Funny Story

This is a story, that you probably already know. And I say that because my only readers are those who are related to me, and I've probably already called you to tell you this story. Regardless, I will write a post on it because this story deserves to live on in eternity via the internet.

It was the last night Leah and I had together before she flew back home from Indy to Cali. (that's for you Megan :) ) We decided that in order to make it special, we'd visit this restaurant we'd seen a few days earlier while walking around downtown called Barcelona Tapas. Leah is a big fan of all things Spanish, and the place looked really cute when we saw it. So, we headed downtown to have ourselves some tapas. Now, when we actually got downtown, we realized we couldn't remember exactly where the restaurant was located, but since Indy's downtown is pretty easy to walk around, we decided we'd park and just find it on foot.

Now, after we parked the car and got out and walked to the next street we realized that neither of us had paid attention to which street we actually parked on. And this was our first fatal mistake of the night. We both thought we were close enough to the center circle, that it'd be no problem finding it. So we moved on in search of our restaurant. We walked and walked, for about 30 minutes before we decided it might be worth it to actually ask someone for directions. When we finally did, we got to the restaurant in about another ten minutes.

The restaurant was glorious. If you ever visit Indy, it is a place you should definitely check out. It is small, quaint, and serves delicious food. Leah and I sat outside on the patio under the colored lights and enjoyed watching the people as they passed by. We ate tres leches which was absolutely divine, seriously if you've never had it, go get yourself some! Anyway, after a thoroughly satisfying experience at Barcelona's, we were ready to call it a night. And thus began our hunt for the car.

We walked back to the circle, which as I said is at the center of town, and figured from there we would have no problems finding my car. We were wrong. Up and down the streets we walked, but no car. We went down side streets, walked in circles, tried retracing our steps, and could not find that car! We were so confused, because we kept saying things like, "hey, we saw that Qdoba! remember?" But then realized we weren't sure when we saw the Qdoba, before we got to the restaurant, or at some point when we were looping around, lost? Strange men were saying strange things to us (by now it was after midnight), my feet were really hurting because I was not wearing appropriate footwear, and both of us, though we did not admit it at the time, were freaked out of our minds. I was contemplating calling the police, so at that point we began praying that God would intervene and lead us to the car, and finally He answered our prayers! We were so excited, we started sprinting like idiots to the car, never so happy to see it!

We got in, feeling so relieved and a little bit dumb for putting ourselves through all of this by not just looking at the street sign in the beginning! I put the key in the ignition and began driving, when all of the sudden, I saw it. I had no choice but to laugh hysterically for now I was no longer just a little bit dumb, but a complete and utter moron. Leah looked at what was making me laugh so hard, and she saw it and joined in. I don't think I've ever laughed this hard in my life, tears were streaming down my face and my abs were sore because it was so uncontrollable. About 100 yards in front of the car, if that, was the restaurant. Barcelona's Tapas. Our car, was parked right by it! FACING IT!!! We even ate outside!!! We wanted to believe that somehow there were two Barcelona's Tapas restaurants within half a mile of each other. We wanted to believe that someone had played a cruel joke on us, but we knew the truth. This was the best way we could've spent our last night together, I am convinced!

And since being here...

I can't believe I have been here for a month now! In some ways I feel like I was just in California, but on the other hand I really do feel like I live here now. I don't feel like a visitor, I feel like a resident. I am starting to know my way around, and the routine of driving certain drives brings a sense of familiarity I've craved. I actually really enjoy driving around here. Everything is straight and flat, but the scenery is sensational. My drive from my house to school is lined with trees, thick and full just about the whole way. And as fall approaches, the leaves are beginning to change. Most of them are still unchanged, but there are pockets of bright orange, red and yellow that seem brighter still against the backdrop of lush green. The red brick of the houses and large stone churches also vie for my attention-- I enjoy buildings that are not made of stucco. (Also lining the streets are all kinds of roadkill, but that doesn't really add much to the overall beauty.) As I drive, I roll down the windows, suck in the clean air, and listen to a mix I've named oh so wittily 'Fall Mix'. Under such conditions, I actually look forward to making the 20 minute drive.

Something else that I've quickly grown used to are the sounds I hear at night. Back in my old apartment, I loved sleeping by the window. Jess and I'd have it open every night and fall asleep to sounds of traffic, trains rushing by, and sirens. Now, I open the window and hear crickets, frogs croaking and other sorts of nature unidentifiable to me. People in California can fall asleep to these sounds too, they just have to pay for a machine that produces them. .

Anyway, these are some of the things I'm feeling fortunate to experience. I don't want to overlook any of the small things, because they are all part of my whole story in Indiana.

Concerning the Title

So my blog is named From the Southwest to the Midwest, because I moved from the Southwest (soCAL) to the Midwest (Indianapolis) for grad school. Everyone in California told me it would be a big change. "Oh, boy" they say "you're gonna have a culture shock!" Well, I've been here for almost 4 weeks now, and no such culture shock has occurred. Granted, there are differences here, but that's all for another post. First, let me back up to the beginning of the adventure, which began one month ago tomorrow.

One month ago tomorrow, I got in my new to me car (given to me by my very generous sister), picked up my best friend Leah who so graciously agreed to road trip with me out to Indy, drove through the Starbucks Drive-thru on San Fernando for perhaps the last time, and started driving East. Now Leah and I had a 4 day trip ahead of us. If you ever have to spend over 30 hours in a car with someone, may I suggest doing it with Leah? Even after hours upon hours spent together in a confined space, (with no a.c. I might also add) she has a real knack for not being annoying. I mean can you imagine that? This was exactly opposite of what I expected. I mean, you spend that much time with somebody, in those conditions, and you are just asking for at least a few confrontational moments. My plan was, I would be so irritated with Leah by the end of our trip, that it wouldn't be nearly as hard saying goodbye to her when the time came. No such luck. The girl not only didn't get on my nerves in the slightest, she made me laugh at all times, excluding the times we were baring our souls to one another (literally, we were reading each other's journals... now that's intense). She also was really good at pretending like I wasn't getting on her nerves. So all that to say, the roadtrip was successful (or unsuccesful as far as my plan goes). On the way, we stayed with my family in Phoenix which is always a treat, and got to see a dear friend of both of ours in Tulsa. I can't speak for Leah, but I for one, thought the road trip was a blast.

Thankfully the roadtrip wasn't the end of our sweet time together. Upon arriving in Indy, Leah stayed with me an extra week. She was there with me looking for apartments, job-hunting, putting my life together, etc. What a friend, I tell ya! So, in that short week I had with Leah, I found a job (hostess at Uno's Chicago Grille) and almost found an apartment... didn't follow through with it at the last minute, but it worked out for the better. Because class had not officially started yet, Leah and I also took that time as an opportunity to get acquainted with my new home town. We went shopping, saw movies, ate out at fun restaurants, and just an all- around great time. Honestly, the Lord worked out this situation perfectly. It was going to be hard saying goodbye to Leah no matter what, but having her with me during my first week in Indy was a priceless gift.

So, when Leah had to go back to CA a week later, it was to say the least, very difficult. Somehow I didn't cry at the airport. But I definitely cried later. All day long as a matter of fact. I cried in my room, in my car, in front of poor Frank, the guy who I almost rented an apartment from. By God's grace I was able to hold it together at work, but it was a very weepy day for me. I knew it would be hard, but the roadtrip being such a success (or unsuccess) made it that much harder. It was at this point where things began to really sink in. As I was going through all of the motions of moving and settling in, it still felt like I was just a visitor as long as Leah was with me. I felt like we were two tourists exploring the city. Yet when she left, I knew that this was not the case. I am here for the next two years, and I am pretty much starting completely over. I don't have the security of my best friend, or family that I have grown so accustomed to in life. Even with other big changes I have made in the past, I have always had some familiarity that helped me in my adjustment. This time I do not. However, I am so thankful for that fact. I wanted to come out here not just to become a better musician, though that's a big part of it. I came out here because I want to grow. Here I have no security blanket, no crutch. I have God. I want this very unique time in my life to be profitable as I learn what it means to truly trust God and depend on Him, because I really don't have any other options. I pray God uses this in my life to be a very formative experience spiritually.

I'm Here

And by here, I cleverly (a term I use pretty loosely) mean both here in Indiana, and here in blog-world.

So I feel like as a newbie to the blogworld, I have an obligation to explain myself. Why am I here? What is my purpose? What do I think I can contribute to the blogosphere? And I'm not totally clear on all of the answers to those questions, but I will still attempt to answer them.

I decided to blog for a few reasons. One, I thought it might be a good idea to document this new chapter in my life. I don't really know who will care to follow this documentation, (with the exception of my parents--hopefully) but still the idea sounds good. Secondly, I wanted a place to come and put my thoughts in words. I guess I could do that in a journal, but my hand tends to cramp up when I write for more than ten minutes... so naturally I have to write it on the computer for the whole world to see. Third, if I ever acquire an audience, I would like to use my blog for accountability. I imagine myself blogging about my new resolution to never eat sugar again, or go running 5 times a week, and well if I have an audience that I can't let down, maybe, just maybe I will be more motivated to follow through. Now those are my reason for wanting to blog, but as far as what my purpose is, I kind of hit on that. I want to document this new chapter in my life... okay so yeah, I definitely already said that. And do I have anything to contribute to blogosphere? Probably not. I mean, I don't even know how to do fancy things, like putting up pictures. And I haven't set myself up for much success with the lame title. However, maybe I will surprise myself. Maybe my blog will become so popular, that I am offered book deals. And then I will write a book that is made into a movie. This is not my reason for being here, but if that were to happen, it would be a bonus.

Anyway, so again I felt like I should take this first post as an opportunity to explain myself for being here. Next post I will officially begin recounting all the exciting details of my life since I have embarked on this new adventure... moving from California to the middle of the country...