There are two paths you can take the night before your life changes forever. You can try to go to sleep and pretend that although you have to get up early in the morning – life goes on as normal. OR you can go out and live it up with your friends understanding that no matter how tired you body may actually be your mind will not let go of the fact that as of tomorrow your life will no longer EVER be the same. If you take a gander at the time stamp on this post you will notice that I have chosen the latter of the two.

I have not turned into a big sobbing puddle of goo on the floor ……yet. This is because while I am leaving my people behind, I actually get to be with my person as of tomorrow.  But I’m not that far away from going plasma. I have never lived over 300 miles away from where I was born – translation: I’ve never lived outside of Louisiana. And 27 years (almost 28, but whose counting really?) in one place can give you time to grow some mighty deep roots.

People keep telling me this is going to be such a big adventure. Of course these are the same people who were born and bred here and have never bothered to go elsewhere either and this is not happening to them. My heart hurts. I don’t have a lot of friends but the ones I do have here are real and true. I hate leaving that behind. Them behind. I’m not saying Louisiana is a great place to live – although, people, when it comes to food – well, I won’t get into it. There are plenty of places a lot more spiffy – I can probably come up with at least 3 dozen right off the top of my head. But those aren’t the places where I can call CP on any random night and count on some grub time at the Waffel Haus. Or know that a ride to the beach with AM is only a phone call and a stop at the circular K away. Or that on any given day the requests of “target?” or “coffee shop” will be greeted with “but of course” from the impeccable Tabby. It’s not this place – It’s them. All of them. I miss them already and I’m not even on the road yet.  So I won’t be sleeping tonight.

See you in Lubbock.