It was a wild ride.

From May 9 to May 24 was another one of our whirlwind, three-week long escapades that seemed impossible on paper, but somehow transpired none-the-less. Here’s how it went down:

On May 9, Rafal, Lydia, and I drove 300 miles to Chicago to see family and deposit our beloved kitty, Cosmo, in his new (temporary) home with my in-laws. For the following few days, we did the Chicago-shuffle from my dad’s, to my mom’s, to Raf’s folks so all the grandparents could see and hug Lydia before the big journey west. Then on May 13, we drove back down south (with two grandmas in tow) and spent the next two days frantically preparing to throw a backyard wedding. May 16 was the big day, and on that morning at graduation, I was officially hooded with my Ph.D.

That afternoon, I married my best friend (again).

[image coming soon]

But there was no time to rest after that, for we only had a few days to give away most of our stuff, pack up what was left, clean our whole house, and set off. We departed southern Illinois with full hearts on May 21, and arrived in our new home–Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming–on Sunday, May 24.

From a life of energized frenzy, to one of slow intention. We have been here for just over a week. It is lovely and calm and dangerous and unbelievable. It feels good to be home.