About three weeks ago I made another life-changing decision and moved from Richland, Washington to Lexington, Kentucky so I could be closer to Krista, my girlfriend. I made the trip in my newly purchased 2000 Toyota Camry. My dad came along for the 2300 mile trip, for which I am very grateful. Like an insect tortured by junior highers, our journey had four legs: 1. from Richland to Ogden, Utah, 2. from Ogden to North Platte, Nebraska, 3. from North Platte to St. Louis, Missouri, and finally 4. from St. Louis to Lexington.
We downloaded several podcasts (such as Hardcore History and Car Talk) to keep us entertained (and awake) during our little adventure. Actually, the trip went very well. We arrived at our destinations around 7-9 pm each night without any unexpected difficulties (other than missing an exit in Nebraska that cost us 20 minutes) and we were able to spend some time strengthening the father-son bond.
Moving to Kentucky felt like a bigger transition for me than going to China – in China I had teammates already selected for me, an apartment to call my own, and a job that I was walking into, but here I only have a handful of people I know, no job, and I’m living in the house of another family. Moving here to pursue a relationship also made me feel like I was stepping away from my parents in a manner unlike what happened when I left for China – kind of like I was fulfilling the first part of Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother…”
I was able to find a job the second day I was there, but that’s for another post…
Here are some pictures from our 2300 mile journey. Click on them to view larger images. I apologize for the blandness of the photos. We didn’t have much time for sightseeing!
-
- Me and my phat ride.
-
- Stopping on the Oregon Trail in Idaho
-
- Halfway outside Laramie, Wyoming
-
- Nebraska – land o’ corn!
-
- East Nebraska
-
- Dad and a big rock. I think this is somewhere in Nebraska
