Do something everyday that scares you...check

This morning I woke up and did not know where I was and once I figured it out, I had to convince myself it was real. Now, I've been many places and even in a very short amount of time and can not remember having this feeling. Yesterday, I shipped off my bike in a box and jumped on a plane to the west coast. Yet another weird feeling, flying out here for the first time. I decided after much deliberation and a few pro and con lists that coming to Seattle for the summer was my best bet; for sanity for the adventure, for whatever reason I ended up here. So I sit here at the Porchlight, typing away because unless I'm documenting my travels, I write when I'm looking for answers. Fortunately, yet perhaps unfortunately I don't need any answers. I have a plan and I have my needs met and I have challenged myself to a sink or swim situation. Today I rode a bike down hill to an office in an alleyway, made 20$ and drove a segway for two hours "guiding" two very nice tourist around a city I still on a first date with. I'm learning as I go and I figure if all else fails, people just want to dick around on the segways and I'm safe. When we made it down to the water, I might as well have been dreaming. The sight of Mt Rainier in the back ground felt fake. Yesterday I was at my house, where I have grown very comfortable, looking out across miles of flat land, wondering what the hell I thought I was doing with my life. Today I'm still not sure its all happened.

so now I'm poor, lets see where it goes..

I stopped in DC, as I usually do and stayed with Sarah, my team leader from year one and had the chance to catch up for a couple hours, always a pleasure! When I left CT, I decided that passing by the Point without stopping in and at least saying hello, would be sacrilegious, so as I did a couple hours passed in the halls of B-15. Some things never change. Although this time I was able to wear a hat and didn't have a mailbox to check, freedom was a weird feeling in this place but a good one. The familiar faces were good to see as well and while I was there I ran into another alumni, apparently doing the same thing as me. Starbuck was a good friend and even got to work with a couple of our teams this passed year for disaster response. He was visiting Kenny in Baltimore and we all met up with Ashley (from my badger 3 team!) at the zoo in B-more the next day. It was another class XVI mini reunion. Ashley has lived out a childhood dream of becoming a zoo keeper at the zoo and we all had the opportunity to go backstage and hangout with some penguins! Penguins by the way are similar to cats in that they love shining things, have no attention span and bite for fun. For the rest of the day, we walked around the rest of the zoo, sliding down kids only slides, taking pictures and petting goats. I had a decent 6 hour drive ahead through a decent amount of 4 o'clock traffic ahead so on the road I got. Visiting with my father is always on my to-do list when I'm heading south, I'm curious as to when things you do over and over become a tradition because it sure feels like one. Anyway, I arrived on a Tuesday and got to fit in what usually takes at least a weeks worth of time. I think we're getting good at this. I got to eat lunch with grandma, visit Marie and Madderpants, my stunningly beautiful niece, and I we went to the swamp and the AB homestead that weekend, a place that I have spent many a summer in, getting browner then should be allowed. I also got a boat tour through the east coasts second largest estuary, the Pamlico Sound. Unfortunately I couldn't stay longer and it's always sad to leave but as I've written and said before, I always come back :) This concludes, as now I have started to overlap my locations, my tale of time on the road. The rest of my trip south included a stop in Jacksonville to visit my little bro (who's expecting number 2!) and his little man, still as adorable as ever. Some of the other things to account for are as follows: the 5 total books on cd, the 15k miles, three oil changes, one new tire, new rear windshield, one hot chocolate at a rest stop in Washington (thanks to the happiest man in the world who gave it to me), and uncountable dings scraps and temperature fluctuations my poor car has had to deal with. Adventure has a price, especially one that's two solid months long. So for now my focus is building back up the means for yet another adventure!

My next step you ask? Well I'm glad you did! My posts will be getting fewer and farther between, don't get to excited though. I have been accepted into grad school,yay me!! So Vermont is where I'll be come September. From now til then, lets just say I'm working it out. Maybe Seattle, maybe I'll stay here.. maybe New Hampshire will need help manning visitor centers? Who knows, I'm sure don't but I'll keep you posted...get it ;) ahahaha...ooh man...