A big ball of mush.

Hi! Soooo, I made it to Virginia. Woop woop! Yesterday was my first try at a long-distance drive alllll on my own. Yaaaaaay Emi! So liberating, so empowering, so... NOT fun when you really gotta pee. Rest stops are way less fun when you're by yourself.

Anywho, let's back track a bit to right before I left on Tuesday. I spent Monday at home putting the finishing touches on packing my crap up and cooking a bunch of roadie food to snack on. It was absolutely gorgeous out, so I threw Snickers in the car and grabbed my camera to try and get some of the last bits of foliage around our house and down the back road by the Connecticut River. I fully embraced my "leaf-peeper" side and got a bunch of fun shots; the sun was perfect and the sky was crazy blue.

So I'm cruising around back-woods-boofoo Plainfield NH and I start getting a little nostalgic about growing up in P-town, and how much I love the fall in New Hampshire... yada yada yada... My nostalgia level hits an all time high when I realize I have Madonna's "This Used to be my Playground" running through my head... Seriously, Emily? No, you do NOT live in a Hallmark "Movie of the Week," WAKE UP. For those of you who are not up on the epic early 90's music scene or familiar with the classic movie "A League of Their Own" - Let me enlighten you:

Yup, I'm way to dramatic for my own good. 

Tuesday was kind of psycho before I hit the road. I had a minor panic attack about leaving, but calmed myself down enough to get my shizz together and get driving down to see Mikey in Connecticut. Saying good-bye to mum & dad was NOT my favorite. My nose felt like I'd been rubbing it with sandpaper by the time I finally got a grip on myself. Pretty sure I've gotten choked up enough in the last two weeks to last me a lifetime. ENOUGH ALREADYYYY. And then! When I leave Micah's house on Wednesday morning, as I'm driving away he throws up the "I love you" hand that we always used to do in elementary school (you know, where your middle and ring finger are down and your pinky is the "I" and your pointer finger and thumb are the "L"?). Yea and I start to get all mushy, and sappy and nose-runny again. (PS Sorry Mikey I totally ratted you out on your sentimental side. LOVE YOU!) Whatta mess.

I'm in Virginia now hanging out with my besty from college, Calle and her husband Eric as well as their flippin' ADORABLE dog, Acadia. I'm so lucky these guys were my first "real" stop along this trip, it just makes it feel like a little visit to see a friend and not the whole "I'm moving across country and about to completely change my life." But then again Calle kind of said it best tonight after dinner when we were talking about New Hampshire: "I can't believe that you're not going back there... Not that you aren't ever going back, but... this isn't just some vacation." Yup, you got that one right. HOLY CRAP.... I don't think it's actually registered with me what I'm doing... Maybe I should work on that... Although I did have a couple moments in my drive yesterday when it sort of struck me and I thought something along the lines of "Holy SH*T, what the HELL are you doing???" 

Alright friends, I hope everyone's doing great. Thanks for reading! I'm back on the road tomorrow, send some happy thoughts!

<3 to the moon 'n back, 

EmiLou