It was finally decided, we would leave for Oklahoma Wednesday June 3rd and arrive Friday June 5th. I had a job interview scheduled for the 9th so I knew I wanted to have a few days in Enid to get settled beforehand. Once the dates were scheduled, things started to get a bit more real.

For a while both my parents and I had gone back and forth on the options I had for getting out there. We had agreed on the fact that I’d need to get myself a new car, unfortunately my current car just wasn’t going to make it through the move. So through much stress, and SO much help from Mom and Dad, we finally made it happen and I picked up my new car the weekend before we left.

Everyone… meet Pearl

We mapped out our route, decided where we were going to stop each night, and got ourselves prepared for the three day trip. Finally, June 3rd came around and I had to say good bye to my home, the place I’ve lived for all 22 years of my life.  My home had been the place of memories- laughs, tears, hugs, and kisses between so many family and friends. But it was time to say goodbye to the little yellow house on the corner.

Day one we drove about 12 hours and stopped in Ohio, day two was about a 9.5 hour drive and ended in Missouri. Surprisingly, the trip wasn’t too bad at all. We all kept ourselves entertained with music, books on tape, and mystery podcasts. I woke up on the morning of the 5th knowing that we’d be in Oklahoma that day and it would be the first day of a brand new chapter in my life.

After about 4.5 hours of driving, we had finally made it to Enid, Oklahoma!

A selfie was necessary, obviously.

Conor was still at work when we arrived, but the three of us loaded all of my stuff into the apartment and started to get things in place. As soon as Conor got back he took us on base to give my parents a tour. I had visited multiple times before so I had already seen most of it, but I hadn’t been able to visit out on the flight line yet, so that was exciting.

On Sunday we had taken a trip to Oklahoma City; stopped at Target (of course) and then went to Bricktown in the City. Bricktown is a fun little area filled with shops and restaurants with a nice little river running right through the middle of it. Conor and I took my parents to one of our favorite places in OKC, Tap Werks, which has over 200 different beers on tap.

That night, we dropped my parents off at a hotel outside of the city (they had an early flight out the next morning). I always knew that saying goodbye to them wasn’t going to be easy. Through my four years at college I grew closer with both of my parents, and this being my first time truly saying goodbye to them for a long period of time was difficult. However, after lots of tears Conor and I got in the car and drove the hour and a half back to Enid.

I’m so grateful that both of my parents took the time, energy, and resources to help me start this new chapter in my life. There were times when it was incredibly difficult for us to get things straight and ready for the trip, but they kept a happy face and demeanor the entire time. I know it wasn’t easy for both of them, but I’ll always be so thankful for the love and generosity they showed me through this crazy, stressful, and exciting time.