Friday - Opposite Day

Friday.



Quite the day. But...as opposed to Thursday's "worst possible scenario" feel, Friday had the taste of a "best possible scenario" day. (At least for the most part.) And that was more refreshing than I can ever put into words.

Friday morning, I woke up around 8, but stayed in bed until I heard from Mike at about 8:45. He got to the apartment a few minutes later, and I finished cleaning the apartment while he put the last few items into the truck. After a quick dumpster run and a phone call from Gary saying he was waiting for us to pick him up down the street, we were on our way. (Let me quickly interject that I had my doubts that he'd even show up, given the fact that he's not always the most reliable person when it comes to showing up when he says he will. But I was very grateful that he did come.)

On the way to get Gary, Mike and I missed one of the turns...but, given my MUCH better spirits, it was laughed off and we continued on like nothing happened.
We picked Gary up and continued on to the storage unit.

The woman behind the counter was amazingly nice, and made sure I had everything settled and taken care of. I even had a little more money than I thought left over for gas.

The boys got to work right away, unloading the truck and getting the storage unit packed. It took about 3 hours, but we got it done.
By "we," I really mean "mostly Mike and Gary." Those boys are amazing, and they are so good to me...

Everything fit perfectly into the storage unit. And when I say "perfectly," I do mean it. The unit is practically floor-to-ceiling packed, but Gary got it organized so that everything is in there. Hahaha...I just don't want to think about unloading it just yet.

After we finished at the storage unit, Gary, Mike, and I piled into the cab of the truck and drove back to the U-Haul rental place across town. We stopped to get gas a couple blocks before the building, and the money I had left just filled the tank to where it needed to be.
Because I had reserved the truck for 10am, rented it at 1pm, and returned it at about 2pm the next day, I was seriously convinced that I'd be charged $30 for an extra day. I knew that I'd be charged for the almost 7 miles I used over the allotted 50 miles in the contract, and I thought I'd also be charged for the dolly that one of the boys used, not knowing that they were zip-tied to the walls so that I could be charged if they were moved.

HOWEVER...The guy behind the counter at the U-Haul place just checked the mileage and gas, and didn't charge me for either the used dolly or 1-3 hours that the truck was late. I ended up getting back more money than I thought I would. And I was VERY happy about that.

So happy that it didn't bother me in the least that the boys and I had a 3.5 mile walk back to my house from returning the truck.
It was a warm, sunny day. I was not tired at all, in spite of the fact that I'd only slept about 4 hours, and then unloaded the truck. And I was with the two guys who have made me laugh the most when I was feeling down in the last few months.
We stopped to get some Checkers on the way back to the apartment, and when we got home, Mike left and Gary and I just hung out for the rest of the afternoon.

After the last week, it was really nice to just lay around and relax. The apartment was all packed and cleaned, so Gary and I just talked and laughed and played around on the computer until Crystal and Joe came to get me and Marc came to get Gary.
Crystal handed me Precious (their puppy), and she and Joe got his truck packed with my things and the things they were taking pretty quickly. Then we made another quick run to the dumpster, and we were off.

The only crappy part of the day was when I realized that my computer isn't working right. When we got to Crystal and Joe's, my computer decided that it wasn't going to recognize the wireless adapter that it's been running with since...forever...and I haven't been able to get it to work since.
But...if the biggest problem I'm having right now is that I have to borrow my sister's computer to use the internet...well...I really can't complain much.


Right now, I'm very calm and yet very much FREAKING OUT.
I'm here. I'm going to Union on Wednesday, and coming back Sunday. Then I'm going to CT on Thursday, and I don't know when I'll be back. It's that simple.
But...I'm only here a limited number of days more. I can count on one hand the number of nights I'll be able to hang out with my friends here, thanks to a babysitting job I have lined up for my final two nights in Tampa.
And then it's back home.


I'm excited to be going back. Don't get me wrong. The thought of going back to my family and friends and congregation is more comforting than I thought it would be. The fact that I'll be, once again, surrounded by the people and places I grew up with is a good feeling I can't describe.
I MISS my friends and family more than I could ever put into words, and the thought of being near them all again is one that fills me with absolute ecstasy. These are people who have celebrated with me at my best, and stuck by me and loved me at my worst. These are people I have been able to count on for as long as I can remember. These are people who I have called at obscene hours of the night, heartbroken and sobbing. And they listen and care. These are people who have helped shape me into the person I am today. The BETTER person I am today, thanks to their love and kindness and influences. And I am thrilled to be going back to them.

But the thought of leaving Tampa...leaving the friends I've made here...is agonizing. I have friends and family here now, too. There are streets that are so familiar I could drive with my eyes shut. There are locations that hold innumerable memories. There are beaches that I didn't get to visit nearly enough times. There are people who have gone from strangers to friends to family in a matter of months. People who have made me laugh and seen me cry. People who I have shuttled around, and then who, in turn, lent me their cars or gave me rides when my car broke down. People who made this scary new city into a place I could be happy and fit in.


This time...instead of leaving home to brave some new frontier and form something new for myself...
This time, I'm leaving home...to go home.
This time, I'm not choosing between the comfortable and the unknown.

This time, I have to choose between two places where my heart lies equally.
This time, I have to choose between two places about which I am equally passionate, albeit in completely different ways.
This time, I have to choose between two sets of friends and family who mean the world to me and who have been there for me through thick and thin.

This time...I have to choose between home...and home.