Ready or not, here I go...

So…as it typically goes, time kind of got away from me and obviously I haven’t updated in quite a while. I am now just halfway through my drive across the country. It has been quite an experience so far. And somehow I’ve been lucky enough to manage narrowly escaping some nasty wintry weather. Timing can make such a huge difference sometimes.

I wanted to back up a little bit and make an attempt at covering the last month. The last few shifts at work were difficult. It was obviously hard to say goodbye to an outstanding group of people, yet I endured some challenging patient cases as well. Losing a patient that I have become close with is still something I struggle with to this day. Professionally, you have to find a happy medium of being warm and compassionate but also a little disconnected. I may never find that perfect medium, but I’ll keep trying.

The process of leaving Charleston also ended up being harder than I thought it would be. I got together with many of the people I really got to connect with during my 18-month stay, while trying to organize things for the big move, tie up loose ends, etc. I managed to do more of the former, and ended up getting pretty stressed out towards the end due to my procrastination (typical Allison form). Mix stress with fatigue and add a dash of unexpected sadness and you’ve got yourself one hot mess. But thanks to my amazing parents and wonderful friends, I managed to pull myself together and get everything ready. Phew.

I will always hold Charleston close to my heart. It is such a charming city, and I can’t think of any other place on earth like it. I’ll miss struggling to walk the cobblestone streets off of Bay in heels… spending a day on Folly Beach with beer and bocce… walking to the Terrace for a film… enjoying an incredible beer selection at Gene’s… grabbing breakfast at Hominy Grill after a night of work (sometimes with a cocktail)… running the Ravenel Bridge and enjoying the view… meeting up with friends at Rooftop… indulging in a ridiculous cupcake from Cupcake on King Street (red velvet with cream cheese frosting was my fave)… kicking back at a Riverdogs game… “VIP” parties at Mad River haha… driving out to the Citadel Mall in West Ashley to get my Target fix… oyster roasts… cornhole at AJ’s… wings at Kickin’ Chicken… tapas at Chai’s… the boysenberry mojito and Bone Crushers at Coast… catching a show at Pour House or Music Farm… the plantations… staring in awe at the Angel Oak… taking a walk down by the Battery and dreaming about living in one of the houses one day… getting stuck behind a horse-drawn carriage downtown… taking visitors to the Market… and of course those sunsets. Le sigh.

I wrapped up my last days in Charleston with some unbelievable dinners, one final show at Music Farm (Michael Franti & Spearhead), and a roommate Guitar Hero session (we’ll get together some other time for a reunion tour). I filled my car up to the absolute brim (I knew all those hours of Tetris would pay off one day), plugged in Tyrone (my iPod) and Daniel (my GPS), and headed north for a few days of family time. First, I stopped in Myrtle Beach and then made it up to Wilmington. The next day, I went up to Hertford, NC with my Mom to visit my grandparents. It was a very nice visit, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see them before I headed out west. The next couple of days were dedicated to making sure ALL the I’s were dotted and ALL the T’s were crossed. THANK GOD for my parents for keeping me sane and grounded throughout this entire process. I love, love, love them…and they know that.

Before I knew it, Thursday, Feb. 20th had come. Talk about time flying: I was absolutely stunned. And dizzy. I re-packed my car (I am my father’s daughter after all), had travel snacks handy, and had newly downloaded audiobooks added to Tyrone (my iPod, in case you forgot). And I was off.

It has been quite an adventure so far. I have been from Wilmington, North Carolina to Rome, Georgia to Little Rock, Arkansas to Dallas, Texas to Roswell, New Mexico. It has been 1800 miles of sunshine, rain, and decreasing temperatures. I’ve encountered major highway closings and backups because of car accidents, the joy of Atlanta at rush hour, the Groundhog Day-like sensation of road food, the internal struggle of stopping to pee or push it just a little longer, and of course the wrath of the 18-wheelers (I swear they are all out to get me). I’ve seen the glory that is South of the Border (along with my personal favorite billboard, “You never SAUSAGE a place”), the statue given to the city of Rome, GA by Mussolini himself, the plethora of bars and clubs that populate Beale Street in downtown Memphis, the Mississippi River, the Presidential Library in downtown Little Rock (which looks exactly like a double-wide), the pleasant Uptown area of Dallas, countless fields dotted with cows, horses, and wind turbines, very large balls of tumbleweed (one of which attacked my car quite violently), and a bunch of alien crap that pretty much makes up the entire city of Roswell. I’ve taken some pictures than I plan to compile in the near future, but will never live up to what my adventure has been to date.

Here in creepy Roswell is the only leg in my trip where I am staying in a hotel and not with a friend (hence taking advantage of the free WiFi). I’ll be getting up in the morning to head to Phoenix, Arizona. Thanks to all for the amazing love, support, texts, phone calls, and facebook messages. I’ve got a little less than 1500 miles to go, and remain as excited to continue this journey as I was the day I started. And on that note, I’m going to relax in this King-sized bed. Sweet.