Skip to main content

The move ahead....

We returned to UND for our spring semester both knowing that we were giong to be moving to Tucson in May. However, we kept this a secret between the two of us until things would be come finalized. We spent more and more time together; in fact, we were basically inseperable. The little things that used to seem like a chore became fun. Ex: working out, going to class, studying....however, we found that doing those things together made them pleasant.

Ryan came to my lake cabin for the weekend to go ice fishing and meet most of the family. This was the weekend we would break it to my mom and dad that I was going to be moving to Tucson. We spent a fun Saturday out on the ice, and Ryan bonded with my dad and brothers--but had fear in the back his head the whole day.

I will NEVER forget watching him ask my father's permission to bring me to Tucson. My dad was stoking the fire in the fire place with a hot, iron rod in his hand; and Ryan approached him in our living room with the utmost respect and honor. My entier family knew something was happening, so ALL conversation and noise stopped so they could evesdrop. In total nerves and compassion for Ryan, I kept repeating the same statements over and over again to distract the family. Dad then left the room. Ryan was crushed.

It wasn't until the next morning, that my dad pulled Ryan aside and appologized for seeming harsh. The news just really caught them off-guard! After sleeping on it, they realized that I was more safe in happy with Ryan than I ever will be; and let him bring me to Tucson......so we fast-forward a few months to May 14, 2008.

We finished our finals for the year, I was battling pneumonia, and packing my life away. We packed up a 17-foot U-Haul for Tucson, put his car on a trailer, and starting to head south. I will never forget the morning leaving my parents house. There was an uneasy fear of unknown. I was finally leaving the state of ND, which was exciting--but scary since I had never left my family before!! All it took was Ryan to grab my hand, and give me the look of assurance that all would be okay; and the rest of the drive down was amazing.

Every state got a more dry, more hilly, and a hell-of-a-lot- hotter! We arrived in Tucson on a Sunday morning, and Ryan's dad and step mom were there to help us move.

Every week spent in Tucson got more exciting, and it felt more like home to both of us. We both could see our future quickly unfolding before our eyes................................... read more next time to find out about our engagement ;)

Comments

qwerkyqook said…
Hey Abby! Cool blog, I'm enjoying reading the stories!!! Keep posting! Miss you, hope to see you soon!
love suzanne
Anonymous said…
Omigosh, you know I'm an emotional sap...but this has me teary-eyed.

This is going to be amazing for your children to someday read!

Waiting for the next chapter...

Lora
Marlys said…
It is hard for me to go back to that morning as it was so hard to see you leave our fair state, but Dad & I both knew you would not change your mind, so we have kept you in our prayers everyday and will continue to do so. You seem to be thriving in Tucson and have Ryan's family close by to fill in the gaps whenever you need "family" and it was great to meet them all!

Popular posts from this blog

What is your color?

Green My favorite color ever! I have to control myself to not purchase too many green things. If I had no control, my house would be green. My kitchen would be lime-themed. With greenery everywhere. My bathrooms would be green. My bedroom would be green. You would all feel nauseated-green after entering my home. (So I don't have a green-themed home) Many things I love are green, such as: Spinach (I eat it a minimum twice a day usually) My weding color was green. (clover green) Limes (I have at least one time a day) Grass. I love the feel of grass, especially since I see it so rarely in AZ (except in my neighborhood that has amazing landscapers with grass-galore) Palm trees. Any tree. Christmas trees. I love Christmas Green Beer. I think the green beer on St. Patty's Day tastes better. My favorite color of eyes. When I was in 9th grade, I so badly wanted to get green contacts. But they made me keep my brown eyes. Diet Mountain Dew (my guilty pleasure) Granny Smith...

A weekend of the great outdoors

As I am preparing for my return to the real world tomorrow, I feel a strong sense of dread. As I won't have a weekend or free week for a long while! Instead of focusing on that.......I'm sharing a few snapshots from our awesome weekend! This weekend we were in Big Lake, AZ -- which is about 20 miles from the New Mexico border (just 5 1/2 hours from our house). (last weekend we were in Parker Canyon...which I will blog about another day) We camped from Friday-Monday, which was the perfect length of time. The temperatures were a great escape from hot Tucson. In fact...it was VERY cold at night. It was in the low 30's at night, 60's during the day. The trout fishing was incredible. Here's a few snapshots: Home Sweet Home for the weekend! Look at the giant tree I cut down!!! Wow!! (Okay, this was posed...) But...Ryan did teach me how to use a wood-saw! There were tons of dead/fallen trees lying around. So we cut all our firewood for the weekend! I felt very ...

One Confused Lady

Yesterday morning was packed with a session of cross training.....rushed home to shower and get professional-looking....headed across town for an interview.....kicked butt at my interview...."bopped" over to our house to see the progress of the build......headed to the "design center" to sign more paperwork.... (Side note: I cannot get over just how much paperwork is involved in building a house. Holy Hannah. And we haven't even closed !!! Iy-yi-yi....Those lovely people in history who got law-suit-happy.....God bless 'em.) Yesterday was a good day! So here's a little humor for your Thursday. A little thought. A little depth.....( A little cynical rant ) Afterwards, I decided to head to one of my favorite places to peruse.... Target. But my experience at Target was far from fun, relaxing, or pleasant. Just confusing. Loud. Crazy. Despite many screaming children-temper tantrums.... Which is common and un-escapable. Although screaming chi...