Ohio – Here To There

August 7th – Here We Go!

This adventure really started a week before our departure date. Within that week we started packing, had a going away party with our family, and said goodbye to our friends. Each day there was a little more excitement and a little more sadness.

The good thing about packing is that we didn’t have any furniture to bring. We never lived on our own like this before. Freshman to Junior year of college we lived in dorms on campus, so they came with all of the furniture. Senior year we lived off campus but in summer homes that they rented to students for the school year. The homes came fully furnished and included silverware, plates, glasses, etc. So this is new territory for us.

I also just want to briefly add that leaving home was hard. I already miss my family and my friends. My family is so important to me and I am thankful that Christina and I get to experience this next part of our journey together. It’s just tough knowing I can’t just go upstairs and sit with my dad, play with my cat, or have breakfast outside with my mom on a Wednesday morning. These are some of my favorite things. Thankfully my parents are meeting us out in California the day after we arrive. See what I mean? They are the absolute best.

After the tears and goodbyes Christina and I were on our way, beginning the ten hour drive. First stop Columbus, Ohio! That day we drove through New York, Pennsylvania, and of course Ohio. It was an easy drive, nothing too exciting, just long. Finally, after getting a little lost we made it to my friend Catherine’s apartment in Columbus.

Catherine and I met in college where we studied theatre. We were both cast in the first show of the season our freshman year and thats where we really became good friends, and have been ever since. She is the type of person who always keeps in contact with you no matter how far, she will text you on your good days and your bad days. Catherine and her husband Dustin have already done our current drive twice. After college they moved to California and then a year later they moved to Ohio. Which makes their home our perfect first stop.

Dustin greeted us while Catherine was at work. They have a beautiful apartment that fits them and their two dogs perfectly. The first night Dustin made us an amazing dinner consisting of chicken tenders, salmon tenders, mashed potatoes, and Catherine made coleslaw. After, we had dessert and talked for a few hours. Just talking and catching up on what we’ve missed in each other’s lives. It was perfect.

August 8

Since I don’t get the chance to see Catherine often we decided to stay for two nights. This gave us a chance to take a break from the road and see Columbus. We woke up, had breakfast, and headed out to the Columbus Zoo!
The cool part about the Columbus zoo is that it’s sectioned off by continent. You have Africa that holds giraffes, lions, cheetahs, oh my! This zoo also has a best friend program that raises yellow labs along side cheetahs. The dogs provide a calming effect and the cheetahs provide companionship. They pretty much live and do everything together.
The next section we went to was North America. This exhibit had bears, otters, a bobcat, and more. Our favorite were the polar bears! Then off to the aquarium to see reptiles, penguins and the manatees! The manatees were eating giant heads of lettuce when we crossed them. The last two exhibits we saw were Australia and the Congo. Koalas, Kangaroos, Orangutan, and other monkeys. It was a hot day but the animals were pretty active! It was great to see them up close or swinging around. All in all it was a great day at the zoo. And the day wasn’t over!

That night we went with Catherine to work. She works with a children’s theatre in Columbus and they are putting on Junie B Jones the musical. That night was callbacks, kids ages 10-13 danced and sang their heart out hoping for the chance to be in the show. Being in the theatre reminded me of how much I miss acting, I’m hoping to find a community theatre to work with in California.

That night we returned to their home where Dustin had that nights dinner on the table. A delicious bowl of ramen and homemade crab Rangoon. I can’t even begin to describe how delicious it was. I will definitely be trying to recreate the both meals. Then we stayed up talking again but had to get to bed because the next day was another day on the road.

August 9

The next morning we woke up, packed our bags, and experienced Tim Hortons for the first time. Then we had to say our goodbyes. We hugged and promised to speak soon.

This trip is filled with many highlights and having a Catherine as the first stop was a perfect choice. Christina and I drove out of the complex and onto the highway. Next stop…CHICAGO!

Thanks for reading my second post, the third one is coming tomorrow. If you want to be notified about when I post make sure to subscribe by entering your email.

And so it begins, the journey that we have been waiting to start for months. Dreading, wanting, waiting as the months went by, one by one. The time where our sedentary lives in New York are given a chance to jump of their comfort zone into the unknown.

For those of you who are curious, or just stumbled upon my blog, let me give you a little background. Christina and I, Alexandra, are moving across the country. We are originally from New York and currently moving to California. This idea started in our heads about the beginning of highschool. We had our cousins, practically the same age as us, who had grown up in Southern CA.

We are both artsy people, Christina is an artist whose passion is drawing, painting, and anything creative on a page. While Alexandra, or I, is an actor, a girl who is passionate about musical theatre, Shakespeare, and all things creative relating to the stage. So you can understand why California has always been in the back of our minds. Yes we live in New York, not too from the city, but there is a wonder that is created by dreaming about someplace new. Someplace far that seems unattainable. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the city. It’s magical, musical, and all around busy. A fantastic place to explore, but it is…what’s a good word…crowded? Anxiety envoking? A lot of pan handlers and people in poorly made costumes asking for money. Now I know that happens everywhere and usually it’s in the touristy areas, but I just can’t imagine living in NYC. I think living there would take away the fun of visiting. Plus, I love where I live, it’s an easy travel day to the city or a cute place to hang out.

Anyway back to why California. Throughout highschool Christina and I would occasionally say “we can do this when we are in California” “I can’t wait for California” “when we live in California” etc. but it was never a solid plan. Of course not, we were in highschool. Then college came, we chose our majors and headed off to the University of Rhode Island. After going through several years of living the college life, and on our own, we came to realize this could be an actual option. Still no real plans.

College ended, we came home and started looking for jobs. I finally got one but Christina was struggling, she was looking for something in the film industry. Specifically art directing or production design…no such luck. Until the day she decided to apply to grad school. Kind of a spur of the moment decision, one that she had been thinking about for a long time but finally decided…why not? After the long awaited months she got accepted into Chapman University’s graduate program of Production Design. At long last a day we never thought would come, a day where our dream could become a reality. Finally my Pinterest board called “when I live with my sister”, can come in handy.

In college Christina had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Australia, I unfortunately couldn’t go abroad because of my double major. Ever since many of my friends went I have been itching for a change. I wanted to just move somewhere, not forever, just for now. And I finally have that chance.

It’s never easy leaving home. I remember feeling like this when I went to college, a new place, a new state, new people. But I knew there were people in the same boat as I was. Over my few years there I met some of my best friends and favorite people in the world. It’s nerve wracking entering a situation where you don’t know anyone besides your sister, and a few cousins. No job and no friends, starting off fresh. But it’s not so much a bad thing, it’s not a bad thing at all actually. It’s just different.

I am not one for change, I am very happy the way my life is. I have the best family and the best friends. But there’s something knocking inside of me trying to get out. Something telling me it’s time for an adventure, it’s time for you to try something knew. And like a good friend told me “what’s the worst that could happen? You’d go home” and that’s right where I would want to be. This adventure is atleast for two years. Two years to create opportunity and change my life for the better. Christina and I are excited to see where this will take us!

As you know we will be traveling across the country and we are so excited! We have some fun adventures planned, so many pictures to come. We would love it if you followed along our journey with us! If you want to subscribe to our adventure, you can at the right of the page. Just enter your email and you will get notified every time I publish on this site. Next stop, OHIO!

Tag: Ohio

And so it continues…to Ohio!

And So It Begins…