. I have to make sure I don’t breathe too hard so I don’t steam up the windshield. Pretty funny, huh?

Tuesday, I was much happier to see that it was a balmy 45F degrees. Maybe I am already acclimating to the weather with statements like that. It actually got up to 53F and wasn’t bad with a jacket on outside. I must be crazy.

We made a few trips down to the airport to pick up our first guests – my sis-in-law and my folks. We are so blessed with the house and that it has lots of room for people to come stay and visit. They came in when it was dark so I am excited for them to wake up and see the property. Which leads me to another thing — the sun doesn’t come up here until about 7:30 or 8am. It will be nice in the summer, though, when it stays light later.

Have I mentioned how painful dialup is if you had broadband before? Definitely one of those things you don’t think you need if you’ve never had it but once you have had it, you can’t go back. That kinda shows you how far out we are in the country. It actually isn’t too far — only 34 minutes to the airport. But far enough out to definitely be country. For those of you, my friends, who have broadband, please enjoy it for me.

The next few days will be nice since I have off work and we can enjoy our company during the Christmas holiday. My wife and I are going to spend today doing all those things you have to do in a move: new driver’s license, register the vehicles, open a bank account, etc. Not glamorous but somebody’s gotta do it. Hopefully we’ll get it all done before the big snow we are expecting today.

…..Dan at aslowerpace

Today, in addition to the snow, we also put up the Christmas tree and decorated it as a family. It was very nice to step back look out the window to see the snow falling and then watch the kids hang all of their favorite ornaments. A Hallmark moment indeed and I just sat back to take it all in. This is exactly why we moved here…..not that we couldn’t decorate the Christmas tree as a family in California. But, even with all these boxes and house disarray, we were able to slow down, take a pause and enjoy the time together. It didn’t matter if there were things to do. We are already slowing down and taking advantage of those times. I look forward to each one and many more.

…..Dan at aslowerpace

This is my first opportunity to get online since my last post and my internet connection is…..a…..very…..slow…..dialup…..connection. I was spoiled in California with a fast cable broadband connection. A slower pace really applies to everything out here — even the internet. And for those of you who know me as the tech geek that I am, you must be laughing at my having to deal with dial up. We’ll see how long this lasts.

A lot has happened since my last post. Sit back, grab a cup of coffee and read the update.

One of the hurdles we had to overcome was back in Nashville before we arrived in Louisville. A few years ago my wife had a pinched nerve that affected her arms and hands. It seems the several days of driving along with the same position for miles at a time aggravated it. Just short of our last stop outside of Nashville, she could no longer drive. We pulled over, checked into a local motel and rested. A long night’s sleep and a big breakfast didn’t help much and we only made it one exit. Time for plan “B” (which I had planned for, however, I was expecting a mechanical failure, not a human one). We unhitched the Uhaul from my old Suburban, dropped it onto my wife’s Suburban, crammed the dogs in and left my truck at a popular truck stop hoping the traffic would allow it to blend in for a few days until we could drive the 3 hours back to pick it up.

So there we were — all 8 of us and the Uhaul. Me, the wife, 3 kids, 2 dogs and 1 cat (and a partridge in a pear treeeeeee). We were able to barely make it into the Louisville area to drop off the trailer and dogs at a friend’s farm and then hustle to the property for the final walk through. Every thing was in order and the closing the next day went very smoothly and we were in the midst of the movers orchestrated chaos by noon. Almost the entire 53′ semi-truck trailer was unloaded and all that remained Saturday was the smaller shuttle truck, the unpacking of some boxes and the furniture assembly. I still had the issue of my truck though.

Step in a helping hand. One of the movers had some extra time, needed some holiday spending money and wanted to help us out so he joined me in the 3 hour ride down to Nashville to pick up my Suburban. It was very nice and interesting to hear the perspective of someone who had grown up in this area of the country. I enjoyed the company and what seemed like a 45 minute drive to Nashville really sucked on the way home as we both drove alone in each of the Suburbans the entire 3 hour drive back.

Dave — thanks for helping us out the way you did. I appreciate the favor and the new friendship. THANK YOU!

We also met one of our local neighbors who happens to have a little boy close to my son’s age. They played together as if they were old friends and are already looking forward to exploring the little creek together.

We are also finding our way around: to the nearby Wal-Mart where we have equipped all of us with much needed winter gear, to the local Kroger for all of our home cooked meal supplies, the Uhaul return place and the cheapest fill-er-up station.

This morning, we woke up to it snowing. The kids have seen snow from when we used to go up to the mountains but they have never actually seen it fall from the sky. It was fun to see them get all excited and worked up to play in it, spend the time to get all bundled up, run around and experience the newness of it, then realize how butt cold it was and decide to come back in. The dogs were the same way minus the bundling up part. I’m sure it might get old but right now we are just enjoying it. Acclimating hasn’t been as hard as I expected. Talk to me in a month though. Luckily, we only got 1 inch of snow and most of it is gone already.

On my way out to town this evening at dusk, I saw my first local deer — a handsome male (who survived hunting season) and two skittish does. Very cool!

It is late and I start my first day on the job tomorrow. Off to bed. In the meantime, here are a few interesting facts:

• It takes me 6 minutes round trip to walk and get the mail from our mailbox.
• I paid $1.58 a gallon for my last gas fill up.
• Setting up a household from scratch is expensive (trash cans, toilet paper, wall hooks, plastic silverware compartment, paper towel holder thingy — geez!)

…..Dan at aslowerpace

Now that we have made it, I want to thank all those who had us in their prayers. We appreciate and are humbled that you would think and pray about us and for our safe journey. I can tell you it worked and acknowledge the power of prayer.

Thank you!

…..Dan at aslowerpace

We attained our goal of reaching Louisville, KY safe, on time and as a family. We are very tired but excited. We close on the property and move in tomorrow. We have transitioned from wrapping things up at our old house to travelling across the country to now a new beginning. We did a final walk through of the house and are still pinching ourselves. And the weather forecast for this Sunday is snow. What a nice time to sit together as a family, unpack boxes, hang a few Christmas decorations and watch the first snow from our new house. Although we have been preoccupied with the move this holiday season, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

…..Dan at aslowerpace

Driving through the country, I started noticing things I don’t or haven’t seen in the population and land of California. For example, while driving in Oklahoma, I noticed what appeared to be a whisp of smoke on the horizon. What it ended up being was a gaggle of geese flying south for the winter…..so many, that from several miles away, it looked like smoke. Pretty damn cool if you ask me.

A few other things of note:

• billions and billions of stars (not drowned out by light pollution)
• occasional wildlife (deer, coyote, hawks)
• wide expanses of open, nothingness

Some man made things I saw that you normally don’t see as well:

• a drive in movie theater
• a caboose
• one pump corner gas station

…..Dan at aslowerpace