Christmas and then some, SLC, Utah

Utah update 02

Utah has been grand! Still no phone or *real* internet connection though. I'm very very absolutely terribly sorry if I haven't been in touch. I'll try to provide a little insight on my current situation through this update.


CHRISTMAS UPDATE
For Christmas, I was blessed to be able to spend the Eve with my extended family out here in Salt Lake City playing Apples to Apples and listening to children crying, fighting, laughing, and sleeping. I do miss being around kids, College robbed me of that in many ways. Anyway, that was charming. My aunt had been harboring the gifts that my family sent so that I would not open them early and, by Christmas morning, I was sitting in my apartment surrounded by new socks, pajamas, a candle, a ridiculous hat that my dad for some reason thinks the whole world should have one just like it, and cards from family all over. I got to church Christmas morning and later that day, James and I went over to a new friend of mine and an old friend of James' house to meet and spend Christmas dinner with his family. Danny and his family were so accepting that I couldn't believe it. They were serving Turducken.... For those of you who have never had turducken (it was my first time as well), Turducken is a Turkey stuffed with a duck that is stuffed with a chicken. I am totally being serious. It was amazing, really... except I just couldn't get over the idea of how incredibly gaudy the idea of 3 birds in one was. I felt a little better after I heard that the Turducken was a gift from extended family in Louisiana.. those casian meals never cease to amaze me. Anyway, after dinner we all packed into the family mini-van and went and saw "The Good Shepherd". They really made me feel like part of the family. Yay.


I'M RICH, I HAVE A FRIDGE (and a futon!)
I don't know if I ever posted about the "I'm rich I have a fridge" saying yet. Incase I haven't... when I first moved here and for the first week or so Jenee and I did not have a working fridge. Worse than not having a fridge at all, we had a semi-working fridge that we thought was working until I spend a considerable amount on groceries that just went bad in the not-so-working fridge. ugh. Now that we have a working one thanks to our building manager and my friends Cees and James who helped move it in, I felt such a weight lifted off my shoulders. I wouldn't have to buy expensive food and instead can now shop for inexpensive food that I can keep in a working fridge... how amazingly fortunate. I felt richer than I had ever felt after not having a fridge for a week. I'm rich, I have a fridge!

Today I completed the futon couch I started yesterday. Yesterday I bought the frame for 50 bucks from a store called "Shop-Ko". It's like the same thing as K-mart just much closer to my apartment haha. Today I sealed the deal with a futon mattress from a bedding store down the street. It was about 30 bucks cheaper than the mattresses at shop-ko but shop-ko had the better deal on the frame. I'm sitting on my over-stuffed REALLY COMFORTABLE futon mattress right now on the finished futon I've put under my loft bed. The mattress is red and looks awesome with the tapestry that my brother gave me for Christmas. Very Cassaba. Alaska likes the couch as well... or maybe it's just the only warm place in the house right now with me sitting on it. She's been unusually friendly all evening...or maybe just cold.


CYCLING IN THE COLD MAKES YOU LOVE THOSE WARM DAYS.. warm 45 degree days!
It's been strangely warm here in the Valley- or at least I THINK it's strange for this time of year. I was like 45 degrees on the 26th... It's funny. When you get used to 20 degree weather again (and it only takes a week or so... and ps> it was like 11 degrees out the last time I went cycling and there were STILL people walking around in shorts... no joke... SHORTS) 40 degree weather seems like Hawaii. I went to the coffee house across the street and sat outside on the porch working on my computer then decided it was so nice out that I rode my bicycle down to downtown Sugarhouse to do some grocery and supplies shopping (this was when I saw the futon for sale... I drove back later in the night to buy it). On my shopping list was:
cat food
brown sugar (for the oatmeal i had sitting alone in my shelves)
toilet paper
band aids (for the blister on my foot that SILL hasn't healed from snowboarding last week)
and nail polish haha

I got everything I needed and cycled back. What a glorious day. It was warm again today but it rained all day. Oh yeah, can I please just shout out to everyone in Savannah who rides their bicycles everywhere in the coldest of winter despite their shivering bodies and tingling fingers? Let me just say real quick that I went for a bicycle ride in 11 degree weather the other day and didn't QUITE freeze haha. It was awesome and I plan to keep doing it all winter. It's about layers kids... 40 degrees is like the summer. Get over it, Savannah, and keep riding!
haha

MY NEW GYM MEMBERSHIP
Other triumphs? Absolutely! I found myself a gym about 4 miles from the Globe here. (remember, Jenee and I call the apartment the Globe) It only costs 15 bucks a month to join! This is like 20 bucks a month LESS than every single other gym I've looked at since I've been here. Sure it's about 3 miles further away than the others but oh my gosh I love it (so far). It's a community center closer to downtown SLC. The place has a free computer lab with the internet that also offers introduction computer and internet-savy classes. There are lessons you can take in different disciplines at the gym itself and the community center shares it's building with a day-care and after-school care program for the more urban kids. Sure it's a bit smaller than what I got accustomed to at ClubSCAD and there aren't any TVs but I like it just fine. I went for the first time today and spent about 35 mins on the machines. I actually think it has more machines than ClubSCAD has, not to mention an awesome community feel with children and adults alike. The best part? It closes at 8pm so I have to make sure I stick to a schedule if I want to work out. This keeps me in line. haha. Today during my work out I ran next to an old man on an elliptical reading Time magazine, behind an over weight woman who was working her butt off (literally) who seemed to be having a very heated conversation with herself while on the bike, in the room next to about 5 men all muscle heads of different ages, races, and obviously backgrounds. One an older guy, biker to the bone, white long hair underneath a bandana, another really short white guy about 20, another about 28 or so black dude in basketball shorts who seemed to speak arabic clearly to his younger son and english to his muscle-head friends, and this other guy who looked like a white business man who could have been the mayer for all I knew... the last one was this guy who looked 100% native american and about 45. They were all talking and having a grand old time like they had been friends forever.

I'm starting to learn that the people who think that SLC has no diversity are the people who don't allow diversity into their lives. It seems to me that in this area, it's the people who are afraid of so many things and situations or those who say things like... for example... "that's gay" using the terms gay, homo, or fag as synonyms for "stupid" who are the ones always blowing the "we need more diversity" horn and criticizing Utah for the lack-of around me. I'm starting to find that in truth, it's these people who seem to actually be afraid of diversity, not realizing that the thing they speak so fondly about is the thing they are hiding from in their nice little neighborhoods with REAL street names, not 3rd or 6th. Utah is predominantly white but that sure doesn't mean it doesn't have it's personal spread of cultural diversity. I really enjoy it to be honest and I don't know why someone would want to go to the 24 hour gym where everyone just plugs in and doesn't get to know anyone over a fun community gym where everyone is out to make sure you stick to your goals and get the hottest body you can! hahahaha Honestly, I think that those people who say "that's gay" or swear at their kids or their parents under the comfort of their beautiful house in the burbs make me way more uncomfortable than the crazy people I meet at the "inner city gym". I'm not saying I'm any better than anyone, I just come from a different experience and haven't been what Jenee calls something like Utah-nized. I'm still learning what that means but, like, today I had a conversation with someone in the burbs about why I chose to live here in SLC and not anywhere else in the world. They looked disgusted when I said I was planning on staying for a while, maybe forever. They looked at me like I was uneducated and unreasonable, like I was being utterly ignorant and stupid for making such a statement. They made me feel like they couldn't find ONE good thing with the city or the state and that anyone, myself included, who was an educated member of society, would absolutely never ever stay there for a prolonged period of time. This made me sad for them, who had lived here for the past 20 years.... why would anyone so educated and passionate about where I should live subject themselves to living in a place they hate so much? Family? Jobs? Jeesh. All I could think about was, can't you see the mountains around yoU? You live in a city more beautiful than most and you are looking at me like I'm a fool for ever moving to that city? It could be the most crime-ridden terrible state with a bad economy and no love at all (and it's QUITE the opposite... I'll assure you) and it would still be one of the most beautiful places in the United States. You can see the amazing peeks on 3 sides of the valley from wherever you are in SLC. I mean come ON... awesome! ...or maybe I'm just easy to please?

Anyway that's all for now. It's about midnight here and I'm going to crash for lack of better things to do. I haven't started trying to make friends yet because I don't have any way for anyone to contact me until I get either the internet at home or a cell phone. My phone is still in the mail and at least I know my aunt sent it. She suspected it'd be here sometime this week last I talked to her. The internet is for sure coming on Friday so, at least I'll have that by the end of the week. I really can't get much work done without either. Frustrating. It's good though. It's given me a lot of time to just chill out. I even read a book this week! This book was the FIRST book that I have read cover to cover that is un-school/video/sound/editing/business related in over 3 years. Not kidding. Do you know how amazing it feels to have time, even if you don't WANT to have time, to read a book. It's like God saying, slow DOWN sister, you're missing too much. I'm in and learning... and going to bed so I can hit the gym earlier tomorrow, maybe meet someone else who will let me listen to their conversation with themselves. It's good... gives me someone to pray for while I run. ;) I'll update about the book tomorrow from somewhere... probably a coffee house where I'll actually have internet access to post this and that. Godbless.

We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea

Salt Lake City week 01

Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah is phenomenal. Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas thrive on small and large businesses alike. I have never seen so many independently owned small businesses working perfectly with their large corporate counterparts. It's encouraging to say the least, very DIY.

Nature is everywhere here. Sure, the city is absolutely city but, even in the valley, there are still some wide-open spaces. All it takes to really break into the realm of the wild is to drive to any edge of the valley. Right behind the hospital, mountains. Right behind the University's dorms, mountains. Right behind the mansions on the foothills, mountains and no mountain is the same. Some are rocky and impossible, some are grassy and inviting. Although seemingly empty of people, I am starting to understand that, at any one moment, there are people hiking the cliffs, trekking the trails and swimming in the natural warm springs all over the wild. Just yesterday my friend James told us about a peak he decided he had to hike. He just bagged up some water and granola bars, put on a coat, and hiked up like 500 feet of rocks to his destination. Up there he met a man who told him that he enjoyed laying naked on the rocks in the sun because nobody could see him. Turns out the guy has been hiking the peak for years... he was older maybe 55 years old.

As goofy as that sounds, the wild is so inviting. "There are natural hot springs that you can swim in only a mile's hike away" says James, "and an old 45foot tall lookout tower you can climb up and sit in that will show you a view of the entire valley and the surrounding mountains." There is so much to discover here and the great part is that the mountains, depending on the weather, are always changing.
Right now they are lightly dusted with a few feet of snow, last year, by prime season, the snow base was over 240 inches. This place is glorious.

Moving In
Interestingly enough, moving all of my stuff from the car really only took me a day. I was extremely blessed with unnaturally warm weather for December in the area. It was about 60 degrees during my first two days here. I even went for a bicycle ride on the second day in short sleeves and jeans. It was a wonderfully easy move and I met some of my neighbors in the process. My house mate Jenee is super awesome and kept my spirits high. She drove me around and showed me the neighborhood/introduced me to people right away. The apartment is lovely. It's a two bedroom with a giant living room, white walls, some with white brick. The white brick is a very
cool touch and makes the rooms, once put together, like they are straight out of an urban outfitter's magazine. I have the middle room that has a balcony that faces the parking lot. On the balcony you can see the awesome view of the neighborhood behind out complex, the backs of the stores on the corner, and the mountains above them all. I love it, duh.

Before I moved out here I understood that Salt Lake City is predominantly a white city. It has been a serious change moving from Savannah, Georgia where the majority is black to Utah where white are the majority by a LONG run. When I got here to the apartment complex I expected exactly what I had heard, white and mormon. To my pleasant surprise, Jenee and I, along with only a few other tenants, are the minority. We've decided to call the complex "The Globe" due to it's diversity and the fact that it doesn't have a true name. Honestly I feel more comfortable this way, with people from all different backgrounds living here, than I think I would have if it was strictly white and mormon. Yay The Globe!

Our immediate neighbors across the way rock. One of them, Justin, is possibly giving me one of his old couches and he gave Jenee two of the giant goldfish he was getting rid of. They look awesome next to our orange couch!

Friends
My friend Abigail and her brother Cees (pronounced Case) decided to spend the weekend here with me. Abigail is a friend that I met at school in Savannah whose parents recently moved to Denver, Co with the rest of her family. I stayed with them in Denver when I was passing through. She thought it'd be fun to come and help me get settled, see her good friend James (who SHE introduced me to by the way) and maybe do a little snowboarding. Her brother Cees is in high school and was able to get out for break a day early and join her. It has been AWESOME having the both of them here for the long weekend... they have helped me get through a lot, including my first ridiculous illness that I've had in a long time. I get to SLC, move my stuff in, meet up with my friends from out of town, and the next day I'm sick as a dog with a head cold. We went snowboarding anyway- at Solitude the day after the cold started bugging me because the temperature cooled off and it snowed over 8 inches overnight. Our friend James was super stoked to get out into the fresh powder and served as our guide to the beautiful resort. Solitude was really special. The only difficulties we had were blending James' taste of good skiing terrain with what I know to be good snowboarding terrain for beginners. Abigail and Cees had only been snowboarding for a few days and, although they have caught on terribly fast, sometimes that chunky deep powder can be a little frustrating. All in all we had a wonderful time and, after a full day, headed back down the hill to chill out.

Wildlife, Coyote, and a Moose!
While at Solitude I saw a coyote running across one of the slopes. It caught me off-guard since it was only maybe 10 yards away. What a big dog! It was funny because he had to jump up very high in order to clear the powder and every time he came down he sank into it over his head. It was really funny to watch. I have never seen a full grown coyote out in the wild before. I've seen pups in michigan but not an adult. I love wild life, it gave me a charge. I hoped right then that I'd be able to really experience and see a ton of other wild life while I snowboarded this year.

As it turns out, at Solitude, there are ski/snowboarding "tours" given by rangers that last a few hours. They take you all over the mountain and tell you all about the wildlife in the area and the history of the resort and the mountains. I will absolutely take advantage of one of those tours next time I ride Solitude.

So when I got back to the lift I told everyone that I say a coyote and we all laughed about it. I ended up saying something about how I hope I see a moose sometime when I'm out here. We had been talking about moose on and off all day for some reason which was funny in itself. On the drive back we were cruising down the mountain and NO JOKE what the heck is running up the street in the opposite lane right at us? A GIANT MOOSE! No, not a bull moose with the antlers but a female, equally as large, just clobbering up the road. Chasing it was a safety truck with lights flashing trying to get it off the road. The thing was feet taller than the truck and just being goofy all over the lane. Everyone in the car with me was like "AHHH MOOSE MOOSE MOOSE!" We were all freaking out. I don't think that any of us though we'd ACTUALLY see a moose. No joke. It was hilarious. The thing eventually jumped off the road into the deep snow and hung out under some trees. We continued down the mountain laughing at how lame our reaction was to the animal and about how goofy the thing looked clobbering up the hill. What a cool experience. haha.

It's Been a Great Weekend
Despite my illness, which got worse by the way after we went snowboarding, I had a great weekend. I met a bunch of cool people and got to spend time with Abigail and Cees who are so awesome. They helped me move stuff and really blessed me with their presence. It really means a lot when friends or family come and visit you and, to visit RIGHT when you are moving in, sick, and getting to know the place, realllly is awesome and helpful. Thank you Cees and Abigail.

Today is Monday the 19th. Abigail and Cees are leaving today. Hahaha we had a long night last night hanging out with James and they are STILL SLEEPING. It's almost 1pm. hahahaha. Today I have to go bust my butt and get my Christmas shopping done and in the mail. hahaha Think I can get people their stuff in time? Probably not. Oh well, when am I EVER on time for gifts? Never. haha. I also gotta pick up a desk I bought at a thrift store called "The D.I." before dark and figure out how on earth I can afford cable internet/ get it and then return my aunt's vacuum to her after vacuuming the whole apartment.

All is well:)

We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea

The Road West part 03: UTAH FINALLY!

Monday Dec 11: Denver, Colorado--------> Salt Lake City, Utah (appx 8 hours)
All I have to say about the drive from Denver to Salt Lake City is it's windy and boring as heck... the terrain is amazing though. I took 80West through Wyoming because I didn't want to deal with 70West which is the mountain pass. The wind was so strong that I had a hard time just staying in the lane I chose to drive in. I have never seen country side like it though, flat plateaus, rock formations, cowboy looking country. It was amazing, just long.

I cried a tear of joy when I crossed the border into Utah. I have been wanting to move here for years. The sign said "Welcome to Utah" and had a skier on it cutting through some powder. Immediately I was in mountains. I even saw a small herd of pronghorn. I stopped at a rest stop to fill up my water bottle and the land around me was just plain breathtaking. The rocks are so red that the mountains look like they are bleeding. I'm sitting here sick as a dog with a headcold but its snowing out and its so beautiful I couldn't be happier. Utah is glorious. I haven't felt so at peace in a long time.

When I got in I made it to my new place without a problem. It's not far from the highway. I met my new room mate Jenee and we moved some of my stuff in. I slept on the floor that night, deciding to pack later. Thank GOD for Utah. This place is amazing. I live in a neighborhood in east salt lake called Sugar House. More on that later.
I made it safely and soundly. Long drive though. I think Alaska is happy to be off the road, the poor cat. I am too. I can't believe I'm finally here. Praise God.
We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea

The Drive West part 02 (how my car was condemned...)

Sunday December 10: St. Louis, Missouri ---------> Denver, Colorado (time: appx 12 hours)

I got a better start out of St. Louis then I had the day before leaving Savannah. After waking up, chatting with Jamie and her family over breakfast, loosing and finding my keys, and unsuccessfully trying to charge my ipod on Jamie's computer I was able to leave by 11:30am. Jamie decided to be even more sweet than she normally is and give me a bunch of old cds that she didn't want anymore. One of these was the Arcade Fire and oh my gosh can I just please say how thankful I was to have the Arcade Fire playing on my stereo again? Reminds me of winters spent at TWC in Michigan. The drive was pleasant if not flat and boring. Ok it was flat and boring but tolerable. I really like driving during the day because I can at least see what is around me. I love checking out the terrain ESPECIALLY when I have never driven through it before. Once I passed Colombia, Missouri I was out of any area that I had ever been. I was so excited to start the trek through territory unknown to me. I later found out that Kansas was really no big deal. haha. I did see a few shooting stars that night though and finally entering the sea of lights that was Denver was exhilarating. Let me provide an account of one experience I had at one of those few and far between gas stations:

part one: walk into gas station and get something to snack on for the long road ahead
part two: meet 50 something year old man at counter who is wearing pants with a GIANT rip in the top of the butt... realize that the man is not wearing underwear
part three: watch as the cashier who apparently knows the guy scolds him for being indecent. Pay and leave after the woman offers me some advice on a topic of which I can't even recall.
What the heck!? haha.

By the time I got to Denver I was exhausted. Abigail, who I was staying with, has many cats and dogs and their presence was like therapy for me- especially her dogs. Alaska is freaked out of other animals so she and I eventually shut ourselves in a room and slept the night. I was woken up pleasantly by the smell of breakfast the next morning only to find my friend Drew from Savannah downstairs. I had forgotten that Abigail said that he was also in town yet on his way out. It was great to see him and catch up for the 30 mins or so before Abigail had to take him to the airport. Drew is a cool kid. He was out there visiting Abigail and skiing Colorado. Lucky guY!

Later in the day I decided to get that darn plug in my car fixed so I could at least have my ipod for the last leg of the trip. I took the wagon into the Subaru dealership and left it there. 15 minutes later I was back at the dealership because they called me and said I had to come in and take a look at something that they found. Next thing I know I am standing under my car looking at the salt rust on it from the Michigan roads it has been driven in for the last 10 years. The entire dealership was so freaked out by what they called "rot" on the undercarriage that they were convinced that I was going to die the next time I drive the thing because the bottom would fall out or some bologna like that. They told me that they refused to work on it because it would be pointless for me to put any money into such a terrible piece of crap car and that they are condemning it. They say that they have not condemned a car in like 10 years and mine is the first. I was tottally put on the spot. I could not for the life of me believe that I was standing at a Subaru dealership hearing that my car is condemned when all I wanted to know was if they could fix the outlet. I wanted to faint... I still had EIGHT HOURS to drive before I was in Salt Lake City, Utah. I could NOT believe that could be happening to me right now.

Later in the day I decided to take it into a Midas for a second opinion. The guys at Midas, although also reacting to the rust but in a more humorous way, told me about how cars out east and cars out west are taken care of and let go differently because of what the different regions use to get rid of the snow. In Michigan salt is used to melt the ice and snow on the roads and the result of that is a torn up undercarriage. They explained that people out West aren't used to seeing that and that everything is fine with the car. They suggested a few repairs but didn't even come close to condemning the darn thing. I was so pissed. What the heck was wrong with those people at the dealership?! I think their exact words were "this car is not drivable. Get a new car." I was like um.... I've been driving it for the past 25 hours without a single problem other than the fact that the outlet doesn't work. What the heck. So basically, aside from the added stress, all worked out ok and I was off for Utah early the next morning. Thank the Lord for Abigail and her supportive family. Aside from them Denver freaks me out like, whoa. I do miss their dog... Alaska sure doesn't though. Did I mention that Denver freaks me out?
We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea

The Drive West part 01

Last Saturday December 09: Savannah, Georgia --------> St. Louis, Missouri (time: appx 13 hours)

I left Savannah around 1:30pm with my new(used) Subaru Legacy packed to the top with every single thing that I own along with my snowboard on top and my bicycle on a rack I bought for the hitch. Off we go... Alaska and I were on the road again. The best part of this drive by FAR was the fact that I was only planning on going to Atlanta. See, the outlet on my wagon that I would normally plug my ipod or phone charger into wasn't working. I figured I'd head to Atlanta and get it fixed at a dealership there, sleep over night, and leave in the morning for St. Louis. My late start, however, forced me to rethink this plan because the dealerships and such places were closing early for the weekend... about an hour into the trip down 16West I called one of the dealerships in Atlanta and they were like "yea we close soon..." so there I was, a few minutes left on my ipod and only one cd. Gabriel made me the new Killer's cd to keep me company. It was the only working cd that I had in my car when I left for Utah... I was counting on being able to get that outlet fixed so that I could rock out to my ipod on the $400 of new speakers that I got installed in the Subaru the day after I bought it... now it was looking like I'd not be able to listen to the ipod at all- maybe for the entire trip! Realizing this, I decided to just go and drive until I couldn't drive any longer. I figured St. Louis would be a perfect goal because it was almost exactly half way between Savannah and Denver, Colorado. I was planning on spending some time with my friend Abigail in Denver anyway so getting there in 2 days instead of 3 sounded pretty good to me.

When I entered Atlanta I got the awesome opportunity to share some Arby's with my friend Will Pitt (insert will's music web pages here) Will is an amazing and heart-filled musician that I met a few years ago through a Savannah friend named Amy. He's never lived in Savannah but I like to keep up with him because he's basically wonderful and inspirational. You can check out the band he fronts Any Given Moment here. If you listen to the stuff and you like it pleaase give him or his band a shout out. They are all awesome guys that have overcome a lot together...oh yeah and their music rawks too. haha. Anyway, dinner with Will is always a blessing even if we only spend like 20 mins together. haha. I love that about him, he's totally down with catching up when we can. I guess we are all in the greater kingdom of God. I love you Will!

By the time I finished dinner with Will it was already dark out. I made the rest of the drive surviving on NPR and Coast to Coast. Thank God for people who think they have been abducted by aliens and want to tell everyone on national radio about it. I don't think I would have made it to St. Louis without it. oh.my.gosh hahaha. Even better, there were shooting stars everywhere. I can't remember the last time I saw a shooting star... oh wait, yea I can. ;)

Got into St. Louis around 2am. Not great timing but not bad either. As Hawk would say "anywhichway" I was happy to be there. My friend Jamie and her awesome family let Alaska and I crash at their house and the next morning they made an AWESOME breakfast. Egg omelet baked something or other. It was awesome food and awesome to catch up with them. Jamie was one of my first close friends at SCAD and because of her I have been to St. Louis a bunch and I've decided that I really like the city. If you have never spent any time in St. Louis you should seriously consider going there- preferably sometime in the late summer/early autumn. The place is so fun.

We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea

How the South was won... Leaving Savannah (December 1-10)

As I wrote in my previous entry, my old room-mate Rachel decided to be catastrophically irresponsible at my expense and leave 3 ROOMS full of her belongings in the apartment upon the end of our lease. On top of that, she went to Japan, yes folks... JAPAN, on the 1st of December (we were supposed to be out of the place by the last day of November) and, incase it wasn't enough, she leaves me this awesome note that says something along the lines of "sorry about everything... my friends will move me out this weekend blablabla". So here I am left dumbfounded that she took such advantage of me and kinda freaked out that some random person(s) has keys to my place. So why not leave all of this for the landlord to take care of? I had to stay in Savannah until I found a solution because her name was NOT on the lease... only mine was. Stupid, I know. I learned my lesson there but seriously oh my gosh. No help cleaning the apartment, no stuff even moved out. ..I was lost on what to do... and severely angry.

SO this is what ended up happening. She told me in her little note that her friends would come and get it or else i can donate some of it or whatever. My car was already packed and ready to go so I couldn't move anything for her even if I wanted to. Her friends NEVER came that weekend and I ended up having to sleep on friend's couches until a solution was found. After the weekend and no sign of her "friends" I started to get a little worried... How long was I going to have to stay in Savannah?! I talked to my landlord and he, like any good landlord, wanted me to stay until everything got figured out. I don't hold that against him, it was the reasonable thing to do on his side... just crappy for my situation. So I wrote a letter to Rachel trying to get SOMETHING from her- some sort of leverage so that I can get on with my life. She wrote me back giving me only a little bit of what I requested from her- namely phone numbers of the people who have the keys to the apartment, an address or something or whatever. She gave me her mother's phone number and made some dumb comment about how hard it is to deal with jet lag. I was like you have GOT to be kidding me. Anyway I contacted her mother who acted like she was some sort of victim. I told the woman that she had a few choices. Either get me some money asap so I can rent a Uhaul and storage space and get the stuff out of there myself... (can't do it without the cash up front though and the longer it takes the longer I'm stranded there), or they could deal with the fact that their stuff is going out on the street. I mentioned the street thing to her because, basically, her leaving all of that stuff like that gives my land lord the right to do whatever he wants with it. I'm sorry but people can't just work around your irresponsibility. Her response to that part of it was amusing to me. She said something like "I'm sorry but I'd be really pissed if you put all that stuff I paid for out on the street." I'm thinking to myself... noway did she just say that. At this point it had been exactly ONE WEEK since I had planned on leaving. I had been waiting around and trying to solve RACHEL's problems for one entire week. Living out of a backpack on people's couches for ONE WEEK. I mean I thought this stuff would last one or two days... not a week. ugh.

Ok so can I just say that I was SOOO blessed because of these things:
1. My landlord didn't have anyone moving in right away so technically this problem was only infringing on ME and not anyone else.
2. I'm basically working for myself and not anyone else so I didn't need to be in Salt Lake City for any job by any certain time.
3. Hawk and Adam were totally awesome and let me stay at their houses. Adam was doubly awesome and let Alaska stay at his place the entire time. I think Alaska loves Adam, Eddie, and Chris more than she loves me. haha.
4. Staying allowed me to slow down and enjoy my friends/the nice parts of Savannah for a few days without the burden of school. (soon I will be posting a "things everyone should experience in Savannah while there" list... keep an eye out!)
5. I got a chance to go out with my Aunt who was in town for business! She graciously treated Hawk and I to the Pink House. Can I please add that she is AWESOME and the food was great too! I love showing people around and she let Hawk and me show her and her coworker around for a night. It was fun.
6. Got to say goodbye/see a ton of people that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to see if I had left on the 1st like I had been planning to all year.

Here I was now- 8 DAYS after I was supposed to go and no word on how the heck I can get that stuff out of there. Yes, I COULD have just left it on the street or said to the people in my neighborhood "hey free stuff, you just gotta move it yourself" and it would be gone in less than a day but I just couldn't do it. My inability to put her loads of crap onto the street had nothing to do with her mother saying it would "piss her off" or the fact that I physically couldn't even move half the stuff there- I just seriously couldn't do it. I don't care how much the girl screwed me over, disrespected me, took advantage of me. I just couldn't do it. Two wrongs don't make a right and revenge is something that I don't want to exist in my life-actions at all. Some would argue that it wouldn't have been an act of revenge, just what normally happens when someone does what she did- I don't care though, I couldn't do it. So her mom calls me a day after I talked to her on the phone... she's all like "well I don't know what you are doing but Rachel's friends came by and are moving her stuff out." This ticked me off because I had written a GIANT note on the door saying "PLEASE CALL ME IF YOU ARE HERE TO MOVE RACHEL'S STUFF" and what not- it also explained that I needed that key. They did NOT call me... they called Rachel's mom and told HER to call me. What the flying eff. I seriously couldn't have been more angry at that moment. I had no idea who was in the place that I am legally responsible for and what the heck was going on. After my conversation ended with Rachel's mom Eddie and I went over to the apartment... lo and behold, the place was spotless. Somehow her friends moved every single other thing in the apartment out of it and left everything beautiful. I was speechless again because, just the day before, I had a chat with my landlord about what to do and it was sounding like, if Rachel's family didn't take immediate action and responsibility, I'd have to stay until either they acted or until Rachel got back on the 15th or 16th from Japan. This really upset me but to have went the very next day to the apartment to see everything out was such a major relief. I tried not to think about the fact that it had already been 8 days since the day I packed my car, ready to move out west.

I called my landlord that night and, although he had to be out of town on business, he gave me the ok to leave and so I spent the next day collecting my things and preparing and on the 10th day of delay I was FINALLY able to leave Savannah...FINALLY.

I felt like everything was working against me, something blocking me from accomplishing what I wanted to accomplish... something trying to stop me from moving forward. Yea it took ten days but the Lord got me through. I'm not going to lie... I was just about pulling my hair out when I learned every day that I was sinking a little deeper into the quicksands of having to stay in Savannah. Please, God I thought I was going to die if I didn't see the Rockies soon.

Overcame:
1. Temptation to take total revenge on Rachel and put all her stuff on the street so that I could leave 10 days EARLIER.. when I was SUPPOSED to.
2. Living out of a backpack with everything I own in my car for over a week... couch hopping.
3. Hawk's gas getting turned off so freezing cold night and needing new place to sleep.
4. Having no place to keep Alaska (thanks Adam for covering this one)
5. Moving everything mostly on my own and cleaning the entire apartment alone.
6. My anger at Rachel (for the most part)
7. Crashing off my bicycle and loosing my phone/keys/wallett for 2 days and thinking I might be stuck in Georgia forever... (found em!)

So off I went... 1:30pm I scooped up Alaska, kissed and hugged my friends, and hit the road home... to the Mighty West!

We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea

Moving Out

So it's been that time of year again.. the time where it's a mad rush to move out of the one apartment and lug your stuff across the country to the new one. I have an awesome place awaiting me out west and I'm in the process of getting out of my apartment here in Savannah. Oh, wait, I'm already out- my car is packed and I'm ready to go. The problem? My room-mate decided to be exceptionally irresponsible and leave 3 ROOMS FULL OF HER STUFF for someone else to move out for her? NO JOKE we were supposed to be out on the 30th of November and I had everything ready to go but then I read this note that she left on my kitchen counter explaining how she's sorry and she did her "best to get all of her crap out of the house". How the heck is it possible that someone can do their BEST to get everything out when they only start moving their stuff 2 days before they decide to go to JAPAN.

Ok I am not even kidding this girl left me 3 ROOMS FULL OF HER UNPACKED STUFF AND WENT TO JAPAN UNReACHABLE TOTALLY OUT OF TOUCH FOR WEEKS. What the heck am I supposed to do with all her stuff... better yet, she gave the keys to the place to some random person who is supposed to move her stuff FOR HER?! I don't even know who that is and they sure haven't started moving her. Here I am left all alone to clean the whole place by myself and move her stuff out by myself. I'm just going to put it on the curb I'm afraid, there is NOTHING else I can do. I can't even donate the stuff because my car is already packed to the top and ready to go. I've been ready to go now for 48 hours. Thanks, roomie.

Thank GOD my landlord isn't being a jerk about it. He's been so cool and super chill... I don't think he's going to charge ME for her delinquency. I'm doing my best to get this place ready for whatever he wants to do with it asap. Thank GOD we don't' have anyone else moving in here right away. Oh. My. Gosh. That. Would. Be. Even. More. Of. A. Nightmare.

The up side? I can run around the apartment cleaning stuff listening to the new Norma Jean full blast. I love the cd. Everyone please check it out: Redeemer by Norma Jean. Even better, this FORCES me to slow down a bit and it gives me a chance to see a few more people here in Savannah that I really want to spend some time with before I leave that I wouldn't have gotten a chance to spend time with if I had, indeed, left on the 1st like I was planning to. *sigh, I guess you gotta look at the up side of things.


This is me "relaxing." haha. Yay for bicycles when your car is packed and you don't want to drive it anyplace that isn't a highway.

Quick note: How many times do I have to tell random men on the street "Hey 'pssss'ing is something you do to dogs and cats, NOT human beings... Please learn to treat women like people, not animals."
hmm... probably at least twice a day. Go Savannah!

Oh Michigan!

Thanksgiving with my family in Michigan was pretty cool. I never DID get to go to any cider mills but I'm confident I will find one sometime during my travels and it will open the floodgates of past memories. I'll enjoy that experience when I get to it.
Anyway, there was something like 15 people for dinner this year. Not so bad. Two Utahans came, including one who we all haven't seen in many years. It was good to have him there. Nothing like family sometimes you know?

I got a chance to catch up with a lot of people I had been meaning to catch up with for a long time. I also got the chance to miss out on catching up with a lot of people I have been meaning to catch up with for a long time. I broke yet another cell phone and, although I can send and receive calls, I can't see the screen of my phone so I can't retrieve people's numbers or get missed calls or text messages. This stank because it meant I had no way of getting into touch with two people I would have loved to see while I was in town before I moved out West. I can only hope that the Lord can make it good somehow in the near future. I do miss my girls in Michigan.

Spent some time in Ann Arbor and Keego Harbor. Got to play MAFIA with Mitch and that whole side of the "family" as well as get lunch/dinner/coffee/breakfast with many others. I feel like Paul... take that as you will.

Bought a new car. This worked out really well because I drove my old jeep upnorth and my dad bought it off of me and gave it to my brother to take to college with him for the winter. The timing worked out perfectly because his jeep that he had been driving for the past month or so decided to just shed it's drive shaft right in the middle of the road. The thing was on it's last mile anyway. So I picked up my new (used) Subaru wagon in Michigan and drove it back to Georgia a few days later. I absolutely love it... especially the part where it gets twice the gas mileage as the cherokee. ugh. Oh yeah, I guess Alaska approves as well. She seems to be more relaxed in the wagon than she was in the Cherokee. She's great in the car regardless, which is somewhat strange for a house cat, but I think the fact that the Wagon is a little quieter and smoother than the Jeep plays a big part in it. This is great for those of us cat owners that drive for days at a time just as often.

So, yea, that was my quick update on Michigan. I miss it dearly and I miss everyone there twice as much. Currently I am stuck in the gosh darn South again trying to get out of this apartment and get my gear together to move out West. Prayers are greatly appreciated...