As I started out this current travel assignment, I told myself that I should really try to stay somewhere for 6 months just for my mental health, so I wouldn't have to pack up and move again, and so I could really get a feel for the place, etc. Well, here I am, just a week shy of my contract ending and while I will be packing up and moving, this time it's just to a different apartment. For the first time since leaving Raleigh I've found that sense of community that I've missed. I have great friends in the area (shout out to Jess 'n Jenn), and am enjoying attending church at Grace as well as the new friendships it's provided me with, and still have so much more to see and explore in this area that I just couldn't bring myself to leave yet!
It's crazy to think that last June I flew out here before starting my first travel assignment in DC purely because I had never been to CA and wanted to do something different, so I rented a car and drove from San Diego to Modesto (13hrs?) with a few stops in between at LA and SLO. Intentionally last year I spent my 25th birthday in CA, visiting the seals at LaJolla Beach then going out to a Father's day lunch with my friend's in-law (thanks again for hosting me Em!). Now I find myself making the conscious decision to choose to be here in June, as a resident of this state, and again celebrate my birthday far from family and old friends. Last year my parents and sister gave me a necklace from Tiffany's (quite the surprise!) and the note inside the box said "the Key to your Future". I wear that necklace almost every day, and it looks like it will be spending another birthday with me in California! Maybe California is the key to my future?
I'm now accepting reservations for guests from now until the first week of August. I'll be changing apartments next week and have requested a sleeper sofa. I also have a blow up air mattress :) No age limits, just a pet restriction. What better way to spend your tax refund than to come see me and have a personal tour guide?
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