Changes

I am loving this quote right now. In the next couple of months Jimmy and I will be making many huge decisions that will affect the rest of our lives, and I love being reminded that this is a great opportunity for us to reinvent ourselves just a little bit.  I guess even people who aren't moving somewhere new can take a moment every once in awhile to think: what is the best version of myself? What kind of person would I wake up and be if I had that choice to make? Habits, schedules, styles, who you spend your time with, jobs, the way you interact with people, etc. can all be changed, and I don't think it means you're betraying anything or that you're not being yourself in some way...just that we're all works-in-progress and shouldn't be settling for any lesser version of ourselves.

Where Jim and I go and what jobs we take will end up determining what friends we have, vacations we go on, hobbies we'll pick up and things we'll learn, so I see completely different sides of myself emerging in each of the different locations we're considering. It's wild to think about, I tell you! But it's comforting to remember that I have zero regrets. Every step of our lives has brought us to where we are now, and so we wouldn't change a thing. We'll be happy wherever we go - now all we have to do is make some decisions and look forward to what our new lives will bring.

But now it's time for bed, because tomorrow we're waking up early to head West. Jimmy has been working so hard building and packing up the trailer, and I think by now all of the loose ends are actually tied up. My sister Steph is packed up and slumbering here so that we can all leave together at the crack of dawn. We have a snack box, an activities box, a drinks box, a pile of blankets and pillows, and a kindle full of new books. We have our snow boots, shovels, flashlights, flares, and almost everything you could find on any "safe winter driving" list. And we have approximately $989 in Dunkin Donuts gift cards courtesy of my amazing brother, so that we can start our journey off in typical New England fashion!

I'm hoping to do daily updates during our trip - you can hold me to it! See you on the road........