And so it begins...

"If you actually learn to like being a beginner,

the whole world opens up to you."

— Barbara Sher

Welcome to my new blog. Until now I've been a silent observer of this somewhat new phenom, but finally I think I might have something worthwhile to contribute. I currently live in Los Angeles, California, a few miles from the airport. I'm moving to North Carolina in two weeks. I have only been there once before, for a week this past June. My brother lives there with his girlfriend, who recently gave birth to my niece, Cassidy Anne--thus the impetus for my visit. My mom came along, quite keen on the idea of being a grandmother.

Now, I'd made some rumblings about moving to NC for a little while before our trip, for a variety of reasons--mainly, wasn't happy at my job, was having difficulty getting over an old boyfriend, and wanted to have an adventure. But the main thing holding me back was I did not want to be 2,500 miles away from my parents. If I could convince them to come with me, though, nothing would stand in my way. My dad is always game for things like this, but my mom is more cautious. Then one day, apparently out of the blue, she started to warm up to the notion of living on "the other coast," North Carolina in particular. Not only is the cost of living much cheaper in NC compared to So Cal, but also it offers a plethora of new vacationing opportunities. We've lived here our whole lives and we've seen the West: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada. Love it, but seen it. How intriguing to have a new home base from which to explore the other half of the country! And, of course, we'd be closer to the new baby.

All right, I'm sold! So let's go already! Well, as I said, I'm moving in two weeks, but my parents can't yet. They own their house--the one my brother and I grew up in since 1979--and they have to sell it before they can move. You'd think this would be a simple and fast proposition in today's purportedly booming real estate market, but not so much. It's been two months now, and only one lowball offer. So, I'm moving out there ahead of them, trusting that eventually they will follow.

Why the rush, you ask? Well, I wasn't exactly a happy camper at my job. I will spare you the ponderous back story, and offer the nutshell: I was a junior high history and Spanish teacher for five years. I quit because the little brats drove me bonkers (although the other 90% were darling) and got a stop-gap job in the insurance industry. Then along came my "dream job," wherein I designed training materials and other such goodies for a nonprofit in the character education field. I don't want to burn any bridges, so I won't give details on why I wanted to leave. Suffice it to say: boss problems. But I will not hold back my praise of my cohorts in Publications: they are beyond awesome. Smart, hilarious, dedicated, capable, kind, supportive, the whole enchilada. Leaving them was hard; you can't get much better than these guys. Friday was my last day. Que triste!

So, having decided it was time to move on, I seized upon this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pick up and move cross-country and start fresh. I am so excited to live in a completely different region and learn all about what makes it unique.

I am writing this blog to chronicle my odyssey: the preparation for moving, the trek across eight states (driving with my cat, Comet) and settling into a new apartment, job, friends, and community. I hope you find it interesting, and please feel free to comment on anything that moves you!