Moving Up and Moving On

It is Thursday, June 21, 2012.  I am in my hometown of Madison, Alabama, sitting at my mom’s kitchen table while Louie sleeps at my feet.  It’s a pretty normal (post grad school) scene for me.

But very soon, I’ll have to find a new normal.

Last Saturday, I said goodbye to Tuscaloosa, the city I’ve called home for the past five years.

This Saturday, I’ll be saying goodbye to Madison, the city I’ve called home home for more than 20 years.

I’ll be packing the last of my belongings into my car and hitting the road, trying not to cry as I embark on my trip to my new home: Cincinnati, Ohio.

When my 6 ½ hour trip is finished, I’ll be unloading my things into the place I’ll be living for at least the next two years (Pictures coming soon!).  Then, I’ll be settling in for a day before starting my first real job bright and early Monday morning.

“I’m moving to Cincinnati.”  I say these words out loud, sometimes to myself and sometimes to other people, multiple times a day.  “I’m moving.  To Cincinnati.”  That just doesn’t sound right.  “I’m. Moving. To. Cincinnati.”  Nope, still not processing it.

I was born in California, but I don’t have any real memories before my family moved to Alabama.  This state has been my sweet home since February of 1992.

In the infamous words of Jessie Spano, “I’m so excited!  I’m so … scared.”

I’m anxious. About leaving my friends and family, starting my job, paying my own bills, making new friends, being an adult.

But mostly, I’m excited about all those things.  It’s time to take a step forward.

The past year wasn’t fantastic; graduate school was a weird, lonely, exhausting, unsettled time.  But now I am twenty-two with a master’s degree, and I have the opportunity to put my years of education to good use!

Furthermore, I have the opportunity to build a life for myself sans school.  It's time, and I'm ready.

So goodbye for now, Alabama!  And hello, Ohio!

(Does this mean I have to change the name of my blog?)

T-Town, Never Down

I haven’t wanted to write in a while, and to be honest I still don’t have the right words now.

Today is April 27, 2012; one year ago was April 27, 2011, a day this city will never forget.

I remember every detail of that day before the storm; it was all so important at the time.

It began as a beautiful Wednesday of dead week (much too aptly named in this case).

I went to El Rincon for an end-of-the-year lunch with my indoor rock climbing class. 

I ate huevos rancheros and paid full price (for the first time ever) for a margarita.

I returned to my second-floor apartment off 15th St. to nap until my 3:30 class.

I couldn’t fall asleep, so I grabbed my finance book to start studying for finals.

I made Scotty come out in the living room to watch James Spann with me.

The weather looked scary; we waited for the University to cancel classes.

I didn't want to move from the couch to go to finance and econometrics.

I didn't expect Tuscaloosa to be hit; it is just not something you expect.

Jonathan came over, and we decided to skip still-not-canceled classes.

The University sent an e-mail (I still think too late) canceling classes.

Then the tornado touched down; it was so close but a world away.

James Spann warned us to take cover, and we were all scared.

I nervously moved to the dining room, far from the windows.

Scotty, much braver than me, looked out those windows.

He saw the tornado that was on TV outside, too close.

He said we should run, but I was in utter shock.

 I couldn't fully grasp the storm's imminence.

 I put on shoes and locked the front door.

We sprinted to the nearby clubhouse.

We joined neighbors in a closet.

We closed the door behind us.

The air pressure changed.

We braced ourselves.

The tornado passed.

We had survived.

We walked out.

Devastation.

Disbelief.

4/27/11.

Ciao 2011! Ciao 2012!

Well, I did it once again.  I fell off the face of the blogging earth.

It happens.

But I want to make a little more effort to keep up with this creative outlet in this (still sort of) new year.  Promise!

And what better way to start back than with a cheesy new year’s post?

The beginning of a year is always exciting.  Even though almost nothing inherently changes, other than the date we all write on our papers and checks, there is something liberating about the implied fresh start.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so ready to say goodbye to a year.  2011 was easily the most difficult year of my life.

In 2011 I coped with the loss of my grandmother, narrowly avoided the deadly path of the tornado that devastated Tuscaloosa, went without a car for months, dealt with rejection in what seemed like a never-ending job search, and struggled through my first semester of grad school (with many of my closest friends gone from Tuscaloosa).

The year wasn’t all bad, though.  I got the chance to share an apartment with my little brother (I might have been alone during the tornado if that weren’t the case.), had a fantastic last semester of undergrad with great friends, enjoyed being 21, went to Mardi Gras, met Guster, graduated from The University of Alabama, was the maid of honor in my best friend’s wedding, got a great fellowship for grad school, traveled to exciting places like Alaska and DC and Dallas and New York, finally landed the perfect job (for me), got an adorable new puppy (Louie!), and made beaucoups of new friends.

In spite of everything, someday I’m sure I’ll look back at 2011 and smile.

As for 2012, I hope it’s one of the best years of my life. 

It certainly started out amazingly!  I traveled to New Orleans with my mom, uncle, and brother and witnessed Alabama win its 14^th, or 9^th if you want to be politically correct, National Championship.  (When I finally upload pictures, that trip will obviously be getting its own post.)

In a way, the rest of 2012 is all laid out for me.  The plan is to work my butt off and finish graduate school in May then move to Cincinnati for my new job sometime in the summer.

I’m keeping my eyes on that ultimate destination, but I plan to enjoy the scenery along the way as much as possible. 

After all, this is more than likely my last semester as a student EVER.  And I am just now getting the hang of it!  (Kidding, mostly.)

These may even be my last few months as a resident of Alabama.  Before you know it, I just might be a card-carrying Yankee!

So here’s to 2012, a year of endings and of beginnings.  I hope to keep you all updated on this crazy journey!