I made it!

I know this comes a little late, but I'm in Pasadena, slowing setting up my new home with Courtney Jung and Tracy Fields!

Mariesa, Robyn Adams and I packed up our cars and took two days to reach Pasadena, getting the chance to stop in Santa Rosa for a night to stay with Brittany and Mr. Cake. My original plan was to leave that coming Thursday, so I could prepare mentally and finish a quilt I was making for someone. But, sometime Friday morning, my aunt Deborah convinced me that I should leave Sunday afternoon. I rushed to finish up the quilt before I left, and with the help of my friend Tyler, got my whole car packed by Saturday evening. I think I was a little bit of a mess, because I had nothing organized and ready to put in my car. So, a lot of Tyler's packing consisted of me pointing to things and him placing them in my car, only to take it out ten minutes later because "I forgot about this bigger box that can only fit in the spot you just filled..." With heavy encouragement from my mom and a strong patients from Tyler, I was ready! I didn't get to make my rounds of goodbye's like I was planning on doing that week, so I'm sorry if I didn't get to see you before I left, I wish I could have.

My car was loaded so heavy I was convinced half way through our trip my engine gave up and fell out through the bottom. We proceeded to stop at a rest stop and ask Mariesa if anything had hit her car... specifically anything from the bottom of mine. She assured me nothing had, but I continued to be the leader of the pack because my car was the most, how do I say it, unpredictable of them all. But, only dying once, my car did great. We hit a solid 50 mph going up all hills and through passes, never more and sometimes less, but eventually made it to our final destination, PASADENA!

It has been a slow process setting up my room with no furniture, and Courtney has been a kind soul letting me share her bed. My clothes are in their respective piles around my room and i'm not quite sure where to put all my boots. I am acting as the Salvation Army Donation Center for Matt and Claire Voinsine as they took pity upon my situation and gave me a really bouncy chair and 2 end tables, a curtain rod and a bookshelf that keeps falling apart every time I try to move it. But its a start, so thanks! I'm living in a porch converted into a room, so it has windows on every wall, actually some of the walls are floor to ceiling windows... including a window and door into Courtney's room. Regardless of the lack of wall space, I love my room. We live on the second floor of a house owned by Sue, our landlord, who lives downstairs and then there is Kevin in the guest house. They are interesting, but more on them later. Our driveway has a gate, which gets really annoying because we have to get out of our cars to open and close it. I thought we lived in the space age where everyone has automatic everything... but not Sue. She likes us to keep the gate closed because her dog, Sammy, might run away. I have already asked God for forgiveness on killing her dog and started looking for a new place, because I know one of these times that I forget to close the gate, Sammy will run out in the street and get hit by a car and Sue will give us a three hour notice on moving out... But until that happens, I am praying God gives me a better memory, so I can remember to close the gate after coming home.

So far, I love this place. Pasadena is cute and reminds me a bit of home, especially now that it has been raining almost everyday since I've been down here. But i've heard this is odd weather, and it should pick up soon! But for now, its sunless tanner on my legs so that I do not have the Seattle glow :)

Please feel free to send me stuff:

438 N. Marengo Avenue

Pasadena, CA 91101