Ridin' Low

I just pulled into LA. With Peeps riding shotgun, we finished the final, 5-hour leg of our journey across the continental U.S. We pulled out of my parents' driveway 5 days ago with my entire life packed tightly in the back of the Honda. We were ridin' low. The sheer weight of all my worldly possessions was unsettling to Dad; he expressed his anxiety over the tires popping (and the brakes failing, and the engine overheating, and the battery dying), but I convinced him everything I packed was an absolute necessity, so he gave up the fight and, if I know my dad, has been sitting at home these last 5 days stewing over those same anxieties.
The drive was long, but the trip was awesome. During our travels, we've seen St. Louis from the top of the Gateway Arch, survived a notorious Wichita rainstorm with a life-long friend, watched The Big Lebowski projected on the Red Rocks of Denver, hiked (and gotten ourselves lost, naturally) in Rocky Mountain National Park, stayed out all night on the Vegas strip with Jen and Juni, been fingerprinted by the Anaheim Police Department, and survived my first experience behind the wheel on the 405 Freeway. Needless to say, it's been an eventful road trip. Lindsay has been a trooper--letting me bitch and criticize her co-piloting skills when we get lost, because she understands that leaving the people I love keeps me on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Sometimes we would talk for hours straight, followed closely by miles of complete silence, just taking in the incredible views and relating every song on the radio to this epic life event.
I take lil Peepers to the airport in the morning; and I'll stand at security check in and watch her leave...leave me in this new, big scary place all alone. I'll have to dry the tears quickly though, because tomorrow at 10 a.m I begin training for my new career as a high school English teacher...in south central. I have a lot to learn, that's for sure, and I have a ways to go before this fast-paced, unfamiliar place feels like home. I have no doubt that my Kentucky-nurtured simple-mindedness and red neck accent will make for some interesting stories as I attempt to show love to the youth of inner-city LA...and the purpose of this blog is to share those stories with you.

Until then, I jus be "swingin' my rag" like T.I in the ATL taught me to.