Nomadic Life

Happy Tuesday, and wow, Happy July! It's crazy that it's July already! I'm super excited about July for a number of reasons:
1. Lots of Penn State friends are coming back to town (State College) for Fourth Fest and Arts Fest! I'm mentally preparing myself for lots of food and merriment and shenanigans!
2. New York City trip! My boyfriend is taking me to the City this coming Saturday, and there's a lot of secretive things happening. He keeps saying "don't ask questions." So I can't wait to see what he has up his sleeves.
3. Anniversary Month. It's been almost a year since I had my first conversation with my boyfriend; and countless other people I now consider close friends. (The official "first conversation" date is the 8th!!)  So. Let's just say.....I'm anticipatory.
4. Vacation Bible School! I haven't been to VBS in YEARS and this year I co-wrote opening skits with a friend that we get to perform at the beginning of VBS every night. Stoked.

Anyway, other than those four things, July is going to be a typical moth...spending time with my family, and doing what I do best: Be a Nomad. Here are some things I've learned about being a nomad over the last [almost] year--

Nomadic life is easy. Sometimes when I return home, I don't even unpack my suitcases. Of course my laundry gets done, but otherwise, things are left for the next trip. It just makes life a lot easier, you know? Why unpack something you're going to repack in 5-8 days? No time for that mess. Just leave it all in the bags!

Nomadic life is stressful. No matter how cool it is to be house-hopping, I still live with my parents, and they are still working full time. That means, sometimes I'm ready to leave home way before they are, and sometimes, they're ready to leave without me. It's fun, and we always have good times in the car. And I think I've finally gotten to the point where I'm so excited to get going every Friday that I don't put off packing until the last minute. (Is that called maturity? ew.)

Nomadic life ruins plans. My boyfriend and I decided to do Surprise Date Night. Because usually, we just make plans spontaneously and occasionally default on them for various reasons. One Friday, there was a lot of work to be done before my family and I left the house, but my boyfriend had already planned our Surprise Date Night for that evening. Whoops. We had to reschedule because sometimes you have to help out with the chores. (He took me mini golfing in the freezing cold to re-create our first date! Fastest round of mini golf ever.)

Nomadic life makes the long-distance relationship easier to manage. I am so thankful to my grandparents for their purchase of this house in small town PA that's only 15 minutes away from my boyfriend. No more words needed.

Nomadic life is easy to schedule. I'm bad with planners. I got a Downton Abbey Engagement Calendar  for Christmas, and I love it! It's been so helpful, and the pictures are great! I've consulted it a lot, and it helps me when I have to tell people when I'm available, or not. I have a handful of friends, all of whom I've met in the last year. (Pre-Nomadic Life.) Unfortunately, have I spent a lot of time with them? Kinda sorta. And it's fun when we do get together. But a group of us have been trying to get together for MONTHS and I'm the hold up. They are sweet enough to wait for me to come home, but not everyone is, and that leads to:

Nomadic life has left me partially friend-less. It's not intentional. I don't say "oh so and so wants to hang out, I gotta skip town." No. It's literally a planning thing. I've been scheduled to be away/busy/out of town for a reason. Not just to avoid you. I'm sorry you feel abandoned. But this is my life now. I'm destined to be a Nomad. And I like it.

Nomadic life confuses me. You know that saying "Home is where the heart is." ? You know the variations, I'm sure: "Home is wherever I'm with you." "Home is where my bunch of crazies are." A good friend said it really well. "Where I was born and where I'm living isn't home.It's like home is everywhere and nowhere. And that's beautiful and scary all at the same time."

They say "the heart" is wherever you long to be. But as a Nomad, I long to be everywhere. So, really my heart is everywhere. It's in this sleepy little town 4.6 miles east of The Pennsylvania State University. It's in State College. It's at home, with my parents, where I grew up with my cats and my dog, and the gorgeous farmland and smell of cow manure. It's in Lancaster County, where my life has been changed countless times. It's on any stage I've ever stepped foot on, and every stage I have yet to grace.

Would I trade these mixed feelings for a life of mental peace? Nope.
Would I trade Nomadic life for a sense of consistency? No. Spontaneity is what makes my life beautiful.  Being everywhere and nowhere all at once is how I'm choosing to live.

Won't you join me? I'll pick you up so we can journey together.