With the house closing as soon as possible, and the University apartment available until the house is, we spent the last couple of weeks packing up our house in Circle. It was an enjoyable few weeks of being off work, spending time with my family, watching the boys play in our big outside, working steadily getting our place packed up, and soaking up the warm sun, cool breeze and occasional summer rains.

Everything is now packed in totes and labeled for immediate use or long term storage. We have 50+ Rubbermaid totes that we collected during our years in Fort Yukon. They make ideal moving and storage boxes. Having everything packed up and stacked in one place gives us a chance to see pretty much everything we own at a glance. It’s a little shocking to see what we have accumulated, even without any furniture to speak of.

Stephanie had a doctor appointment on Thursday at 10:30, and so that became our departure deadline. In order to save money, we decided to leave Circle on Thursday morning, which means we had to leave at 7 AM to be at the doctor in time. The logistics of getting our family awake and in the car by that time are difficult enough during a regular weekend trip, but for a “we are moving and this is our last trip out” trip, we were supremely stressed. Up at five, we packed every last inch (again) of both cars. Steph, Jamiee and Toby rode in the Toyota, and Jacob and I rode in the Trooper.

Before we left, Stephanie and I had time to take a moment and reflect on our time in Circle. It is always sad to leave a place where we have invested any of our lives. It was sad to look at the now empty apartment where we enjoyed watching our family grow and play. This is where Tobias spent the first two years of his life, and like Fort Yukon was for Jacob, Toby won’t remember any of it. We watched Jacob and Toby both play and explore through all of the open spaces around our house. We were blessed by our time in Circle. This is where Jamiee became a part of our lives. And after our moment, we both shook the dust from our sandals and looked eagerly toward what lies before us.

Every action and experience is given an additional degree of significance by virtue of it being the last time. And as we drove away and rounded each bend before reaching the Birch Creek Bridge (that one, up there, at the top of this page), it felt like a crossing over from one home to the next, one chapter in life to the next, and one season to the next. This was the last time we’d cross the bridge as a family (though, it probably won’t be. We’ll all be back many times, I’m sure).

And now, just like that, we are back in Fairbanks. But it feels different this time. We aren’t here for a while. We aren’t going back to somewhere else. We are just here now. The old things have passed away, this is our new life.