departure

The first leg of our journey began with the (relatively) short drive from Oak Park/Chicago to Madison. Don't worry -- we realize that Wisconsin is not actually on the way to San Francisco from Chicago; however, we decided to take a small detour to see my parents on our way out. This northern route also gave us the opportunity to avoid Nebraska (sorry, Great Plains) and drive through Yellowstone, which was definitely a highlight of our trip. More on that later...

Leaving my sister, niece, and nephew in Oak Park was harder than I even imagined (and trust me, I am a hardcore worst-case-scenario kind of worrier). As we sat down to a nice farewell dinner, I glanced at the the piles of packed bags by the door and the tremendous weight of regret began to take hold. I am not going to lie -- in that moment, this whole grand moving scheme felt like a huge mistake. It was unnerving and I cried. A lot. 

After I stalled our departure for several hours (during which my sister basically had to talk me off a ledge), we finally loaded up our suitcases, and Dave dragged me to the car. We said our goodbyes. It was heartbreaking and I cried. A lot. 

But then as we pulled away, everything felt right. And everything was right. As difficult as the departure was, it marked the beginning of our new adventure, our new life - just me, Dave, and our silly little brown dog. The best part? As if just for us, 'Lake Michigan' by Rogue Wave played on the radio while the city skyline (and Lake Michigan) faded in the rearview mirror:

We dried our tears, smiled, laughed, screamed, and set out on the long drive to California...