"That Girl" Is Moving Right Along (Footloose and Fancy-Free)!

Hiya --

Well, it's official. I am no longer a resident of New York City... although my stuff is safely stowed in a Chelsea storage locker. At least my possessions get to have a Manhattan address! With the help of Donald, I traveled to Latrobe yesterday, and have a few days to hang out at home before my flight to London on Thursday afternoon. And I can finally say that IAMSOEXCITED to be moving. Getting the last-minute hassles and stresses taken care of in NYC had really sapped some of my enthusiasm for the trip. Between being sad to be moving and having seemingly to fight with everyone under the sun (Chase, Budget, Manhattan Mini Storage etc.), I was starting to feel so disheartened. Now that all that is behind me, the excitement is really taking over, which is terrific.

I was thinking today about all the moving that I have done in my moderately-young life. It never goes smoothly, does it? I lived in the same rented house for the first 13 years of my life, and when we moved, it was quite a change. My childhood best friend no longer lived right across the street. I had a door on my bedroom. And we had two bathrooms, quite a luxury for a girly teenager!

Then I moved to go to college. Talk about traumatic. The day I moved to college, my parents and I were all at each otehr's throats. We had difficulties renting a van to cart all my possessions 2.5 hours up the interstate so finally, after much hassle, were able to borrow a station wagon from a neighbor. We were fighting and picking on each other, so I ran back in the house quickly to say goodbye to the doggie, and when I came back out to get into the loaded-up vehicle, lo and behold, it was gone! My parents had driven off without me. And it took them about 15 minutes to realize their mistake -- which they had only done when my mom turned around to yell at me for not answering her questions. When I saw them drive back up, thirty minutes later, Dad was laughing, and Mom was sobbing. A good start to freshman year!

After college, I moved to the booming metropolis of Pittsburgh to try my hand at being an adult. While there, I switched apartments twice, never really establishing much of a "nest." And then, when it came time to move out of the 'Burgh, I did it superquick, and couldn't have moved fast enough. I wanted a change, and just wanted a chance to start over. Enter New York City, the move to which has previously discussed by yours truly.

And now, another move. This one, though stressful, is not traumatic. I'm sad to leave my family and heartbroken to leave The Donald, but so comforted in the knowledge that you all will always be a part of my life, and in some ways, I'm just taking all of you with me. I'm going to London with crammed suitcases and a very, very full heart. I may be moving, but this time I'm not leaving anything behind. And Praise Jeebus for that.

Cheers!
TGI