Miles To Go Before I Sleep

I'm out of the village.
I'm down the mountain.
This Holden adventure is over.
I've driven a few hundred miles now, and am in Olympia.
I'll start my story a little earlier, though...
On Sunday my boss, Steph, came back into the village. I told her not to stop into the store, but rather to just adjust to the village she's been away from for the last three weeks. We made plans to meet in the store Monday morning to talk over everything that needed to be shared as we "hand over the reins". That night, at the village-wide sledding party, her daughter was walking up Chalet hill with a group of people and, as someone came fast down the hill, not everyone in the group was able to get out of the way. Cailin (daughter) ended up being the one that got hit. Her wrist now has a concussion fracture. That meant that Steph had to turn right back around on Monday morning and leave the village. No time to hand over the reins. We planned to hug on Wednesday as they came in and I went out. It turned out that they could get the cast on Thursday instead of going on a second out. So, I didn't get to say goodbye either. Sad. Very sad.
Tuesday, I worked in laundry all morning and folded loads of the village's sheets, towels, kitchen aprons, blankets, etc. After lunch I started my half-hearted packing. Of course, I got distracted and was not too enthusiastic about the work it was going to take, so I didn't get too much done.
I ended up back in the dining hall dressed up for the "Holden formal" dinner (in honor of my leaving). When we do Holden formals, the idea is not to actually dress formal, it's more to dress randomly. I went as a punk canary. After that, I went back to my Chalet and set out everything I planned to put in Potty Patrol (the free thrift-store space in the basement of the Hotel where you can leave things that others may want or take things of interest... a very fun place). I had invited a few people over to just hang out and dig through the piles before they went to Potty Patrol. A few people came. I was glad it didn't become a huge event. We ate the candy that I didn't want to pack out, drank the bottle of wine I'd bought on my out, played catch phrase, and highly enjoyed each other's company and coversation. At about 11 everyone dispersed to go home and I went back to the task of packing. This time, I was a little more motivated. I got everything packed and was in bed before 1:15. It was a pretty great way to spend my last day at Holden.
Wednesday morning, I woke up at 7:30 and went to work carrying all the milk crates that I'd used to organize the things that needed to go elsewhere in the village. I brought one crate to the costume shop, a basket full of sheets/blankets/towels to laundry, a crate to recycling, a crate to the craft cave, and a few mason jars to the dish pit. Because we'd been receiveing so much snow (13 inches expected the day I left, and 8 from the day before), I carted everything around in a little purple sled up and down the hill. I made the bed with the new sheets, hung up the new towels, found someone to take my plants, and wished my room well.
By the time I'd done all of that, it was time to say my goodbyes and get on the bus. It was nice to have everything in order so I didn't have to be stressed with all of the last-minute chores. When the bell rang for the bus, I just grabbed my bags from the dining hall and walked out.
Saying farewell was difficult. Particularly, one of my good friends (Angela) hugged me, said a very wonderful little prayer for me, and started my eyes with tears. I had to hug little Aubrey goodbye, and all of the people who have become the next closest thing to family for the last six months (and one day). At the same time, as the waving crowd disappeared around the corner and I rumbled down the snowy road on the big yellow bus, I felt ready for the next thing.
I had intended to stop in Leavenworth after arriving in Field's Point to do a pseudo-interview at the Grunewald Guild (a sort of artists' cooperative that teaches classes... like Holden for artists, but less remote). However, when I stepped off the boat, it was clear that I needed to get on the road and as far as I could before dark. As I carried my first of two loads of bags/boxes up the hill to the parking lot, the second load was covered with over an inch of snow. Eek!
I ended up learning how to put snow chains on tires through "trial by fire" on the side of the road. It only took me 20 minutes! I was pretty proud of myself. A semi driver even came over after putting all of his on to check them out for me and he said they looked good. A little past Snoqualmie after going through the passes, I was able to take them off again. From there on, the roads were not so bad. The radio station with weather/road warnings said 14 inches were expected where I was driving before the night was over.
It took me longer than expected, but I made it to Olympia last night and have plans to meet friends in Tacoma today and Seattle on Saturday. Then it's back to Field's point and Wenatchee with Caleb to ride the train back home. I'll arrive on Christmas Eve. Although it will take some time to adjust to the fact that I'm no longer living in a village, I am excited for all the other opportunities and people I'll be able to enjoy now.
Love to you all.
Lauren