Transitions in First Person: Part 2

After all the planning, prepping and parties (of the going away variety), I find myself in sunny (and sort of ugly) Los Angeles, Calif. <!--break-->

Like all transitions, it was the getting here that was the most fun. I decided to take the cross country drive with my kid sister Amanda. There is a 15-year difference between us and this would be the longest, most continuous period of time that we have ever spent together. By the time she was born I was well into teen-hood, and by the time she could speak full sentences I was in college.

I actually don’t remember why I chose her to do the drive with me. Maybe a random conversation where we both agreed that driving across our great country was on our “bucket list.” I asked her to tag along several months before the actual trip and, as we all know, thousands of things can happen in several months: We had to change the departure date. I had to go through an unexpected panic of what to do with my house. I had to spend $1,000 that I hadn’t budgeted on getting my car “road ready." I had to come to terms with that fact that I had really quit my job and was taking this major leap with no net in sight.

By the time I was a week out from the trip, I was feeling grumpy, overwhelmed and not sure I wanted to spend 10 hours a day in car with my perky, 20-something, Christian sister. Well, the Universe has a funny way of putting you exactly where you need to be with exactly who you need to be there with.

During the next five days, I would be able to cosign with Aaliyah – age really is just a number (unless of course a 27-year-old R. Kelly is trying to get in your panties at 15, then that’s just gross). But I digress. Turns out Amanda and I are more alike than I ever thought possible.

This barely 5’2" IT tech for Marriott (Yup, we used her discount at every hotel.) was both low-key and a hoot. She was game for almost anything and even put up with my random F bombs. Her easy-going energy made it possible to talk to her about anything. Somewhere between Kentucky and Oklahoma I actually heard myself telling