Leaving on a jet plane...

Howdy y'all,

Today I leave to start a new chapter in my life. This is surreal because around this time last year, May 2011, I wasn't even close to graduating college and now I'm on my way to Teach For America in Miami, Florida after having spent an entire 9 months in the great city of Austin, Texas learning and growing so much professionally and personally. This just affirms my belief that you learn a tremendous deal about yourself when you step out of your comfort zone and just experience life.

This past weekend was the most perfect way I could have spent my last weekend in Texas. I was out on a lake with great friends and didn't have a care in the world. Four days and three nights of being in a bathing suit, drinking my own concoction of southern style sweet tea, jet skiing, boat riding, cliff diving, and star gazing out on the dock at night-  I am a true Texas girl, through and through.


While it has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember to travel and live in different cities after I graduated college, now that it's a reality it seems... Well, I can't quite pinpoint my emotion here; I've been trying to for some time now. Let there be no confusion. It would be a lie if I said that I wasn't unsure about my next steps. Excited? Yes. Nervous? Absolutely. Scared? Not so much.  In some ways this move seems unreal. I feel like i'll come back to ATX in a couple of weeks and say, "that was fun, back to work," but that's not the case.

I'm mostly sad about leaving behind friendships that I have created here but I know that that is silly because true friendships survive whether you live in the same city or 2,000 miles away. I know the friendships that make up my Austin family will continue for years to come. I'll just miss hanging out with them every day. I thank them, my ATX friends, because they have helped my realize some things about myself.

I know that i'll make great friends in Miami and will not want to leave them when the time comes either. In a way, this is great to make friends in different cities, in another way it's not so great, because I'll eventually have to say good bye. That's not particularly a trait that I want to grow accustomed to. Making new friends, yes. Saying goodbye, no thank you.

So, having said that, this is NOT goodbye my dear ATX friends. This is simply an "I'll see you later." We will continue to keep in touch, and when we will see each other it will be as if we were never apart. I am blessed to have made such awesome friends in you wonderful people.

In a few hours time I will be leaving on a jet plane away from my beloved Texas to conquer a whole new state. Let's see what the next chapter holds, shall we?


Until next time,

RTIII

Half Mexican, half Vietnamese, full TEXAN.

So I guess i'm a bit of a fibber. "Six posts, one per week that I have left in Austin", maybe that was a tad bit ambitious given the amount of things on my several to-do lists.

This weekend was another great addition to my string of  extremely fun and adventurous weekends. I have had something planned every single weekend since the new year. Some fun, like this past one, and others were working weekends. Either way, I've had a blast. I've danced on the state capitol steps, had several karaoke nights, hosted several dinner parties including a crawfish boil- a first for me. I've met my doppelgängers, witnessed my cousins wedding, danced my way through almost every bar on 6th, frequented the ever beautiful Hamilton Pool, and have had my fair share of fun in several neighboring cities. Needless to say, I have explored this city top to bottom and, after nine months, I am still completely enamored with this city! However, I don't think I'd have had this much fun if it weren't for the friendships I have made along the way.

I've been reflecting a lot lately.

And I must say this, while I am completely excited to start a new chapter in my life, I find myself overwhelmed with deep emotion. This year I have made friends that will forever be part of my Austin family and I have a special place in my heart for them.

My roommates are interesting. Just kidding. I love my roommates. We have created a special home here in Austin that involve all things Dr. Who, random instruments assembling together, new cuisine, and dinner party hosting. We crack jokes and are entirely too sarcastic with each other and I love them for it. I am really going to miss them. When are we going to throw The Rubber Band Ball guys?

My second, or first depending on viewpoint, set of roommates are the bomb.com as well. I love the fact that I can just go over to their place, at any given point in time, without notice, and walk in and act like I live there too. It's great. I've had some amazing times with them!

Then there's my AmeriCorps group. What can I say? I felt like we have all bonded over late night office raids, countless calls to parents, coming to the office early, leaving the office late, and oh yeah, we still found time to hang out outside of work. The people I work with are truly inspiring and make me proud to work alongside them.

And let's not forget the fantastic people that I have met through these groups. From their significant others, to the people they work with, and everywhere in between, they have filled in any gaps making this a truly cohesive hodgepodge of people whom I care for greatly!

These people make up my Austin family. We all came to this city not really knowing a soul and in just 9 short months we have bonded to create this extremely diverse yet full of awesome family! It's hard knowing that I'll leave them in just a few short weeks but I know that we have created friendships that will last.

I'm going to miss Texas. The beautiful scenery, the wonderful people, just the culture that IS Texas. With the people I have in my life right now, I just want to drive out to a lake, pitch a camp, serve beverages from my tailgate, and soak up my surroundings without a care in the world.

Until next time,

RTIII