Guest Blogger! Amanda on Starting Over.

Hey guys! I've been in DC a little while now, but I'm currently trying to settle in my new apartment and not go crazy with all the packing and moving, so I've asked a few blogger friends to come over here and let you read a guest post from them about their moving experiences. Today is Amanda, from Teasingly Diverse, who I've bonded with over our shared 101 in 1001 adventures and recent graduate status. Enjoy!

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Sometimes in life, you have to step out on a limb. Other times, you have to take a flying leap of faith. 

Growing up, we moved around a lot. In elementary school, my family moved from California to Oregon and at 10 years old I had to learn how to start again. New state, new town, new culture, new friends. I thought my life was over. I didn't want to leave my friends. The only life that I knew. My entire extended family. Yet, looking back on my life, I don't even remember the details of those early years so much as I do growing up in Oregon. What I thought was ruinous to me actually turned out to be a blessing.

I think the seed of a wandering spirit was planted in me with that move (even if against my will at first). Following high school graduation, I packed up and moved 2,000 miles away to go to college in a state I'd never been to before at a school where the only person I knew was my admissions counselor. Those were the best 4 years of my life. In 2008, my life crammed into one suitcase and a backpack, I stepped off a plane in Paris, France to try my hand at living abroad for a semester. It was an incredibly difficult and extraordinarily beautiful six months. I returned, and promptly drove myself cross-country to move to California for law school. My home state, yet a city I'd never been to and yet again - not a single familiar soul. 

As I settled into life there, I thought my wandering days were behind me. Finally, I was putting down roots that I thought would stay planted. But life is full of surprises and new adventures. As 2011 drew to a close, graduation behind me, I felt strongly that a new chapter awaited me and it was going to take a lot of bravery, risk, and pluck to navigate it. 

I took that flying leap of faith, packed up my car again, and headed southeast.

My destination was Nashville, Tennessee and after nearly 3 weeks calling this city home I can already tell that it's winning over my heart. New beginnings aren't guaranteed to be easy, and this hasn't been. It takes awhile to wrap up the loose ends behind you and begin building new relationships. But looking back over the past few years I can say with certainty that openness to new things, to a new story, has never steered me wrong. I'm finding my way here, slowly but surely. I can't wait to see what the rest of 2012 holds.

Thanks for having me, Valorie! I wish you nothing but the best on this new adventure and if you need a recommendation for a great farmer's market in DC let me know (my uncle has one there) :)

Amanda is a 26 year old recent law school grad learning to love Music City. A Pac-12 girl now in an SEC world, she can't quite bring herself to root for any of their teams. Yet. Amanda blogs at Teasingly Diverse about the adventures and challenges of trying to complete 101 Goals in 1,001 Days. She's also got a slight Twitter addiction (@amandalou01)