It's been a crazy winter and it's already turning out to be a crazy spring. I'll feel like I can breathe again when Birmingham is permanently in my rearview mirror. I've spent the past couple of months preparing myself for one of the boldest moves yet. I think I have finally come to terms with the fact that I am choosing to be "jobless" and "homeless". I put the terms in quotes because I know I will always have a home and regardless of whether or not I will be fully employed, I will always be working.
So how does one go from working full-time and living happily in a place for two years to going on the road indefinitely? I can tell you it's not easy. First of all, you've got to save money. That's the hardest thing to do when you are still paying bills and will still be paying bills even when heading for the hills. Second, you've got to make sure all debts are paid. This one has been hard for me as I incurred some pretty awesome debt last summer. I am finally gearing up to be able to pay all this off and live a debt-free lifestyle. Beautiful, isn't it? The third thing I had to do was find a partner in crime. This was not as easy and straightforward as the first two although I think I couldn't have made a better decision. Matt is very savvy when it comes to matters of the road plus he makes a very good bodyguard. I don't know if I could do it without him. Once all this was done it seemed like the plans fell into place and we actually have quite a summer ahead of us.
Many have asked me where I plan to go and I usually respond "everywhere!" but there is a plan. In a few weeks, the bus will be fixed and very shortly after it arrives here in Birmingham I will be leaving. Our first "stop" is my mom's house in Guntersville to do some much-needed cosmetic repair to the bus. This includes making a new canvas pop-top and a few minor things in the inside. This will also help me a bit because I'll be able to visit with my family before I go. Our first place we are locked in for is Wakarusa in Arkansas. Matt and I plan on volunteering for the festival in return for the price of tickets. After Waka, we have talked about heading up to St. Louis for a bit to visit some friends that he has up there. If we have some time to kill, we'll head over to Appalachia for some hiking before heading to the ROMP bluegrass festival in Kentucky. There's a few weeks between that and our next stop, All Good Music Festival. We plan on doing some more hiking and possibly visiting NYC to see my friend Allison. We are also volunteering at All Good and then heading from there to the largest rainbow gathering in Pennslyvania. After that, the schedule is unknown. We may stop back by Alabama for some rest or head straight out west to see Colorado and Utah and the like. I'd like to leave my options open for the opportunities that arise and see where the wind wills me.
For the time being, I am waiting...patiently. I have been doing a lot of art and taking on some projects too. My co-worker, Spencer recently offered wall space at the musician's co-op where he lives. I think it's appropriate that Birmingham will get one last "Laura masterpiece" the size of a two story building before I leave. There's a few odds and ends that need mending before I go but otherwise my heart is ready for the road.
