Choosing Family Over Finances Part V- Moving During a Pandemic

This was going to be an April update on our lives but mostly we’ve just gone on walks and read children’s books over and over. We also watched Netflix and enjoyed moving our family several states over. So, not a whole bunch to talk about. Come along, I’ll tell you all about it.

Yeah, we’re in Montana now, and June has the sweater to prove it.

Actually, this sweater was knit and worn in Portland before we left. Cute though, isn’t it?

Mrs. Burrito Bowl gave her two weeks’ notice in late March. We figured if things really go south we’d rather be near family, so we self-isolated for a couple of weeks after her last shift and headed north.

Our Portland living situation didn’t provide anywhere for one of us to quarantine if we happened to get sick and with Mrs. Burrito Bowl being potentially moved to the front-lines of the Covid pandemic we figured this was a good time to make the move.

Plus, we figured, if things actually do get pretty hairy—as my dad would say—she’d be more needed in Kalispell than she would be in Portland. All that to say, we hit the road.

Moving during a pandemic is weird.

We’ve dreaded saying goodbye to our friends but now there will be no formal goodbyes. We haven’t even been able to see our friends for several weeks. On the one hand, this is preferable. I hate goodbyes. Hugging someone and knowing it’s the last time is awful.

It’s also weird in that many of our relationships happen mostly online. So there really isn’t a clean break of, “Okay, so long. I guess we aren’t in each other’s lives anymore.” It’s emotionally confusing being a person in 2020.

It’s also hard to move while everything is locked down. Goodwills weren’t open so we just had to pack up all our shit and bring it with us. Even stuff we wanted to get rid of we just couldn’t.

When we finally had everything packed into the Uhaul I made the comment of how I kind of wanted to light it all on fire. I was only slightly joking. Moving at any point is annoying. Moving with a baby is worse. Doing it during a pandemic is just…ugh.

Here’s how we actually moved things.

Mrs. Burrito Bowl, myself, and baby June loaded up into our 2010 Honda Odyssey and hit the road for Montana on a Friday morning. We brought only our essentials since I’d be back in a few days with a trailer that would provide more than enough room to haul the rest of our belongings.

We arrived at our new home 600 miles away on Friday evening. On Sunday morning my dad, sister, and I headed back to Portland with a comically small Uhaul trailer of which I never got a picture. Use your imagination.

It turns out we owned a lot more objects than I anticipated.

We spent a few hours on Sunday night stuffing all corners of it full of things. Around 10 pm Sunday night the thought “Oh my…this will never all fit” crossed my mind. It then continued to cross my mind for the next several hours and again in the morning as I stuffed every square inch of the Uhaul with all the things we apparently own.

This was a big concern of mine since Mrs. Burrito Bowl said the trailer was too small and I said don’t be silly it will all easily fit.

Somehow we did indeed fit everything we owned into the trailer, accompanying truck and my car. We then drove to Montana. Ha, was Mrs. Burrito Bowl wrong or what?

Anyway.

There was a lot of driving and packing and unpacking all happening in the space of a few days. But now we live in Montana. Weee.

Speaking of emotionally confusing, this pandemic has me feeling all kinds of ways.

I’ve found it hard to concentrate on writing for the blog this month. I still have ideas but the quiet voice that usually whispers, “But, why would you write about that?” is now just being a really loud dick about things.

Also, now that Mrs. Burrito Bowl is officially unemployed I’ve been doing a lot more freelance writing because that actually pays American dollars. My freelance work is not particularly fun, but it’s hard to spend ten hours drawing cartoons of President Trump as an orange penis for zero dollars when I could spend that time writing about Chase Transfer Partners and receive money.

I’ve noticed though that I’m not alone in feeling unmotivated lately. Since I’ve been a stay at home dad since January my day to day life hasn’t actually changed all that much during the Coronavirus saga but I feel drained for creativity.

I’m attempting to get back on the horse of writing for the blog because I do have a lot of ideas. This article is meant to be the oil that gets the gears cranking again. Also, it’s meant to update you on the fact that we now live in Montana.

Here are a few cute pictures of June since you’re still here.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be more controversial in my next post. Promise.