It is currently September 16th, 5:30AM CDT. Temperature is in the mid-sixties with some cloud cover. I'm sitting here asking myself what the hell am I doing up at five in the morning? There's a myriad of ways I could answer that question but the one that seems to fit the bill the most is anxiety... and heartburn (one too many sausage calizones) . Today marks only two days left until I set out on my cross-country trip to begin my new life.

I've only been waiting for this moment for twenty-one years but when the time is actually upon you it feels different. Everybody and everything I've ever known will all be left behind; thirteen hundred miles behind. I've known this for some time but it didn't really hit me until it was brought up that I'll never live in this house again. Never again will I call it my home. From here on out I'll be fending for myself. Alone.

Another thing on my mind is the actual trip itself. The longest car trip I've ever taken is up to Morrison, Missouri a six hour trip that was generally broken down into two days on familiar roads. This trip to Florida, however, is more than three times the length over the same amount of time on roads completely unfamiliar. Luckily there's Google Maps to help with that, but twenty hours is still a long time to be cooped up in a car.

Tomorrow I'm going finish packing all my stuff, taking apart all my furniture, and trying to mentally prepare myself for the day after when I have to say goodbye to my family. How do you say goodbye to those that you've been around all your life? To the siblings that you grew up with and are your best pals? I'm really bad at goodbyes and I can tell you now that Tuesday morning is going to suck.