We managed to drive from Roanoke to Minneapolis in one day, but it wasn't easy. My poor mom was a trooper even though after hour twelve her back was killing her. Sean drove more than his fair share of the way when I couldn't manage to keep my eyes open, and after a flat tire and a much needed stop for a proper dinner not at a fast food restaurant, we finally got to my new apartment around 2:00 AM. It could have gone a bit smoother, but we made it to our destination safely, and that's what matters.

We did some unpacking and organizing, went out to eat at some of our favorite places, bought groceries and cooked a bit, and spent a lot of time together on the deck of our apartment. And let's not forget about The Postal Service playing live in St. Paul and blowing our minds.

It was so fantastic to show my mom and brother around, and I felt sad for a good four hours after they left on Sunday morning. I'm really going to miss my whole family. We'll be heading back home for over a week next month, though, so until then I'm making the most of this new adventure and trying to make our apartment really feel like home. It's only one hour, but I'm still getting used to being in a different time zone from the East Coast. There's nothing like a time difference between your new home and your old one to spawn a minor identity crisis!

How was your weekend?

I took the long way to an appointment on Sunday and stopped by Hollins University, the campus where I got my master's degree in Children's Literature. It had just stopped raining, and I had just met my dear friend Shawna for lunch in Daleville. The sight of the library and the post-rain mist on the mountain behind it brought back memories of the summer I spent there, dirty chai lattes in hand and copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit tucked under my arm.

I had just finished up a year of working for my parents and was taking that summer and the following year off to finish my graduate work. Rob and I moved to Charlottesville and he studied at UVA while I opened a coffee shop downtown every morning and wrote every afternoon. At first it was scary and I was anxious and clumsy and everything felt uncertain, but we soon hit our stride and I started to figure things out and now I look back on it as one of the happiest times of my life so far. My friends were there, and Rob was there, and we made that little apartment with the green carpet and the terribly small kitchen feel like home.

On the way home from Philadelphia on Saturday, we drove through Tyson's Corner and passed by Rob's office headquarters. The overcast morning and crazy drivers reminded me of our six months apart before he moved even further to Minnesota. I would drive to DC on the weekends and we'd spend time together, visiting the mall at Tyson's Corner and eating at a new restaurant every night. The distance scared me so much, and I cried every Sunday evening when it was time to go home, but as our car passed by that Saturday, I missed that place.

Shawna has been one of my best friends for longer than I can remember, and today she's heading from Roanoke to Florida to start medical school. Yesterday we sat in a coffee shop and laughed, telling stories and watching the rain pour down outside. She is constantly making me proud and inspiring me to be braver, and I wouldn't be where I am today without her friendship and example. And I wouldn't be even half as brave as I am today without the promise of Rob.

Those things and places that once felt so uncertain become memories of the days where you knew exactly what you were doing. Hollins and Charlottesville and visiting DC were once causes of anxiety for me, and visiting them today makes me feel more like myself again. So today, as I begin my last week of work at my current job before moving to Minneapolis next week, I know that some time from now, I'll look back on our time in Minnesota with confidence and familiarity.

I'm ready for this next adventure.

Rob and I had a weekend full of good food, cocktails, apartment decorating, IKEA, lots of episodes of House of Cards and a few skits from Portlandia, farmers' market wanderings, and an amazing Saturday evening spent on our patio with Thai takeout.

Now that there's a definitive date set for me to move in, this visit to the Twin Cities felt even more special than the other two. I packed a suitcase full of things and left almost all of them hanging in the closet or nestled in a newly-claimed drawer. I felt less like a tourist and more like I belonged, with a list of favorite places already. (Hint: one of them is the patio.)

This place is pretty amazing in the summer.