He's trading in his Chevy for a Cadillacacacacac...

...Movin' Out

I've officially relocated to Las Vegas. I've quit my job, loaded all my crap into a trailer, said goodbye to my friends and family, and moved to a city where I don't really know anyone other than my parents, don't have a job, and still haven't moved into my own place yet.

Do I sound crazy?

On paper I think I do. But to me, it just seems normal and like the next logical thing I needed to do.

Saying goodbye at work was easier than I thought. There were two potlucks in my honor, which is a weird thing for me: to be the "guest of honor". I don't like people singing Happy Birthday to me, to be acknowledged for anything in any group of people... heck, I don't even want to get married in the traditional way for fear of standing in front of all those people. But the potlucks were a great opportunity to socialize and eat - two of my favorite things. So I didn't complain too much. My last day in the office was surprisingly easy and I wasn't sad at all. That evening was spent at my boss' house saying goodbye to people I had spent so much time at church with. Sunday night was a tough night saying my final final goodbyes to the crew I worked so closely with putting on events every week. We were a good team and I will definitely miss that group of people.

I have some really great friends who showed up on Saturday morning to help me load up all my crap. Seven in all - everyone who said they were going to be there actually showed up. Might be the first time in history that's happened for someone who's moving. It's a very vulnerable thing to have all of your possessions carted off by people and set out on the sidewalk to be loaded onto the trailer or truck. But it went super smoothly and we were done in an hour, with a 15-minute break while we waited for my parents to arrive with the trailer.

The day before The Salvation Army showed up to cart away my table and chairs and one of my couches. I still don't understand why they couldn't take both, as it seems they would want the opportunity to sell both at the same time if they could since they were in great shape and a matching set. But whatever - they told me I could drop it off the next day if I wanted. I asked Randy to do it, but he had a better idea to just leave it on the sidewalk at the end of my street assuming someone would pick it up. It remained there in the same spot for the rest of the day to my embarrassment, but like he said, "no one will know it's yours" and by the time I woke up in the morning, it was gone. *Phew!*

It was a relatively easy process all-in-all. My sister came over with The Thumb on Friday to spend the morning with me as I packed up, had my satellite taken down, and to await the Salvation Army. That provided me with the opportunity to get some pretty cute pics of The Thumb , as well as record his adorable laugh on my phone so I can hear it whenever I want. I miss that kid.

I won't miss Riverside, but I already miss the people. I've been here 2 weeks now and it feels like I've just been on an extended vacation. I still check my work email a few times a day, and am in steady communication with my boss, checking in on how things are going. They've finally hired a replacement for me, and she'll start next week, and they've asked me to help her out via phone and email as much as possible, which I'm happy to do.

As I sit here and type this, my belongings are all still in the trailer waiting to be unloaded to their new home. I hope and pray everyday that the heat has not completely melted my candles and my hard drive. But like my mom says, "if it has, it's not the end of the world." I've been pretty mellow during this time, not stressing out about too much, so that's an easy thing to accept. It's not the end of the world. I haven't gotten a job yet, but it's not the end of the world. My escrow hasn't closed yet, but it's not the end of the world.

But if we have another freakin' heat wave, or if escrow doesn't close this week, or if I don't have a job for another month... the world may end.