New Home

I got my keys today! Tomorrow I will be moving all my stuff in!

As I got ready to move here I went through a rolodex, if you will, of emotions. I have felt everything from overwhelmed to carefree, panicked to peace that passes all understanding, and nervous to excited. The final emotion that I felt was sadness. I was completely unprepared for that one.

I am thrilled to see where God is taking me down here and what is in store but leaving my home was much harder than I thought it would be. I have lived at 9 Little Ascutney Rd for 20 years and now, not only am I moving away but when I come home to visit, home will not be home. My mom is also moving out of the house in Perkinsville and my brother and his new wife are moving in. There are many changes happening and it all hit me in the last three days before I left.

I am not attached to the walls and ceilings of my house but rather the memories. The house is where my brother Matt taught me my times tables and Tim taught me about power tools. It's where I roller bladed in circles for hours while my grandfather chipped away at a piece of wood with his swiss army knife. It's my childhood. But I'm growing up and moving on.

I am loving my new home. Mom and I pulled in at 4:30 this afternoon and after picking up my keys we went downtown for dinner. Of course I had to find a good brewery first so we ate at Blue Ridge Brewing Co. It was delicious. Then we needed a chocolate fix and found a cupcake haven called The Chocolate Moose. The best part (after the delicious cupcakes): they serve Green Mountain Coffee!! A little piece of home all the way down here.

Apartment!

I have an apartment!

Here is the view from the parking lot. My balcony is the one upstairs on the left. Building 23. I think it's a sign. ;)

Here is my living room and dining room.

More pictures will be added once I make it my own.

Lessons from SC

In my continuing learning journey tonight I will bring you insights about South Carolina. Here are a few things I have learned about this great state:

1. They, like most southern states, love NASCAR. (Not a sport!)

2. No matter what kind of music they normally play, all radio stations become christian on Sunday mornings.

3. No one uses blinkers.

4. I'm pretty sure they still harbor anger towards yankees.

5. People stay up past 9pm!

I'm sure there have been other things. Let's face it, it's the south, they're weird. But I'm loving it! I applied to 10 jobs today. My hand it still seizing; but I already have two interviews for when I get back! Tomorrow I am going to be looking at a few apartments. This is the part I have been most excited for. I will hopefully have pictures and more to talk about tomorrow!

Lesson #2

Lesson of the day: Confidence

I know this may come as a shocker to all of you but I lack confidence on occasion. Some things I am not confident in include snowboarding, breakdancing, and foreign languages. At the top of the list, though, would be eating alone in a restaurant. I hate it. I don't want to do it. Unfortunately I am alone, in a new state, 16 hours from home, and hungry.

I did it though. I went to Applebees. I first went to the downtown area where there are a lot of quaint outdoor cafes and local restaurants but I really couldn't do that. I at least had to go somewhere that I was mildly comfortable. I would like to point out at this point that instead of sports playing on the televisions at the bar there was Nascar. Not a sport people!

I feel the need to mention that I am not trying to be negative. When I started out on this trip I knew that I would be growing in many areas and I was, and still am, excited for that. But as you all know, growth is tough and I struggle with it as much as anyone else. So this is not me pointing out the bad points of my trip; it is me being human and trying to grow.

Overall, I am having a wonderful time. I love this town already. The Main St (which was apparently voted America's best Main St in 2003) is absolutely adorable. Just what you picture when you think of "Main St". There are cute local shops for everything from stationary to leather. There are also numerous restaurants, all with outdoor seating. I'm even getting to know my way around. Other than my trip to Target, I haven't used my GPS today. I also got to enjoy one of my favorite places, Steak N Shake! I know, it's another chain. Maybe tomorrow I will work up the courage to go into a local cafe.

Lesson #1

Lesson of the day: Patience.

I am not going to claim to have mastered today's lesson but at least I recognized that it was the lesson and here is why:

If you know me at all you know that I hate driving in the rain. I would rather drive in the snow than rain (just as long as I don't have to get out because, let's be real, I would rather live in rain than in snow). Second thing you should know about me is I have a slight problem with road rage.

Today combined both of these personality traits of mine and did not make a pretty picture. Apparently, when people see rain they slam on their brakes and go 30mph. Granted it was more of a torrential down pour than a light rain but still. So I drove miles upon miles going 30mph... on the highway... in the rain. Awesome.

In addition to people not knowing how to respond to rain there were other individuals that just shouldn't be on the road. Things that came out of my mouth today include: "You have a blinker. Use it!" "It's a 70mph zone. Why are you going 50mph in the left lane??" "I know your car is new enough to have cruise control so keep a consistent speed!" and the most popular, "MOVE OUT OF MY WAY!!"

So the lesson was patience. I clearly have a long way to go but you know what they say, admitting you have a problem is the first step.