I found several, some in Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana, and one in Idaho. We checked them out, and nothing seemed really promising except for the one in Idaho. To make a long, boring story shorter, we ended up driving to Idaho with some good friends to look at the place in August. It was really pretty, and the thought of moving was kind of cool, but I didn't think it would ever really happen. We went home, back to our lives - Caleb was shoeing horses, and I ended up getting a job at a bank.
Then 2008 rolls around. In February the business that we had looked at was still for sale. The whole thing came up again, and Caleb had a good friend who lived in Florida who was willing to put up some money and go with us. We started pursuing this crazy idea. I thought that I wanted to go; looking back I had no idea what I was getting myself into! I guess I didn't realize how far away Idaho is, or something like that. It never occurred to me that I would actually have to leave all my family and friends.
By April everything was finalized. Caleb left on April 19th, but I had a little time left at work, so I had to wait another two weeks. My parents drove me to Idaho along with my black horse, a hound dog, a miniature pinscher, and some of our belongings... basically what would fit into a horse trailer. I think we had some mattresses, a TV, some kitchen stuff, and that was about it.
After an incredibly long trip full of adventures like the truck breaking down in the Wyoming barren-ness, we finally made it all the way to North Fork, Idaho. My family stayed for a few days, and then headed back to Oklahoma. I can't describe the feeling I had when they left, but it was horrible in a sort of strange way. I knew I was't going to see them for a long time, but it hadn't really sunk in yet. For Caleb, that was the beginning of his dream life, but for me it was harder. I was definitely not ready for the loneliness that was to follow.
That first few months was full of new things. I learned that not all places in America have local TV channels. That was devastating. And then on top of that, not all places in America can access radio stations, namely places that are in a valley between two rather large mountains. Oh, and did I mention that cell phones didn't work either? I was not a happy girl. I learned about the finer points of running a hunting business. I learned to cook for hunters. I learned about hunters in general - the good, the bad, and the foul-mouthed. I saw more dead bears than I had ever even thought about. And then I found out I was pregnant.
I was not happy about that, either. I'm pretty sure that for about the first five months of Idaho life I was seriously depressed. It was not much fun for me at all.
One thing that helped me get over myself was hearing a tiny heart beating. It was amazing! It didn't solve all my problems, but it helped a little. Then my parents agreed to meet us in Wyoming to transfer the remainder of our furniture, etc. I can't tell you how nice it was to have more than a mattress, a TV, and one chair. I finally had things to fill my house with. That made a huge difference.
By this time, we had lived in Idaho for five months. I made it through my first elk season, which was tough because Caleb was gone for three straight weeks. I kept the .357 pistol close to me, and our hound dog, Copper, slept in bed with me most nights. I was terrified to be alone. I knew no one, I didn't even know if there were police to call if I needed them. I was a mess.
At some point I determined that I was going to make the best of this whole situation, and I tried so hard to make myself happy. And it started to work! Our first Thanksgiving without our families was wonderful - it was hard to be away from them, but we had our own yummy food, and we had a great time! Christmas was more difficult, but by that time our little girl's due date was just around the corner, and I knew we would be seeing our families soon.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment