If there is an emotion to be felt, I am experiencing every one of them simultaneously right now. After a fun weekend spent with friends, my uke band, and my parents, the reality of the magnitude of this week is really sinking in.
I'm leaving Wednesday to head out to California. With nothing but whatever I can shove into my Taurus.
Because I lost a major client in July, I haven't been able to save as much money as I had hoped and have had to delay actually buying a van for now. But I have a friend that is going to let me stay with her in Los Angeles until Christmas -- so I'll still get to avoid the cold that's coming.
I'm hoping to have saved enough by that time to purchase the RV and start traveling early next year. I just scored a new social media account for a bar in West Hollywood. Had I not lost my other client and had plans to head out to California -- I never would have been presented with this opportunity. I'm feeling really lucky about that.
In the grand scheme of things, the delay isn't a big deal. I still get to live in LA for several months -- something I never thought I would do.
I've been California dreaming for the last couple months, but I'm also freaking out about leaving Des Moines -- a city I've loved for the past eight years. I have friends here. My family is only a few hours away. I know how to get around -- something that is a huge comfort to me because I am severely directionally challenged.
It's sinking in now that I'll be leaving all that behind.
The good news is that while I'm leaving a pretty good life here -- I'm starting a whole new one. A more exciting one. A more challening one. I'm hopeful that it'll change me for the better.
For anyone following my journey, there is a map on the right hand side of the blog. I'll be checking into different spots along the way if you're curious about where me and Phoeberton have landed. I'll be staying in Denver and in St. George, Utah for sure.
I've got my playlist queued up. Thank you to all that contributed to the building of that. Phoebe now has her very own cat bag and some kitty Xanax to make the trip easier for her. And I even have my first tank of gas paid for through the generosity a few of my friends.
I'm sitting in the middle of a mess of my stuff -- feeling quite disjointed. But I have this calming feeling that while things are in a million pieces right now -- it's all going to fall into place.
