Ahhh Memories. . .

Reading how Flenker of TPOL fame is moving and now has officially moved to Austin, it brought
back memories of me moving here. On Sept 7, it has been 3 years! It seems like yesterday! I remember slightly crying as I said goodbye. And right when I got out on the Interstate, I heard the Kelly Clarkson song "Break Away" and started singing it and crying at the top of my lungs.

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly. Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye. I gotta take a risk. Take a chance. Make a change. And breakaway. Out of the darkness and into the sun. But I won't forget the place I come from. I gotta take a risk. Take a chance. Make a change. And breakaway, breakaway, breakaway.

Everytime I hear that song, I think of that day. And how scared I was. And I remember pulling into the apartment complex and walking up the stairs and Emily had put a sign on the door that said "Welcome A" It made my day.

And now I'm cheating a little bit but here is one of the first emails I sent from here. I've deleted certain things of course!!

Hey everyone!! Sorry to do the whole mass email thing, but it was recently brought to my attention from a few concerned folks that were worried that [my new state] was indeed a black hole and had swallowed me up. I guess I forgot to let some people know that I have made it alive and that [My new state] did not in fact kill me. So the mass email is so I don't forget anyone, and probably some of you might just not care anyway. . . but tough!!! And for those of you who didn't know I was even moving. . . I moved.

It was quite hectic and all before I moved considering I stayed and worked 2 weeks longer than I had liked plus also being homeless for about a month. I wasn't actually homeless I stayed with my buddies and old roommates Sarah and Meredith for about three weeks. I miss them so much now!!! Sniff, sniff. . . I'll try and control myself. . . Anyways here's just a little brief update on me...

I moved out here the week after Labor Day to live with a friend of the family (Emily). She and I were supposed to be roomies the entire year, but she got engaged in May and is getting married in December. Which sucks, but I guess I will survive. Her lease is up in her apartment in two weeks, so at the end of next week I am moving in with my cousin's wife's cousin. Confusing?!? She seems really nice and has a good heart, but she seems to tell me stories of guys she's dated and then they have some huge falling out and don't speak anymore. Which sort of leads me to believe she may be one of those stalker types. . . and thinks every guy is in love with her. She does know a TON of people so I'm hoping I can steal some of her friends! ;) I've gone out a couple of times with her and I'm sure to state that I know her because our cousins married one another. I really want people to give me a chance and not think I'm psychotic right off the bat and all. I really think that's something people should find out by themselves like you all have. I'm still hoping that the girl from the temp agency decides to move out of her parents house and be my roomie.
Oh temp agency you're wondering. . .Well the fourth day I was here I was at the library and asked this woman a question about where something in [my city] and we started talking and I told her my story about just moving here, and the girl across from us overheard and said she worked at [this agency] which is a temp agency. Well I went and applied on Wednesday and they had a job for me that Friday!!! Also on that Wednesday I went and applied for a job at the SuperTarget Starbucks and left with one that day too!!! Target was the only place I knew how to get to my first couple of weeks here. So basically I did temp work and worked at Starbucks for the first month. I was hoping to meet some people working at Starbucks, but at night I only work with junior and senior high school girls. I guess I could buy them alcohol or something. Great, then I'd be that creepy old girl who buys them alcohol. . .

Anyways, as luck would have it, I started a full time job last Wednesday at [my now current job]. You can look it up on the web if you would like. We review cases of children birth to 18 years that are in and out of custody and determine if their case has merit enough to receive money from the Federal SSN Office. This is judged on physical and/or mental disorders. Now the first question you might be asking is can't you just pretend you have mental disorders, and the answer is one probably could, but seeing as itmust be documented by a psychiatrist and reviewed every 6 months, I think the act would have to bepretty good. Where do I fit in to all this? Well, I am the one who reviews the cases and calls the doctors, case workers, foster care providers and see if the claim has merit. It's actually not too bad thus far. I just feel so horrible for some of these children though. There are quite a few sick adults/parents out there for sure. I actually feel I am doing something good for humanity with this job. Some of the cases though aren't children being abused, but the parents being abused by their children and the kids are taken out of the home. I definitely have some stories... anyway, hopefully my time there will be done in August so I can start Osteopathic School next September. I think that's about it. . . I haven't made any new friends really. Which is sad. How can I possibly replace the friends I've made?!? And in case any of you were wondering is 4.5 hours away from most of you, so if you would like to take a long road trip, I would love that!!! Emily works nights and on the weekends goes home to plan the wedding, so pretty much every weekend I go to my grandpas and hang out with them, my aunts, and uncles. Which I guess sounds pretty pathetic, but it is the first time in my life that I have been this close to them (an hour and a half), so I am taking full advantage. My aunt said that after I move in with [douche bag, psychotic ex roommate] I am only allowed to make friends with people my own age. I promise my life really isn't that hopeless right now. I'm settling fine. I've only been here a little over a month. . .
I guess I do have to take that back about the friends. I did make a new one on Sunday night. . . She's 70 and I met her at Starbucks. I know my aunt told me to start making friends my own age, but this was one neat 70 year-old. She actually told me I was her new best friend and is only going to come in when I am working. She actually just moved here two years ago and lives with her son and his family, so she said she knows exactly how I feel about not having friends. . . Well I guess that's it with the depressing, sob story about my life. (I'm really not all that depressed about it by the way...) I hope everyone is doing well. Feel free to drop me a line. I'll have time to read it!! ;)

It's weird how much life has changed since then. I've lost a grandpa since then. I cherish absolutely every moment I got to spend with him too. I'm not sure, but I think maybe God had something else in store for me. I didn't go back to school, but maybe I'm not supposed to yet. We'll see. We'll see. . . .