Empty Box Misery

Is there anything more stressful than a giant pile of empty boxes, staring back at you expectantly? I think not. At least not while a person is in the midst of preparing for a move...across the country...with all of her earthly possessions. It's almost as if I have no idea where to even start. Should I pack books first? Or dishes? Or shoes? (dear God, all the shoes) There's a part of me that would kind of love to just throw out all of my stuff and start fresh once I get out to LA. It would certainly be the easier option. However, I am a sentimental enough person that that would probably make me too sad to be able to actually pull off in real life. I am also a recovering pack rat though, so maybe there's a happy middle ground that I can find.

Initially, I thought for sure that I could get rid of a good portion of my stuff and then just ship some boxes out there...and buy a one-way ticket to the Golden Coast for myself. But two things happened to squash that idea - 1) I have way too much stuff to be able to do that. Even if I get rid of a good amount (which I fully intend to do), I will still have too much to just ship out there willy-nilly. And then 2) I just feel as if shipping things and flying out there for the move is so...I don't know...anti-climactic. A cross-country move seems to deserve a good, solid road trip. A person has to earn her new location. So that is exactly what will be happening...hello 2600 miles in a 10-foot moving truck. I think I can, I think I can...

Anyway, here is what I am currently staring at:

Yeah, not fun. I mean, come on...I haven't even built the boxes yet! Maybe if I can get over that first hurdle the rest will come a little easier. AND I've so far left out one very important point - my amazing parents are here this weekend. They drove down to NC just to help me get organized and pack. Parents of the year, hands down. Who has two thumbs and is super lucky, but also extremely grateful? This girl.

A Date That Will Live In....Insanity?

I think we're all familiar with the old quote, "a date that will live in infamy" (at least I hope we all are, as Americans)...FDR was speaking of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and as a result asking for a declaration of war. That's pretty dramatic stuff...huge deal...life-changing...lives at stake. Now, I'm pretty sure I will never be able to actually compare any part of my life to a time such as that (and I'm completely okay with that)...but somehow, that quote is what came to my mind last Friday...July 23, 2010. So what's the huge deal in my life right now? What could possibly make me think of this? Well, that just happens to be the day that I officially became the 'girl who is picking up and moving herself from Chapel Hill, NC all the way out to Los Angeles, CA...just because she can.' When anyone has asked me, "Why LA?" my response has been, "Why NOT LA?" And I'm not even trying to be funny by saying that. It's legitimately how I feel.

Many know that I have gone through some big changes in the past 2 months (one big one mostly) that have spurred me to move away from NC (a place I probably shouldn't be residing anyway...but I don't live my life with regrets, so I'll skim right over that) - but the most notable is probably the "A-ha!" moment I had when I realized that I was in a position to move pretty much anywhere in the country I wanted. And then the thought immediately after that, which was, "I have an amazing opportunity right now, so I really think I should not just move somewhere safe and that I know well, but rather that I need to do something kind of crazy...and a little 'out there'...and something I would have probably NEVER done otherwise in my life." So that means no New York City (though you will always have a huge piece of my heart, NYC - and I may be back some day), no Richmond (by family), no Wisconsin (um...sorry Wisco...it's just never happening again)...so what then? According to my brain, California. It was just my instinct, my gut reaction. No real idea why, but it was. So I fought it for awhile, and tried to come up with other options, and actually consider them. But I couldn't let go of the California idea...and Southern California in particular...LA. I have always thought it would be amazing and nutty to live there, but never in a million years thought I would actually consider it, and definitely not make it happen.

But here I am, really doing it. I have the complete, unquestioning, and amazing support of my family, of my friends, of my coworkers, of my boss (you rock, KW), even of strangers that I randomly tell my plans to...and as of July 23, also of my company...for real. Official approval of my relocation to Los Angeles, CA = done. So now it's full speed ahead, to find out...will it end up being a date in my life that will live in infamy? Or just plain insanity? Stay tuned.