The Young Man is West!

Well, I've made it out to Sacramento! After leaving home, my friend Corey and I drove 12 hours to Salt Lake City (beautiful place) passing through western Nebraska, Wyoming, and eastern Utah. We had a beautiful night's sleep then drove 10 hours to Sacramento passing through the rest of Utah, Nevada (both of which are currently on fire), and California (of which Lake Tahoe is on fire). The drive to Salt Lake was a killer, but the second day didn't seem as bad. We averaged 10.8 mpg, I spent $627 on gas, my voice was almost gone from talking over the truck noise, but we made it!

We were able to start moving into my apartment Sunday afternoon, a day earlier than anticipated. I soon realized, however, that a 16 ft Penske truck packed full of crap was going to overwhelm my little 450 sq ft apartment. This was an initial sense of discouragement and dispare! Corey handled my indecisiveness and multiple mind changes well on where to arrange the furniture. It's been five days now since I've been here and I'm finally getting a handle on where to put everything! (Ikea is a lifesaver!)

On Tuesday Corey and I went to San Francisco hoping to meet some special people there (song lyrics in case you didn't remember)! It was a much needed break from my apartment woes. And we had a blast there, going to the MLB All-star game. We saw Pat Sajak from Wheel of Fortune! Tickets were a little out of our range ($150-300) but we were able to wants from behind right field on the Bay.

Well, Corey flew out Wednesday afternoon and I've spent my time trying to get situated. It was such a blessing having him here. He kept a positive attitude while I was freaking out about fitting everything in my apartment. I can't imagine how long this last week would have seemed if I didn't have someone with me! I must admit, I've been a little more homesick than I thought I'd be, but it's getting better. The weather is great in the evenings here and I'm in a really cool location. I believe I'm where God has me for this time in my life, so I'm trusting Him to work his sovereignty and provide mercifully. Until next time, stay classy San Diego!

Go West Young Man...Day 1

"Go west young man, go west!" The theme of the California goldrush back in the 1800's. A century and a half later, I find myself answering that same call; however for slightly different reasons! (Although maybe not so different as both include young men in search of a financially stable way of life). The 24 episode of my life has finally come to its season finale...My Boss told Reed he is going to a sweet city-that is Sacramento! My life has been thus in a whirlwind or craziness over the last few days. I was told exactly a week ago today that I would be going to Sacramento. Great news to these young, green ears! One and a half hours from San Francisco, one and a half hours from my Lake Tahoe which hosts my true winter love that is skiing, Sacramento falls in line with the old real estate adage - Location, location, location!

Having heard the news of my placement, I immediately booked a flight to Sacramento to do some house hunting. I flew out there this past Sunday and flew back to Minneapolis last evening. This left me with just enough time to pack up my apartment and watch the remaining episodes of "Man vs. Wild" on my DVR. This morning I packed a bright yellow Penske truck and headed to Lincoln. I was told the truck gets 6 to 10 mpg...so I decided to squeeze as much of that out as possible! I drove the whole way in this 90 degree heat with no A/C on and the windows rolled down! The result was a red left arm, windblown hair, ringing ears, and 11.5 mpg! It's been said that rolling windows down negates the fuel efficiency of having the A/C off, but I don't know about that now.


I rolled into Lincoln with just enough hot sun left to scorch me while I went through my garage full of crap. Sorting through what I need and can fit into my 450 sq ft apartment (no, that's not a typo...my one bedroom apt is 450 sq ft!) But like I said before...Location, location, location. It's in the downtown area close to restaurants, shops, bars, parks, coffee shops, and the like. Well, I'm spending the night in Lincoln and heading home tomorrow. Wish me well and if you see two wild and crazy guys in a yellow truck flying down the interstate, tip your hat to them, they're two guys on an adventure to the West!