epilogue: the end of the road

and so went the road trip. the morning after, gabe and wade headed to atlanta to finally see the apartment they had decided to rent, sight unseen. i headed back to athens to pack myself up for the trip back to kansas. that night, we all went out to eat at thai spoon with madison and ali in tow. some basketball was watched, some walker's karaoke was sung, and we parted ways.

the next night, i left for kansas, after a good long attempt at saying goodbye to all of the friends who were still around. i covered most of the important ones. it was marlee's birthday, so everyone was in the same place. like fish in a barrel.

after the two and a half weeks on the road with two guys i consider to be my best friends, it was a sad irony that the final leg of my journey was taken alone, under the cover of stormy night and morning fog. really, though, life is all about launching. leaving what you're comfortable with, and jetting yourself into something unexpected. if i'd never left kansas, i'd have never had the opportunities to do so many amazing things - from becoming an sec football fan to being in an a cappella group, to taking an insanely well worth it road trip. i'd not trade these experiences for anything.

after a month back in leavenworth, working hard, seeing the people who still love me and those who always have, i'm again going into that dark night with no one in the passenger's seat. the memory of those who've ridden shotgun in the past will sustain me, though. it always has.

here's to the road. may the unexpected twists and turns lead you to destinations as wondrous as those i've been blessed to pass through so far.