From Uno to Duo

If you’ve been following along so far, you are probably beginning to wonder what the whole “duo” bit is about and whether Claudine really has a husband at all. If, on the other hand, you are new to this blog, then you are in good company because so am I (welcome, by the way). I have spent the last handful of weeks wrapping up our collective life in the States as Claudine has blogged away in Kathmandu. While she seemingly has a lock on all of the adventure and mountains there in Nepal, I am here to report that moving out of the American Midwest has not been without melodrama and emotional peaks and valleys of its own.

Begin the fun back in steamy August of 2010 when we moved many of our worldly possessions from an apartment in Chicago to storage at my parents’ house in Michigan (thanks, mom and dad!). This was no small feat, as the 26-foot truck in my parents’ driveway proves by appearing to dwarf my childhood home:

We moved what remained in Chicago to a short-term apartment that I had the pleasure of vacating last week. In the pouring rain.

It was a white-knuckle drive to get the remainder of our things to Michigan, especially as rain turned from slush to snow. I also had to drive through Gary, Indiana, no small feat in itself. Somewhere between Lansing and Flint my vehicle spun off the highway despite my cautious driving and 40 mph speed. Deep into a ditch on the side of the highway in the midst of a heavy snow storm, I looked back up to the road to see this:

An angel? No, even better. His name was Richie and he was able to tow me out of the ditch for a reasonable fee. I gladly paid and was back on the highway speeding 30 mph to my destination. The whole trip usually takes about four hours, but that night it took nearly ten.

Which is not to say I am in any way prepared for my flight today. It will take me a little over 39 hours and an overnight stay in Bahrain to go the 9,242 miles to Kathmandu. See you on the other side!