I made it!

30 hours and approximately 2,100 miles later, here I am. I'm not going to lie... I felt a sense of panic as I drove in to Winona late Saturday night as I realized that the completely planned part of my life is over for the time being. Things are a bit more fluid right now.

The drive was beautiful until about an hour out of Denver... then, nothing but cornfields and the flatness of the midwest. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I am incredibly proud of myself for driving 30 hours. I stopped for a couple of brief naps along the way as needed, but overall made it to my destinations while it was still daylight and there was time to figure out dinner.

Charlie and I are settling in pretty well. The house feels full, with my parents, my brother Sam, his friend Domingo who is staying with us temporarily, and of course Charlie and I. But it's a good kind of full. Soon it will be just me, my dad, and brother. My mom is headed to Superior, WI to take a summer course for her master's degree and will only be home on weekends for half of June and half of July.

My youngest brother Sam graduated from high school on Sunday, so I was glad I was here for the ceremony. His party is this coming weekend, and that will be fun too. Lots of family friends that I haven't seen in a long time. And of course, a 1919 root beer keg. It is a Forney tradition, after all.

So far I've spent my time catching up with family and friends, applying for jobs and unemployment benefits, and trying my best to contribute to the household chores and keep Charlie out of trouble. The general rule is that no one can pet him (and if they do, I make it clear that I take no responsibility for what happens), and he behaves pretty well with that. Unfortunately he's reverted back to his previously over-anxious self (as opposed to his mildly anxious self). He kind of shredded a door within the first 24 hours of being here when I left him alone to go to the grad ceremony. Poor guy. He's still doing well considering all the change, but he's never without incident.

All in all, things are going well here. Perhaps... better than I anticipated.