In our effort to cram as many life changes into a short time as possible, we have also been planning the move back to Montana along with the wedding and honeymoon. The spring wedding was needed because of our desire to be married before we left for Montana. In any case, we've condensed many things into the months of April and May.
Sarah and I both finished work on May 20th. The preceding weeks had been busy for both of us, not the coast-out, over-it-already type of weeks everyone else expected. I attempted as much knowledge transfer as I could, getting crash courses on sales and marketing topics while documenting what I could on what I had done and tidbits that I thought could help my fellow engineers. I really don't know whether that collection of information will be useful to anyone or get glanced at and then forgotten, but it made me feel like I'd maybe done some good and learned some things in my time at Vermeer.
As a parting gift from my department, I was given a framed picture of myself with a finished trailed mower that is about to be launched. I worked on that project three years ago before being moved to the biomass projects, but I appreciated being included on the development team pictures. The matting on the picture had been signed by everyone in the department.
We had several gatherings the last couple days of work, topped with one for the ages at our house on the evening of the 20th. You know it's a good night when unwanted couches are sacrificed, dump trucks make loops around the section road (sometimes with reels of fire crackers the box), single pant legs are lost, and coats are ruined by roman candles, among many other highlights. It's a good thing we don't move very often.
We loaded everything up in a fifteen-foot Uhaul on the evening of the 23rd with the generous help of many coworkers and friends. After returning from Iceland, we started downsizing and packing, but as is the case with most people, when packing and loading were done, we did not feel we had downsized enough, but we made it work. I don't think a single member of the crew was not surprised that everything fit into the Uhaul, my truck, and Sarah's car.
We headed out the next afternoon, a bit late because of cleaning. Pulling a loaded truck on a trailer behind a loaded-to-the-brim Uhaul is slow going; I had tire trouble that evening, and we had only gotten north of Omaha. I was impressed by Uhaul's customer support though, and it was fixed an hour after calling them at 8pm. The next day only got us to Spearfish after eleven hours of driving. We stayed in KOAs both evenings, tenting it, and had no trouble. Sake the cat didn't enjoy herself at all the entire trip, but I wouldn't blame her.
We pushed hard the third day and made it home after another eleven hours of driving, with several stops along the way. The usually 20-hour drive took us about 28 hours of drive time due to frequent fuel stops in a tiring rig, and by not going much over 70. If I ever do that drive again, doing it in a comfortable vehicle will make it seem easy.
After getting in late on Thursday night, we looked right away in Helena for places to live, and signed for a place Saturday afternoon, then moved our stuff in that night. We are living in Helena for now for the sake of Sarah's commute being easier, having a transitional period where I'm not living at work, and because we plan to update my grandparents' house on the ranch and would prefer to not live amidst a renovation. We spent the next three days unpacking, grateful to not have employers demanding we go to work (too much). We've been settling in ever since, and Sarah starts at St Peters in Helena as an occupational therapist on the 6th.
I've spent two days at the ranch so far, doing mostly dealership work, and my dad and I haven't fired each other yet.
I have to admit that leaving Pella was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I thought I'd be home for a month or two before I wondered why I left Vermeer, but it was actually closer to the second Pella exit on our way west. Coming back to Montana was always the long term plan, but actually doing it was more of a leap than I would have expected it to be, had you asked me three years ago. The reality of the change has been sinking in: I left a stable, comfortable job to come back to a more volatile, dangerous, and more on my own lifestyle. It shouldn't take too many reminders of the best parts of it to bring me back around though. Sarah being game for anything means a lot too.
Thanks again to all our Pella friends for helping us pack up, and for making our time there great! We will see you again soon!
