Olsen Westward Expansion Day 1: Goodbye NC, Hello America

We first came to North Carolina with the intention of staying for two years. It's a commonly told story by many former Teach For America corps members who thought they'd go on to medical school or law school, but then found their passion in education. For us, our lives came to a dramatic fork in the road in 2011 when we had to choose between law school at the University of Utah or a master's in education administration at N.C. State University. We chose the latter, and two years turned into 11 in what felt like the blink of an eye.

We fell in love with North Carolina. We fell in love with Henderson and the amazing people who live there. The state generally has been an amazing place to live. Professionally, it gave us so many opportunities to do what we love. We have grown as educators and have had the privilege of working with some of the most amazing students and fellow educators anywhere in the country.

Beyond work, it had it all: mountains, beaches, kind people, charming towns and villages, great collegiate and professional sports, and, let's not forget, amazing food. Our children were born and raised there. We started a school there. We celebrated our 5-year anniversary there, then our 10-year. We ate deep fried cheesecake on a stick at the State Fair. We climbed its mountains and hiked its forests, often with one of our little ones tagging along on our backs. We often said that if our family lived closer, we'd never leave North Carolina. Sadly, our recruitment efforts failed.

There is no way we can convey everything in our hearts. We love you, North Carolina. From the Old Well in Chapel Hill to the summit of Mount Mitchell. Thank you for taking us in, treating as one of your own, and allowing us to call you home.

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Now that we have decided to move west to be closer to family, we must attend to the business of actually getting there, and that's no small feat. We loaded up most of our belongings into a giant moving truck that someone else will drive (thank goodness). The rest we packed into our newly purchased minivan (yes, we're minivan people now, which isn't as bad as I thought it would be), and launched a 6-day journey across America. Below are some Day 1 Highlights.

Day 1: Henderson, NC to Canton, OH.
Total Distance: 516 Miles
Total Vomits: 0
Total "Dad Moments" where I lost my patience and became the Herm of my childhood: 2
Listened to: 

• Music: Steep Canyon Rangers, James Taylor, Green Day, Doc Watson, Old Crow Medicine Show, Weezer, Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Podcast: The Rabbit Hole

Day 1 Highlights:

• Waking up together in our house for the final time. Because we had to pack our mattress and bed the night before, Valencia, Celeste and I squeezed on to Vali's twin mattress and a pile of blankets and pillows. In other words, we didn't really sleep, but we did share a special night together, and woke up in an empty house, knowing that our time had come. It was time to get in the car and say goodbye.
• Merlin is the Bob Wiley of dogs. Merlin has severe anxiety that we're going to leave him. Anytime he sees a suitcase, he freaks out and hunkers down at our feet as if to say, "Take me with you?" He's been a wreck all week with all the packing and cleaning going on. On the morning of our departure, he somehow made it into the van and didn't come out. For 90 minutes while we packed, cleaned, and made sure everything was in order, Merlin essentially anchored himself to the floor of our minivan. "I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful. I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful..."
• Leaving is hard to do. There was something nostalgic and heartbreaking about leaving. We were mostly smiles throughout the day, but we each had our moments of being swept away by emotion when thinking of the friends and loved ones we're leaving behind. It's like reading the final lines of a book you just don't want to end. Sadly, some of our more nostalgic and touching moments were interrupted by the occasional confederate flag and/or Trump flag (often flying in tandem) waving outside our window as we drove through portions of the South and the Rust Belt. It will be a long time before I can stomach another drive through Danville, Virginia, where we saw a huge billboard that said, "Welcome to Danville, the last capital of the Confederacy...AND PROUD OF IT." Noxious and vile.
• Vali rejects my money. We are playing a license plate game road trip game where if we see a license plate, we check it off a list. Pretty simple, right? So I thought I'd spice it up by telling Valencia that if she memorized all the states and capitals, we would pay her $20. She responded by saying, "Well, money is just a want, not a need, so that's okay. Also, I already have money." After composing myself from the laughter, I told her that she had a great attitude toward money, and that I would remind her of that well into her teenage years.
• The Pro Football Hall of Fame. After driving for 9 hours, we needed a break, and the Hall of Fame provided just that. We were able to connect with my distant relative and Merlin's namesake, Merlin Olsen. Most people reading this will think that this stop was a very selfish one on my part, but both Valencia and Celeste had a great time. Valencia was fascinated with the exhibit of Super Bowl rings and could have spent all night ogling at the diamonds and jewels (fun fact: the most recent Patriots championship ring has 417 separate and distinct diamonds in it. Meanwhile, those of us on planet earth have toilet paper to buy. That's how we spend our money.)
• Cache's neck and new carseat. 500 miles is a long day of driving by any stretch, but especially for our 1-year old. Especially in a secondhand car seat whose glory days were long gone. After 1 day of driving, Cache got out of the car with a crick in his neck and an inability to walk straight.  That's when we decided to get him a new carseat. We'll see whether it was worth it when we update you with day 2 highlights.

Until tomorrow!