New city, who dis?

Long time, no see! Where do I begin? It has been wild, wonderful, and warm since I last left you in April. As you may recall, I packed up my life in Chicago and moved to Austin, TX. But before that, I fulfilled a travel bucket list item and went to Asia in May! I am so happy with my decision to move, but in all honesty, the last few months have felt like one gigantic comedy of errors. I suppose this is natural for upheaving one's comfy little surroundings? At any rate, I thought it'd be a good way to get us from point A to point B, here in my new home.

1. Scene: Chicago, March. What could possibly happen with a few more swipes on Hinge? Famous last words. For a fun time, try meeting someone with potential, then telling them you are leaving the country for a month. Then, a few days later, tell them you're moving across the country when you get back, because you got a new job.

2. For the move, I had ordered a pod from U-Haul, which the website described as fitting the contents of a studio to a 1.5-bedroom apartment. Lies. Now, I don't often get flustered under pressure. But having to contact U-Haul (have you ever tried to reach them around the end of a month?), hope that a second pod is available on short notice, order said second pod, and enlist movers to come back the next day to finish packing - with the knowledge that you are leaving the country in approximately 36 hours - tested me.

3. With the aforementioned situation resolved, I'm ready for the trip of a lifetime! My family dropped me off at the airport to send me on my journey to Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Just kidding. No Thai Pass, no getting on the plane. Somehow in my research I missed this tiny, insignificant detail. [I did get out a day later and it was amazingggg, for the record, but not without a few tears shed!]

4. I got back into the country on May 31 in the evening. I unexpectedly went up to Michigan on June 2 to catch #1 before heading south. I began the drive to Texas on June 4. I pulled up to my cousin Jessie's house (more on this below) on June 5. I started work on June 6. 10/10 would not recommend.

5. What was supposed to be a week or two stay turned into 2.5 months after an apartment narrowly slipped out of reach. Gulp. I had met Craig only once - at he and my cousin's wedding. And truthfully didn't even know Jessie that well...we grew up in different states, 10 years apart. I got to snuggle with pup Marley + eat more Taco Bell than I've ever had in my life (turns out Craig is also a fan) + genuinely loved this time, but this whole period feels a little like being stuck in a dream.

6. Come August 13, I finally have a place of my own - yeah! My third night in the apartment, as I'm putting away clothes, I see something scurry across the floor out of the corner of my eye. But it's okay, because I have Raid that I brought along in the move, right? Wrong. Bottle was empty, and it got away! You know what's worse than having to kill a roach? Having to go to sleep with a roach on the loose. I know one day this will be a commonplace occurrence living here, but it is not yet that day.

7. A few weeks in, I got ready to leave for work one morning, and could not for the life of me find my keys. At some point, I had to call it and let my boss know I would need to work remotely that day. I came to the conclusion that the night prior, in my haste to bring some stuff inside and take a phone call, I left the keys in the lock, and they were stolen. A trip to Toyota and $350 later, I'm back in business! You can imagine my surprise, then, when I went to clean my phone in my combo alarm clock/UV sanitizer later that week and found the lanyard sitting in there. Whoopsiedoodle.

8. One day, it became painful to sit, walk, or even turn over in bed. I've had running injuries before, but this felt different...something was not right. Thankfully I was seeing a chiropractor for general health, who referred me to an imaging center. An MRI revealed a torn ligament in my hip. Murphy's Law. Lololol.

9. At a fitness event, I got a free sample of what I thought were CBD gummies. *Thought.* I won't go into detail, but let's just say this night didn't end well.

10. Eager to get back into fostering, I signed on with a new rescue and brought home Sofa Boy! Painfully shy, he didn't begin to socialize until about two weeks in. He came out of his shell each week, but even after two months, he still wouldn't allow me to pet or get too close to him. The first potential adopter passed him up, as did the second. Third time's a charm. Super exciting! Until I had to become a cat wrangler. An upside-down-couch, a torn-apart room, and 45 minutes later, this fella was on his way home - miraculously - with the adopter.

I thought it appropriate to start and end on new beginnings. Isn't it nice to think they are happening all the time? Anyway, I can't believe it has been almost six months since I arrived in Austin. I promise to get back to writing more regularly, now that things have settled (...or have they?).

Out.