Here We Go

My Facebook has been flooded with pictures of people moving to Baylor this week. These kids can't know how their lives will be changed during the next fourish years. I almost wish that I were moving back to Baylor, but that would be...wrong. Baylor prepared me for this next step that I am taking. To return would be like saying that I am not truly ready.

Now, I am preparing for the move to Chicago. On Tuesday, I am moving 1,000 miles away instead of the usual 120 to Waco. I will now be a fifteen hour drive from my family and fiancé instead of a two hour drive. I have to say that I am going to miss the days when 120 miles felt like one million miles. I could have gone with a more comfortable option. Had I gone to either Baylor or Texas A&M for grad school, the drive would be no longer than three and a half hours. In the long run, however, UofC was a better fit for me, the area will (hopefully) allow Mark to get a better job in his field than Waco or College Station could provide, and we will be starting our life together in a city that suits us. In the short run, I have to remember that the distance is temporary.

Aside from the distance, there is one other thing that worries me. It is cold. People who know me well understand the problem here. I get rather uncomfortable when temperatures hit the 40s in Texas. That said, I have begun preparing for cooler temperatures. So far, I've got rain boots, snow boots, weatherproofed boots, down coats (or parkas or whatever they are called), lots of sweaters, and an extra big container of Abuelita (basically, Mexican hot chocolate). Hopefully, I'll adjust. Maybe I will just freeze. While I'm freezing, though, I'll be enjoying everything from sherry nights with my department to  watching musicals with sorority alumnae. 

The cold is nothing compared to the distance, though. Grad school should keep me so busy that perhaps I won't notice the time flying by, but I know that every once in a while I am going to want a big bear hug and I will be reminded that a spur-of-the-moment trip would be impractical or impossible. For the next six days, I suppose that I can just ask for lots of hugs. Now, I just have to try my darndest to stay positive about the move. Chicago is an amazing city, the University of Chicago is one heck of a school, and I have one of the most supportive collections of friends and family ever known to mankind.  :)

The next time I post anything on this blog, I'll be moved into a little apartment in Chicago. We'll see how it goes.