I've wanted to get out of Houston for a very long time.
I don't know where the desire came from, but I do know when I made it a life goal. One year ago this month.
A year ago I set a deadline of five years and started saving. The goal was six months salary, enough scratch to get me by for half a year while I wandered the country to try and meet a new city to call home. If I didn't have enough saved by that point, I would go anyway.
Plans like this rarely survive contact with reality, and 10 months after I started saving my mother passed away. She was the most adventurous person I've ever met, and I know that if she were still around, she'd be rooting for me as I finished scraping together everything I needed to get underway under my own power. But she thought ahead, so the person that I inherited my wanderlust from is also enabling me to get a four year head start.
For my family and friends in Houston, I'd like to take this time to make public my intent. By Summer, I want to visit all of you as prepare for the road. I'll be lightening my load of material things and packing my life down into the trunk of my car. I don't know how long it will take to get everything in order, so I'll be starting today. You can keep up with me here as I prepare and make my journey, as I plan on updating this travel-blog.
For family, old friends, and the new ones I'll meet outside Houston, I'll be visiting you too! Let me know if you have a couch for me to surf on and if there's something cool in your town that I should see or do before moving on, I want to hear about it.
For anyone else that may stumble across my wanderings, stay tuned. This travelog will be your guide through one persons' discovery of the world.
ur mother would B so PROUD! Oh hell she is proud!
ReplyDeleteDon't 4get 2 come tell ur Aunt and Cousin Good Bye! Maybe we can do dinner.
ReplyDeleteI know she would. That's part of what's giving me the courage to finally do it.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck and then some on your journeys! If you ever need vehicle technical support I'm always a phone call away. :)
ReplyDeleteYour Mother is such a beacon for you and is proud of your inheriting her sense of adventure and wanderlust.
ReplyDeleteNow, advice from a little old retired schoolteacher friend in Buffalo:
Follow the stars,
follow your heart,
be careful,
don't run our of gas in the dark on a lonely road,
stay out of trouble with the law,
say a prayer regularly--even if it just to thank God for the beauty that you are seeing,
call your grandmothers and other relatives now and then,
don't spend ALL your money!
Not all those who wander are lost.
ReplyDeleteLove you cousin! Have fun!
You know you've always got a room and space to use here.Whether it be to lay your head or store your stuff.Your mother always was/is very proud of you Craig.
ReplyDeleteNo better way to carry on her legacy.Don't forget to pick up her travel monkey.
If ever you need I'm only a phone call/e-mail/FB message away and I'll come running.I'm sure you won't need to,but I'd still like you to know you can count on me.
Love you Buddy
@Nate: Thanks for the well wishes! Between you and Glenn I think I'll have my car tech support team filled out.
ReplyDelete@Karen: It's all great advice, I'll be sure to take it to heart, thanks.
@Alex: That was her motto too; words I'll be living by.
@Glenn: Thanks! I'll be up in Buffalo again in the next few weeks with some stuff to store, and don't let me forget that monkey!
I love all of you, and I'm proud to have such a caring support team for me to share my travels with.
I second what Karen says! :) I love you Craig and I have no doubt that you will be successful in this adventure. I'm beyond sure that your momma would be thrilled and somewhere out there she'll be enjoying the ride with you. I'll be sure to follow your travel log because I'm your Aunt and it's my job to help keep an eye on you too! :) Have a wonderful time.....and be careful!
ReplyDeleteLove, Aunt Chana
@Chana: Thanks! I'll be making some changes to the site so you can see (approximately) where I am at any time.
ReplyDeleteam also so proud of you,buddy,as Laura would be. I hope it's that monkey (Ghana) that we took on several of our trips.I can't shake my gypsy ways yet so i definitely am w/ you on this adventure. I have family in Austin and Kansas City if you head there so let me know.
ReplyDeleteI am just getting in myself from KC-stopped by and saw your family in Buffalo. I will be here in H-town few wks so let's get together before we each take off.
You are always in my heart and prayers-and ALWAYS here for you. I love you
You are your Mom's son, she would be the first to say, "Go for it while your are young, less responsibilities !" I will be praying safety over you. Hope to see you in Buffalo before you venture out to where ever the travel bug leads you.
ReplyDeleteNorma