Sisters Astray

I completed two major tasks on the trip ‘to do’ list this week – I moved out of my house and quit my job.

I officially moved out of my duplex on Monday.   I lived there for over 6 years, which is  longer than I’ve lived anywhere in my life; it felt strange to leave a place that I called home for the majority of my twenties.  

My little ‘tree house’ is in a great neighborhood – it’s a ten-minute walk to Zilker Park, a two-minute walk to Barton

Trailside Tree House

Springs, and most importantly, a $7 cab ride to downtown.  Factor in a huge kitchen and bedroom, an outdoor deck surrounded by gigantic oak trees, an awesome neighbor, cheap rent and you’ve got yourself the perfect pad!  

I’ll miss the close proximity of the Town Lake running trails, the string of restaurants that were within walking distance of my front door, and my morning coffee from Barton Hills Market.   I’ll miss the fact that after partying in 100 degree heat all day at the Austin City Limits Festival, I was only a drunken stumble away from the air-conditioned comfort of my home while the other sweaty concert goers had to wait an hour for a bus back to the parking garage.  I’ll miss having drinks on my upstairs balcony, playing Trivial Pursuit on the living room floor, and all of the countless late night conversations between my friends and I that took place there over the years.  Hell, I’ll even miss the smelly guitar-playing homeless guys that I

Barton Springs Pool

would pass by on my way to Barton Springs. 

But at the same time, I was ready to leave.  In all honesty, the place hasn’t felt the same since my long-term-roomie Julie moved out last year and for many months now, I’ve practically been living at my boyfriend’s house anyway.  It felt good to throw away all of the crap I had accumulated over the years (seriously, did I really need two VHS copies of ‘Overboard’?)  and liberating to know that everything I own will now be stuffed into a back pack.  

Then yesterday, I gave my notice at work.  I woke up with my stomach in knots, realizing that I was about to quit a perfectly good job in a crummy economy.   I can’t tell you how many times in the past six months that I have muttered the words ‘I cannot WAIT to quit my job’…but now that the time had come, I was a nervous wreck about it.  I think I’ve mentioned that I’m a sucker for stability so the thought of no steady income and no health insurance really stresses me out.  

However, I knew that quitting my job was one of the sacrifices to be made in order to travel for such a long period of time.  I also reminded myself that it’s just a job and there are  tons of other jobs to be had when I get back.  So I took a few deep breaths and told my boss that I would be leaving in 30 days and the whole process couldn’t have gone more smoothly.  Afterwards, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted…I’ve been carrying my little secret around the office for months and it was great to finally have it out in the open.  

I plan to celebrate my new status as an unemployed homeless person this weekend with a bottle of wine and a leisurely canoe trip down the South Llano River! 

Oh and Happy 27^th Birthday Kelly!  Thanks for getting me good and liquored up at your birthday celebration the night before I had to meet with my boss.  In addition to my stomach being in knots, I also had an excruciating headache.  Good times!

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A lot of people hate turning 30 because they feel bad about all of the things they should have accomplished by then, but haven’t even come close.  In my naïve younger years, I thought by thirty I’d be making a gazillion dollars, driving some kick-ass car, married with three kids, two dogs and own an impressive wine collection.  Now that my time has come, I must confess that I haven’t accomplished one of those things, nor do I necessarily want to.  Well, maybe I’d like to have the wine collection.  

The fact that I hit The Big 3-0 right before Kelly and I leave is no coincidence…I chose this landmark year for many reasons.  First, one of the key steps in planning long-term travel is to set a departure date and stick to it.  When I began planning, I told myself I would leave within 6 months of my 30th birthday.  This also gave me a reasonable amount of time to save a ton of cash.  But most importantly, as I came into my mid-twenties, my goals and priorities changed…I wanted something different than a nice car, high-paying job, and 3-bedroom house.  I wanted to have adventure, to meet new people, travel, and experience something that few others I know have experienced.  Those other ‘things’ would have to wait. 

Yes, that is a S'mores cake

Am I disappointed that I have no ‘grown-up’ possessions to my name?  Hell no!  On my 30^th birthday, I can proudly say that I am accomplishing my goals and achieving everything that I have set out to do…it may just be different from what everyone else I know is doing!  I am exactly where I want to be and couldn’t be happier about my life.  

In addition to the commencement of our round-the-world trip, here are a few other reasons I am thrilled to be thirty: 

–   My friends can’t tease me anymore for going home at 10:30 p.m. on a Saturday night…I’m old, I need my sleep!

–   I read that a woman’s sex drive peaks during her 30’s.  Nice. 

–   If I ever date a younger man, I will be referred to as a ‘Cougar’.  Reason #2 above will come in handy if this is ever the case. 

–   Like my Dad once told me, I’m young enough to have fun and old enough to afford it. 

We love Big Sunglasses

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