Bushels and Barrels and Mountains of Thankfulness

So I'm having a difficult time trying to figure out how to start this post. I typed then deleted about eight simple variations of "I did it!" before realizing that it just doesn't do it justice. While simplicity may rule in many forms of journalism, in my case, it just ain't gonna fly. A more appropriate beginning to this post would better reflect how I'm feeling, and go something along these lines: "Iiiiiiii'mmmm HEEEEEERRRRE! I maaaaaaaade itttttttt!!! HOLY SH*T, I AM SO GLAD TO NOT BE DRIVING ANYMOOOOORE!! Can you believe I'm actually IN CALIFORNIA??? I can't, but it's so freakin' cool I get goosebumps thinking about!" Or something vaguely similar to that. 

Offering up some thanks to the travel gods who had my back. 

While thinking about what to write for my "I finally made it" post, I keep coming back to this overwhelming feeling of good fortune and gratitude that nearly bowls me over when I think about how blessed I have been. So I have decided to proceed in typical Emily fashion: I will write a list. A list of the many things I am grateful for in this well timed season of giving thanks; and not one of these items has been added to the list for the sole purpose of being an "easy-cross-off"(such as "brush teeth" or "eat breakfast") like I usually do. I'm warning you now, this list is extensive, but I'm sure I will forget someone/something... Also, this is a really freakin' long post, so I hope you've got some spare time. 

I am thankful for...

a  Mona. My trusty sidekick, the 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback I purchased back in February with the full intention of making this trip happen within a year. Thank you Mona for not breaking down or giving me trouble even once. I promise to get the crack in your windshield fixed immediately, your front headlight bulb replaced and your oil changed this week. I swear.

Mona's room had a better view than ours at the Grand Canyon. 

a My parental units, but specifically for this thank-you, my dad. Dad, I know this decision was really tough on you, and I'm sorry to have put you through it, but thank you for understanding. Thank you for knowing what's best for me, and for having faith in my choices and in me. I promise I'll come home often, and I swear I did not tell mom to keep saying she's going to move out here whenever she talked to you on the phone this week. In fact, I told her it was a bad idea. She's a shmuck, what can I say. Love you Dad. 

a My other parental unit. My "Louise" on this Thelma & Louise trip-of-trips. My mumma. I could not have asked for a better travel buddy. Your timing was perfect and I am so happy we were able to share part of this adventure together. You just slipped right into my little trip like you were there the whole time and knew exactly how things were going. Well except for that one incident in the middle of the California desert where you decided we didn't need to get gas when it was at a 1/4 tank and then we got stuck in construction traffic 50 miles away from any gas station and then had to pay $4.89/gal to get us to the next station. Yea, that wasn't exactly how I had been playing things out, but we survived. I love you like a fat kid loves cake Mumma.

a Samwise, the GPS. If it weren't weird to be in a relationship with one's GPS, I might consider it. I have become sadly dependent on you and even started calling you by the pet-name "S-dub" part way through the road-trip. When I say "I would be lost without you," I don't mean it cutesy, and figuratively. Seriously, I'd probably still be stuck on the back roads of one of those one-horse-towns that freaked me out so bad in Texas. 

a The pure and simple fact that I was even able to do this trip. I am all too aware that there are many people out there who would never have such an opportunity or the resources to make it happen.

a My courage, as insanely cheese-ball as that sounds, I'm being serious. In truth this concept had not even crossed my mind until a very special friend of mine sat me down before I left and told me how proud she was of me and my courage to take on this challenge. Until she said so, I had not thought that it took much of anything to do what you know is best for you, but as she pointed out, not many people A) know what is best for themselves and B) actually act on it. I now realize how much of a badass I am, and I'm pretty freakin' proud of it.

            a To this very special friend of mine: you know who you are and without your friendship and your faith in me, this adventure would have been very lonely, and this move all the more intimidating. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

a KDR Fitness, my gym back at home and my trainer Ben. Thank you for the 2 months preparation of deadlifts and goblet squats in getting me ready for spending two weeks hovering over public toilets. I have the quads of Superwoman, and no known diseases to speak of thanks to you. Woop woop.

a Calle & Eric, Uncle Mike & Bobbi, Brooke & Jacques, Charlie, Joyce & Victor. Thank you to each and everyone one of you for opening up your homes to me throughout this trip. I count myself as so unbelievably fortunate to know so many people so willing to welcome some wandering soul like me into their home with no questions asked. 

a Turkey jerky. I make some pretty rockin' turkey jerky, and it was my favorite road grub, so I'm offering up thanks to the solid 4lbs of turkey cutlets I dehydrated in order to make this scrumptious snackum. Yum.

a My Mikey, the best brother ever. I'm just plain grateful to have you around. Nothing to do with this trip per say, well minus that time you called me while I was walking around New Orleans and it just made me REALLY happy, but just basically you're the man. I'm super pumped for you to come out here for your Spring Break. I just found the sickest strip of outside bars/ restaurants today and thought of you. Get psyched.

a The jackasses who made me feel crazy for wanting to do this. For example the guy at the pool who so kindly reminded me that California has one of the highest unemployment rates and said so sarcastically "so yeeea, good luck with that whole thing." Your negativity and doubt only makes me want to try harder and to prove to you all that when you want something bad enough, you will work for it and the universe will arrange itself to make it possible somehow. I can and will do this. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Humph. 

a The flip-side of that: the friends and family who encouraged and supported me so whole-heartedly and got just as excited for me as I was for myself. I am so lucky!

a Mom's friend Judy who made my first two nights in California a fantastic way to kick things off. I'm so happy you and mom got to catch up and I could be a part of it. Thank you for letting me keep some of my crap in your house! You are awesome and I can't wait to hang out with you more!!

a My cousin Kristin, Nathan and their two beautiful girls, Sydney and Celia. I am so incredibly, insanely, overwhelmingly, monumentally thankful and excited to be part of your awesome family while I try to get my feet under me out here. I promise to start cooking up some mean eats real soon here, among other things, in order to earn my keep!! I'll never be able to thank you guys enough :)

So there you have it. My To-Thank's all checked off. Of course I could go on forever about how lucky I am, and how continually surprised I am to find myself in such good fortune. Let it suffice to say that there are not enough "thank you's" in the world to begin to encompass the way I'm feeling. 

Yesterday I dropped mom off at the airport after a great end to our joint adventure together, and headed over to a coffee shop I had found on "Yelp." Sitting by a window with a Pumpkin Spice latte made from coconut milk and real pumpkin, looking through Craigslist for apartments I felt... normal. Like this was where I was supposed to be, right then, for that moment. It was nice. I made my way down to Moonlight Beach to go for a walk afterwards, and while I sat on one of the boulders by the cliffs to watch the sun set on the horizon as the sky turned into giant molten lake of reds, and pinks and orange, my whole body was covered in goosebumps and this weird feeling of energy and excitement sort of raced through me. All of a sudden I think I finally felt the magnitude of what I've got ahead of me.

So, here I am. This post turned out to be more mushy than originally intended, but tough shit, it all needed to be said. Working on getting all of my pictures up online, and I'll be sure to let you know when it happens. The first album was up a while ago of Eastcoast on down pictures. Second album is Nola thru Texas. Still working on New Mexico through Cali. 

Thanks to everyone for reading along so enthusiastically! I've enjoyed writing this so much, and I think I might keep up with it while I'm out here. If anyone knows of anyone in the travel writing/journalism world and wants to get me in touch with them, it something I think I'd really love to do! Just another one of my hair-brained ideas though. 

peace.love.happiness.chocolate

Sending love from the west coast to the moon and back again.

Love,

Emi