DocAndersen
When we left Indiana in 2011, we decided to lease a house for a year or two to find out where we wanted to live. The company we picked to lease form was a horrible mistake. But the time we spent in the part of Gaithersburg MD, called The Kentlands was wonderful. It gave us a chance to experience this part of the world and figure out what worked for us. Maryland was a huge transition for everyone in the family. It wasn’t one that we entered lightly; we talked about moving for more than four months before we made the final decision. It wasn’t a condemnation of Indiana. Our family is there, and we love the state it was more than we needed to do something different.
The first transition for all of us was learning to deal with traffic. The company that I was working to put us up in a Residence Inn for the first week and a half. Fran was happy; she got people food at breakfast every single day. In Fran’s world, breakfast sausage was the best! Our house was going to be ready on the 15th of the month, August 2011, Until that point, we hung out in the hotel, and my wife and the kids tried to adjust to a new world. My wife was taking an internship working for a hospice (where she still works) in the Gaithersburg, MD area. Being a work, a day person again was a tough transition for my wife. She had been a stay at home (occasional) part-time outside of the house employee for nearly 15 years by then.
For me, it was an interesting change. In part because I wasn’t a direct consultant anymore. In part because the job was a blast. Over the years I have been blessed with many good managers. I had two, and things were moving along! Learning the ins and outs of traffic meant learning how to avoid some places at certain times of the day! I grew up, asking directions. People in Indiana would say that it is 30 miles, figure 35 minutes to get there. Suddenly I was in a world where people said where are you going? When are you going? Why when I would ask. Well, it is 10 miles to where you are hoping. If you leave, now it is a 20-minute drive. If you leave at 5 pm, it is a 2-hour drive. You learn to change when you drive, quickly!!!!
