The Morning Before Departure

Sunday, February 10

Today I woke up earlier than I have in a long time.  Though groggy as usual in the morning, I got up (after only hitting snooze once! yay motivation!) and began the day that marks the first leg of my trip across the country.  I was born and raised in New Jersey, and though this is the place I call home, I'm making a change in my life and moving to California for an adventure.  To get there, I'm making a cross-country road trip in the car with my cousin, stopping at many places I've never been to along the way.  It feels somewhat surreal this morning (though that could be that my coffee hasn't kicked in yet).  It's cold yet sunny here at home and the snow has melted significantly from the storm that passed through recently.  I spent a lot of time working at loading the car last night--much more time than I anticipated! I had to take a few things out, but aside from the few things I'll try to squeeze in there before I take off, I managed to get it done! Though it won't be easy giving my "see-you-later" hugs this morning, I'm excited to take this next step in my life and see (some of) this (ginormous) country!