I guess it all started when the girl I fell in love with asked me to move to Arizona with her. We argued about it plenty, but the more and more we talked about it, the more and more I started entertaining the idea of moving.
Soon thereafter a close friend of mine and I started planning the journey ahead. It started with saving money in order to take the trip and paying for the required expenses. Secondly, we planned our route and the driving shifts that would be taking place, along with the essential touristy spots were we would take breaks. The time finally came for me to give my two-week notice at work and start packing all of my stuff up. Around this time my good friend, Rutger, asked if his girlfriend, Danielle, could make the trip with us. As per my nature, I said of course, the more the merrier. Two weeks later, we embarked on the craziest journey of my life.
We left my house around nine o’clock after saying our goodbyes to my family. I left my house in tears headed towards my new life with only $600, no home and no job. I believe it was about three or four hours into our trip that we hit a hail storm and were forced to pull over to wait it out.
Eventually, the storm was over and we continued on our journey. We got to Amarillo around midnight, and to my surprise, it was incredibly cold. After taking a quick bathroom break we were on the road again, headed towards Albuquerque. This was my first shift off the wheel so I decided to crawl into the backseat and take a nap. I woke up in New Mexico before the sun came up to the sight of plateaus and mountains. I hadn’t seen a more beautiful sunrise since the last time I was in Colorado. Danielle, Rutger, and I stopped at a Denny’s in Grant, New Mexico for breakfast, which turned out to be the first time Rutger had eaten at a Denny’s.
After our much-needed meal, we were on the road again. It only took a few more hours before we hit Flagstaff, Arizona and along the way we stopped to take a few pictures with the dinosaur statues and the Alien shrine at a truck stop on the famous Route 66.
Once in Flagstaff, we decided to try and go see the Grand Canyon because we were only an hour away. Driving through the mountains proved to be difficult due to the ice storm that hit us half way through. We decided to turn around and just head to my new home, Phoenix. We finally made it and had lunch before it was time for my friends to get on the plane and head back to Texas.
It’s been four days since I’ve been here and I already have a job, a place to live, and the girl I love by my side. People have called me crazy and told me that I’m insane, but honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever made a decision that has made more sense to me.
