Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End

4 state lines later, I am sitting in my parent’s house surrounded by boxes and memories. My clothes still smell like Boulder, my clock is still set on Boulder and yet here I am in a t-shirt from high school and on Pacific Coast Time.

I spent my last two days in Boulder breathing in every magical essence it has to offer. My birthday was one of a kind. With beaming sunshine of nearly 85*, we bathed in the front yard eating popsicles and brussel spouts (yes my new obsession). Margaritas at the Rio, cat nap in between and a birthday party that I’ll never forget wrapped up not only 21 years of life but the 4 years I spent in Boulder. Throughout the day, my friends went above and beyond with balloons, cake, VHS movies, no complaining when I demanded we go to the Walrus, infinite playlists of djs I’ll never know their true names and although the night left me in those tears of happiness, it was the perfect final act.

The 1,700 mile trip was sort of icing on the cake or the binding of the book. Jenna and I stopped at every state line to take jumping pictures, ate a classy meal at Dennys, hiked in Arches National Park and were nearly blown over by the extreme sand winds and stayed in Cedar Springs, Utah where the hot tub alone was worth the $60. It snowed during the night, it blazed heat in the day and of course we stopped in Barstow for In&Out. With a mix of 4 or 5 highways and interstates, we were suddenly at Jenna’s house and my co pilot retired. Dropping Jenna off left Franklin and me feeling empty (even though he was still packed with my crap) and already longing for our next reunion. It’s strange to spend every waking moment with someone (let me tell you- Jenna and I spend more time together than a part) and then suddenly be without them. It seems everything isn’t as funny and the skies aren’t as blue. (Plus singing Katy Perry’s newest hit isn’t as fun as a solo).

I ventured through LA traffic and stayed for 2 days with Keeley and Jeremy. Just another sweet glance at how true love exists when your heart lets another in and that this next phase in my life will be just as magical as the last.

Santa Barbara. My best friend Lexi resides right on the beach in an environment so similar to mine that it had me craving for Boulder and looking for familiar faces in the local bars. I had a blast with her friends, who so graciously treat me as if I were one of them, and the boys from high school are still the silly and give ridiculous advice but chant “Die-lawn” when I walk in the room. We made our annual “Dylan is Visiting: Trader Joe Dinner” and gossiped as if high school was yesterday.

SLO: Just an hour north to Cal Poly lives my other best friend Kari, or Mead as I like to call her. We used to email every single day during college. Over the past 4 years, we definitely stopped emailing daily and okay maybe it turned into bimonthly chats but even in that gap of time we have remained as close as ever. I’ve never seen her so happy and at ease with herself. Part of me feels sad that I didn’t get to be there when she transformed into this amazing, driven, confident woman but I know that she’s saved room for me in her future and the bond we created so long ago will last forever.

The four hour solo drive was rough. I was tired, felt dirty, restless and pissed about the CA law that prohibits cell phone use when driving. But when I drove over the Golden Gate and it was still 70* by dusk, I felt this journey form full circle. Franklin and I pulled into 9 Jeffrey and as I naturally took a deep breath, I could hear the final page turn.

Since being home, I have been unpacking, repacking, making piles for camp, NYC and the infamous “Why the hell did I bring this home” pile. (That pile has a one way ticket to the Goodwill). Taylor and I officially made the map for August- we’re stopping in cities as famous Indianapolis and as low key as Green River, WY. The 95 will swing us into Brooklyn and as we drew lines to mark miles, any worry I’ve had about this move was eased.

The unpacking and repacking has left me with 2 boxes and 3 suitcases. Amazing. One bag is camp stuff (I leave in a week!!!) and the others have NYC written across the top. This is the reality I can handle- this is the reality hit I’ve been waiting for.

It’s all changing. We’re all changing. Whether it’s Silas going to prom tonight and Oregon in the fall, Sarah and Derek getting engaged yesterday (ahhh first one!!), Keeley and Jeremy moving to the Bay Area, Rebecca becoming a RD, Taylor finally leaving the constricting CA lines or my parents taking an “empty nest” trip to Hawaii, we’re all doing it. Not to quote High School Musical but it’s true- we’re all in this together and not only does that ease the fear but it generates this extreme excitement that is engraved in a smile that just won’t go away :)