THE MOVE II (Going Home)
After 5 years in Ohio, we made the choice to move back to the Northwest. At this time, our oldest son, Rob, was married, Steven had moved to Florida, and our youngest, Shaun, was at home in grade school. Rob and his wife, Amber, joined us in the move. We chose the first of July, 1991, to begin our trip. The trip itself was uneventful, but the drive took its toll on me. The tight bands around my arms and legs hurt from the many hours behind the wheel along with all of the fatigue and stress that accompanies a move like that.
When we arrived home, summer finally arrived in the NW. I guess it followed us from Ohio as we had record high temperatures all summer long. The more moderate winters seemed to agree with me and I have not had any bad ulceration since that time. I still suffered with the Raynaud’s symptoms, the fatigue and the chronic pain but life was better. My outlook for the future improved. My goal was now to see our youngest son graduate from high school in 1997.
The company Rob had worked for in Ohio also had an office in the Seattle, Washington area and they transferred him to that office. Several months after returning “home”, he and his wife relocated again.
While living with my parents and deciding where to head our lives, Al decided driving truck would be a good career choice. He went to “truck driving school”, graduating high in his class, and was recruited by one of the larger Over-The-Road (OTR) trucking companies. Once he was employed, we set out to find a home of our own. In Feb. 1992 we moved to Keizer, OR
After a couple years driving long-haul, we decided it was preferable to have Al home a little more often. With the help of my parents, we purchased a used semi-tractor, had it made into a “toter” and Al began hauling mobile homes along side my father. He was home more than when he was driving across the country, but was still away quite often for 2-3 nights at a time. Although I still suffered from some of the terrible symptoms from CREST, I did my best to make life “normal”.
While our youngest son, Shaun, was in high school, he played trumpet in the band. I became very involved in support of the band and volunteered as much as I could to keep myself occupied. Those years seemed to fly by and before I knew it, he had graduated and was heading to Arizona for college.
To continue my journey with me click here. (The Hard Times)