2009

After a grueling 3-day drive, I’m finally back in the Old North State.

My little sister Jordan was kind enough to drive out with me, and together, we cruised through the austere beauty of Arizona, the mountains of New Mexico, the crappiness that is the top of Texas, the vast open nothingness of Oklahoma, the bland land of Arkansas, the pretty rolling hills of Tennessee, and finally, finally, the grand, awe-inspiring mountains of North Carolina.

So now I’m here, back in Thomasville.

It’s New Year’s Eve and right now, I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the night – probably just kick back with my family. It feels nice and pretty symbolic that I’m setting off the New Year back home, ready to move to a new city and a new job.

It was very sad to leave Arizona. I listened to Sia’s “Breathe Me” as we drove away across the red mountains and buttes. I will miss AZ so much, and I hope to come back someday. If I ever get rich (heh heh), I want to buy a house in Sedona.

Tonight, I’ll be drinking champange toasts to a lot of things. A safe drive, a bittersweet end, and a new beginning.

Also, Teddy has a new BFF – my older sister’s dog Indiana Jones. Right now, they’re pretty much attached at the shoulder. I’ll upload pictures of their antics and of my cross-country drive when I get a chance!

Happy New Years!

A New York Chapter

Sorry I’ve been in the ether for the past month or two…I’ve been meaning to keep up with this blog, and I’m determined to do so!

So here goes:

I’m moving to New York City.

Did I ever think I’d move there? Hell, no. In fact, if you would have told me last year that I’d move to New York, I’d have laughed in derision. New York? No. NO! A concrete jungle, filled with angry people in a hurry, smoke and garbage and gray, gray buildings.

No!

But things happen in life, and if you’d have told me that I was going to be spending a year and a half in Phoenix, my reaction would have been similar. In a way, it’s bittersweet to be leaving Phoenix and its sweltering summers and dry, desert landscape…but damn, will I miss it here. I’ll miss this place that I’ve made into a home, however much I may have resisted it. I’ll miss the enormous, open bowl of blue sky. I’ll miss the mountains in the distance. I’ll miss the drive on the bridge over Tempe Town Lake, looking across at the mountain cradling Sun Devil Stadium. I’ll miss the random tumbleweeds, the In n’ Out, the Thai place in downtown Phoenix, and the Coyotes (the hockey team, not the small canines).

Most of all, I’ll miss the people.

The offer from the New York Times came suddenly, and it took a lot of emotional anguish to say good-bye to The Arizona Republic – a paper that took a gamble on an inexperienced designer and taught her more than she would have ever learned in a classroom.

Working part-time in the sports department of the Times is going to be an exhilarating, scary experience. I worry about money, obviously – I know the cost of living is ridiculously high in New York. But the job pays well for a part-time gig, as long as I keep working steadily, and in the meantime, I hope to find other freelancing or more permanent opportunities in the city. I’m interested in exploring the publishing and advertising worlds. Basically, I’m making one of the biggest gambles in my life, going to New York…but, deep in my heart, I think it’s a gamble that’s going to pay off. The people and the atmosphere at the Times helped me make my decision, as well as the fact that my lifelong, amazing friends reside in the city.

I visited last week to interview and to see my buddies, and the experience we had, eating southern barbeque and watching the Carolina Panthers over a few pitchers of beer, helped seal my decision. I love these people, and I’d be closer to my family – a huge factor for me. Nevertheless, it wasn’t an easy decision, and I have one more week left to say good-bye to my Republic family…and I expect I’ll be very emotional that week.

My little sis is flying out to meet me on Monday…and then, a long, adventurous road-trip back east. I can’t wait. Right now, I’m in the process of cleaning up and selling my furniture, hoping to make a little extra cash.

This is all very hard. I feel like a new chapter is opening in my life. I’m 23 years old – time to start living life, a thing I wasn’t doing very well in Phoenix. Sure, I’ll be broke and a starving, struggling artist…but by God, I’m ready for it. Bring it on. Teach me more about life.

I’m ready now – and the road is calling. I can’t wait.