I’m back, baby. Things went back to normal today, which gave me so much joy that I completely forgot for a second that my car is injured and my credit card debt is high. I even started Day 1 of Insanity Max: 30, and boy, did that workout kick my ass. A week off made my body feel like pudding, and it performed as such. I was not ready for it, but I made it to the end, and I’m glad I did. I feel great right now. I’m tired, most definitely going to be sore tomorrow, and I can’t wait to see what the next 119 or so days bring. Also, I have to mention that I love my new rug. It made working out on it so much better. The rug is thick, so it absorbed so much of the impact of my jumps that I don’t have to worry about angering my neighbors. I can really push myself even harder now, which just means better results.

Last night, the principal and superintendent at my job texted me and told me school today wouldn’t start until 10:15 AM, two hours later than normal. I loved that news, so I set my timer to go off at 6 AM instead of 5. At around 8 this morning, I received another text from them that told me school was cancelled. I didn’t have to go to work, and I didn’t. I needed a day off to do laundry, organize my stuff a bit better, and just relax. I started watching the Good Wife on Hulu, and it’s a good and very entertaining show, and it was exactly what I needed. Also, when I went to do laundry, I ran into Glen, the dealer who sold me my car. He asked me if the mechanics back in California fixed my car, and I told him that they didn’t. I told him what they did to it, and he told me to bring my car into his shop tomorrow so he can take a look at it. I plan to do this, and I hope he can fix it because driving around with all this snow with a bum steering wheel makes me super uncomfortable. If I have to pay, I have to pay. Life is better if I’m actually alive to live it.

I started to read the Drop by Dennis Lehane, and even though I only read the first chapter, I know I’m going to enjoy the book. I’ve read everything Dennis Lehane has written, and I love it all. He’s one of my favorite writers, and it feels right to begin 2015 with one of his books. One thing I still can’t get over is seeing all my books on my bookshelf. I’ve never owned a bookshelf before. I really started to build my library freshman year of college, which was back on August of 2004. Since then, I’ve moved around a lot, and I’ve never settled down long enough to actually buy a bookcase. So this bookcase means a lot to me. I have hundreds of books, and just seeing them finally displayed makes me happy. I still want to organize them since they don’t all fit nicely, but once I do, I’m sure to take pictures and post them on here. Also, I’m waiting for a nice sheet set from JCPenney to arrive, so my home isn’t complete yet. I still don’t have a comforter, but needs versus wants right now.

This was a nice, normal day, and boy did I miss them. Tomorrow I go back to work, have my car checked out, and start day 2 of Insanity Max: 30. 2015: here’s to you.

I’m back home. The drive back up here was worse than the drive down. Something’s up with my car again. Something with the steering again, and that pisses me off. I thought I had this fixed. Guess not. It happened once I hit the snow in Idaho. Once my tires drove on that snow, I noticed something happen to my steering, and when I stopped to get gas for the first time after, I really noticed the difficulty in turning my wheel. I’m going to have to figure something out tomorrow to not only get this fixed, but also not pay what I don’t have to. I’m already more in debt than I would like; to add even more right now is out of the question.

This trip really tested me. I’ve never driven this far and this long in my life, and I’m glad I did. It forced to simplify my day and do only the essentials. While in San Diego, I was forced to let go of a few things I didn’t want to let hamper my time there. Food was the main one there. Fortunately, since a lot of my family also reads this blog¹, they knew beforehand about my diet choices. They brought it up a few times, which was nice, but I didn’t want to be the one eating “rabbit food” while they ate pizza and donuts. I didn’t eat pizza or donuts, but I did eat burgers, chicken wings, and spaghetti. So. Many. Carbs. It all went straight to my head, and I woke up every morning feeling bloated and lethargic. Back to my regularly scheduled diet.

I spent most of today building my IKEA furniture and unpacking all my boxes of stuff. I love everything. From my two bookcases, to my side table, to my rug, and to my bed, I love it all. My bed has to be the piece I love the most. I’ve slept on twin size beds for who knows how long, and my new bed is full size. There’s so much more space! And my mattress, it’s soft and cozy and I feel so comfortable here. All my books are in the wider bookcase, but since I couldn’t fit all of them there, I have many of my books still stacked on the floor. The smaller bookcase I bought for my DVDs also isn’t big enough for my all my DVDs, but I was able to stack many of them upwards. I placed them in front of the other DVDs. I’ll have all week to reorganize and whatnot. This also means I have to downsize a bit, which is totally okay since that’s what I planned to do three years ago, the time before I moved up to Montana and left all this stuff behind. Now it’s back, so many of my long-dormant plans are back, too.

I’m glad I don’t have to drive to California any more. This really was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and I’m glad I did it. It will end up costing me a lot more money than I originally planned, even with the savings in gas from the recent price drops, but that’s something I’m going to have to live with. This trip was worth it, and I’m glad I planned for it, did it, and came back safely. I learned a lot about myself, what I’m capable of, and it just makes me excited for the future.

Anything feels possible, and now I have a home to do it all in.

I left San Diego last night at around 11 PM. I drove for a few hours, then I pulled over onto the side of the road and fell asleep for a few hours. When I woke up, the sun had just begun to rise, and I felt better. Unfortunately, that feeling didn’t last long. After a few hours of driving, I felt tired again, so I again pulled over on the side of the highway and took a little nap. I repeated this for pretty much the whole day. At around 3:30 PM, I made it to Draper, Utah, which contains the only IKEA in the whole state. I needed to buy one more bookcase, so I pulled into their parking lot, bought my bookcase, and headed back out on the road. I pulled over just once more and took a mini nap, about maybe ten minutes, and I’ve been on the road since then. For the most part, I’ve had my car on cruise control, and I’ve just been listening to various things, a mix of music and podcasts. I’m now in Idaho Falls, Idaho, utterly tired and ready to go home. It looks like I won’t make it home until around 2 AM, in which case I’ll just collapse in bed and sleep until I wake up. I’ll then proceed unloading my car and building furniture. On Monday, I head back to work.

Did I mention I’m utterly exhausted?

My car is fixed¹, and I’m now ready to head back to Montana. What a damn adventure this trip has been. I’m so much deeper in debt than what I planned that I know I need to reevaluate if the benefits have outweighed the cost. I have my books, my furniture, and other things all packed and ready to go, and I’ll be driving through the night with only a few hours of sleep. I’m planning to stop by the IKEA in Utah to buy my final item since it wasn’t here in San Diego. Other than that, since I know what to expect now, I’m planning to drive straight through, only stopping for gas.

I don’t know what to write about today. I’m frustrated at the fact that I had to pay so much for my car repair. Something to do with the rack and pinion and a replacement pump for something or another. It was a wake up call. Glen from Ronan Auto Sales is shady, and I’ve lost any and all faith and trust I may have once placed in him. He told me my car had a warranty through one company with coverage that would’ve paid for the repair; instead, I had to call Missoula Credit Union to tell me who — if anyone — I went through for my warranty, and they told me it was someone completely different. Unfortunately, they didn’t cover the repairs for my car, and I felt so angry and stupid for not knowing all the details beforehand. Live and learn.

Other than that, I had a great trip. I had fun, made some memories, and I know for a fact I won’t be making this type of trip anytime soon. Next time I want to go to California², I’m flying and not driving. Thankfully, I don’t have to drive anymore. I have no more baggage in California. I’m free to build a home in Montana for now, a home I hope to return to in one piece around this time tomorrow night.

One of the things I miss the most is cooking my own food and working out. I miss those two things the most. It’s weird, right? A few hours ago, my brother, my mom, and I lugged all my stuff to my car, and the simple act of physically carrying all these heavy boxes invigorated me. It felt good, and I wanted to do more, but before I knew it, we were done. Well, before I know it, it’ll be Monday, and I’ll be starting my 120+ day Insanity workout. Crazy how many of my plans are just working out.

I knew I needed a break, so I made sure I finished Insanity: the Asylum Volume 2 during a time when I could take a week off of work. I knew I wasn’t going to work out or eat right during this time, so I prepared for that and made my peace with that. I ate really good food and sat on my ass for most of the trip, and I needed that. I’m coming back with stuff I needed and wanted. From here on out, whenever I come home from work, whenever I’m hanging out at home, and whenever I bring someone over, I’m going to be happy with everything inside my home. In that view, it’s like this trip was an investment toward my happiness, both present and future.

Yes, I’m in debt, but that’s just one more obstacle to overcome, and if I know anything about myself, I love a good challenge.

I have furniture. My aunt and I went to IKEA earlier tonight, and I bought everything I wanted but one bookcase. One thing I was worried about was if my car had enough space to fit all my furniture plus my boxes of books and other stuff. After tonight, I’m no longer worried. I will come back to Montana with everything I planned to bring back plus more that I didn’t even consider.

I left Montana almost five days ago, and in those five days, I’ve made many great memories, and I’ve experienced things I’m glad to have experienced. We went to the beach today, and it was such a beautiful day. One thing that I thought was funny was how cold everyone seemed to be. It was in the mid-50s, people! Mid. 50s. It was sunny, the sky was clear, and the weather was beautiful. People were wearing beanies, jackets, even blankets. It was ridiculous. Montana really is for badasses.

Tomorrow I find out what’s up with my car. I wanted to leave tomorrow so I can make it sometime around Saturday. Then I’d have Sunday to rest and build all my furniture. I’m afraid the mechanic will tell me that he’ll have to spend a few days fixing my car, pushing my return until later. That’s the worst case scenario I foresee happening. The best case is that he fixes it quickly, and I can leave sometime tomorrow afternoon. Driving toward the snow this time around has me a bit more worried than when I drove away from it on Sunday.

I used to love the first day of the new year. I loved wiping the grime from the previous year and reveling at the cleanliness of the year ahead. It was brand new; anything was possible. But that promise for something better always — always — ended in failure because I never learned to create the habits necessary to live the life I wanted. Most of life is lived automatically. We don’t think through our actions. We just do. We live mindlessly, and that’s how I used to live every 1st of January. I’m different now, though. I worked hard to create new habits that are now automatic I don’t even think about them. Every time the sun sets and the day gets darker, I instinctively know that I have to write about my day, my thoughts, and my life. Every morning when I wake up, I know that I have to write my novel. And I’ve learned to listen to my body that I learned to recognize when I just ate some shitty food. I usually just feel fat, even if I didn’t gain any weight. Unfortunately, I’ve felt like this for a few days now, but that was expected.

This vacation has been fun. I’m glad I was able to break up my routine for a week to have some fun, make some memories, and share it all with the people I love. Some of them read this blog, so to them, I say I love you.

I’m staring at all the boxes of stuff that’s the primary reason why I drove down to San Diego from Montana, and I’m sitting here thinking about my car, which is in the shop, my home back in Ronan, my family, my friends, my job, my blog, my health, my accomplishments, my failures, everything I did and didn’t do in 2014, and I’m grateful for all of it. I knew something was going to happen to my car, but I’m willing to pay the price to get it fixed as long as I can get back home with more than when I left it. Yes, I’ll have more stuff, but I’ll also have that experience of driving almost 3,000 miles across the western United States. I’ll be spending the holiday with family, my first new year celebration on the west cost in years, and that’s something to be super grateful for. And I’m spending a week away from my routine, to force myself to be flexible and not be so strict to a schedule and lifestyle that doesn’t allow time for fun. Of course I love everything I do and everything I’ve done since I started this blog, but like I’ve written about so many times before, this lifestyle can’t last, nor do I want it to last, forever.

2014 was a great year. My life changed more this year than it had in a long time, even more then when I first moved up here, I think. I think I built a great foundation for 2015 to be an even better year. It’s going to start off with over 120 days of Insanity, some stuff to make my home feel more mine, and a newfound confidence to do even more. Without testing my limits, how do I know what I am and am not capable of?

A part of me still can’t believe I’ve made it this far. A few months ago I had this crazy idea that involved driving over 1,300 miles from Montana to California for the purpose of picking up the rest of my stuff and buying some furniture and driving back again once I did. I’ve already done over 90 consecutive days of Insanity, and I’m sitting here excited to do over 120 more. I’m over 35,000 words into my second novel, and I’m planning to finish this draft sometime around June of 2015. I have a great job, and 2015 will see me earning even more than I’ve ever earned in my life. There are so many things to be grateful and excited for that life seems good. I am worried about my car and the possible hole that’ll put me in financially, but that’s it. Everything else is awesome, and I’m glad I could share it with people I love, and that includes everyone reading these words right now.

Thank you.

Here’s to 2015. Happy New Years, everyone.

I’ve been playing Cards Against Humanity and Settlers of Catan with my family, and I’ve been having a bunch of fun. I’m currently winning at Settlers of Catan, and they’re all ganging up against me! It’s so ruthless! But so much fun. It’s also very late, and I don’t think I have the time or energy to write more than 500 words.

Other than that, the only eventful thing that happened today has to do with my car. During the last leg of my journey down here, my steering wheel began to be really tough to turn. I thought I might have fucked something up with my transmission, which freaked me the fuck out. My mom and aunt told me it could be something to do with the power steering, which relieved me because all I had to do was buy some power steering fluid. I did, added some to my car, and it worked! I was so relieved. Now tomorrow I’m going to go to IKEA, buy my furniture, celebrate New Years, and have some more fun. Other than that, I finally reunited with my 10 boxes of books, and we missed each other so much.

Okay, okay, time to win this game!

I couldn’t sleep last night. I tried sleeping on the side of the road, but it was too cold and too loud for me to sleep. I drove on some more until I noticed that I drifted onto the other lane unintentionally. I pulled over again and tried to sleep, but for about 30-45 minutes, I again couldn’t sleep. So I drove on some more, and I’m glad I did. I drove through Vegas at around 3 in the morning, and all the lights were bright and the city looked lively. It was my first time ever being in Vegas, and even though I drove straight through this time, I plan to come back and really visit this city at some point.

I’m writing this post on my phone because it’s been a busy day, and I’m not near my laptop. It’s 10:40 PM Pacific time, making it around 11:40 Montana time. I didn’t want to miss my Montana deadline, so I can’t wait to go home to write this. This entry might not make it to 500 words, but I’m on vacation, so I should relax a bit, right?

I’ve only had maybe 3 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours, so I’m tired. I just played a game of Cards Againsr Humanity for the first time with my cousin and brother, and I had loads of fun. For the previous 5-6 hours, I spent the day with my other cousin and brother shopping. I bought a new pair of shoes, and they’re awesome. We stopped by IKEA, and I examined all of my choices that I planned to buy while down here, and for the most part, I liked everything I chose except for the rug. I found something better and cheaper, and I’ll be super happy with it at my home.

I wrote 33 words in my novel before I crashed for a 2 hour nap. I haven’t been home since to add any more. I’m okay with that as long as I don’t skimp tomorrow. I ate a carne asada burrito, many cups of coffee, some chicken tamales and beans. Super Mexican, super tasty, super satisfying. Yup, I’m on vacation!

I’m parked on the side of the road right now, tired and a little bit annoyed. I’m in Arizona, and for some reason, Arizona doesn’t believe in LTE or even 3G, so I had to drive a little longer than I would’ve liked since I stopped about 45 minutes ago to write this entry but realized I had no cell service. First world problems?

Anyway, I’ve been on the road for close to 15 hours now. I packed up all my stuff: a duffel bag full of my clothes, toiletries, and even my Primal Fuel, just in case, my messenger bag with all my electronics, my pillows, and a care package for my mom from my sister. Then I went outside to start my car, only to find it covered in snow. Hopefully this didn’t mark the beginning of something awful for this journey.

I drove south from Ronan, Montana on the I-90 until I hit the 15 South highway, and I’ve pretty much been on that highway since. I hit the south western edge of Montana, where I entered Idaho and saw this beautiful reservoir there that I had to stop and take a picture of. America is beautiful.

From Idaho I drove south for a few hours until I entered Utah. I’m not entirely sure how long I’ve been in Utah, but Utah is a damn big state, so that’s where I’ve spent most of my time. It was funny seeing the two lane highway in both Montana and Idaho increase to three, four, and even five lanes in Utah. Utah is big and beautiful, and I think maybe one day I’ll come visit this state properly.

I stopped maybe 5-6 times to gas up and buy some drinks. In Montana, I stopped at a Safeway in Dillon, where I bought some Starbucks¹ and a bottle of water. For food, I packed a big gallon bag of my patented trail mix², which has held me over through the whole trip.

During my last gas stop, after filling up my tank, I went inside and bought two more bottles of water. Once I went back onto the road, Siri redirected my route, and like I have been the whole trip, I listened to her and followed her directions. Unfortunately, for some reason, I missed an exit, so she re-routed me toward some other road. The plow king decided this out-of-the-way road didn’t deserve to be plowed, and when I realized I was supposed to be on it for over three miles, I decided I should just do a U-turn and enter the exit I missed earlier. Unsurprisingly, the road was too slick for me to perform the tight turn, and my car ended up stuck in the 2 foot deep powder.

I tried just stepping on the gas, but I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t want to blow my engine, so I went outside, took this picture, and started to kick the snow away from my tires, because I thought that would help. It didn’t. I studied my situation, saw that if I just reversed from whence I came, I could have a shot of getting out of my little jam. I did!

I went back onto the forgotten road, drove until I merged back onto the 15 South, and I’ve been on that road since. I’m about 90 or so miles from Las Vegas right now. I did think of going to sleep right here in my car, but now that I’ve written this entry, I’ve found a new surge of energy that may last me through the rest of the night. We’ll see.

I’ll let you guys know tomorrow.

On October 1st, I began the Insanity: the Asylum Volume 1 workout. By the end of October, I completed the program, took a day off, and began my next workout: the Insanity/Insanity: the Asylum Volume 1 Hybrid workout. By the end of November, I finished that workout and set my sights on another challenge: the Insanity: the Asylum Volume 2 workout. Today I finished this workout. Instead of immediately starting my next workout, which is going to be the 60 day Insanity Max: 30 workout followed by the 60 day Insanity Volumes 1 & 2 Hybrid workout, I’m taking a week off. Tomorrow I drive down to California to spend the New Years with my family, and I won’t return until sometime next weekend. I hope to return with the rest of my stuff — books, DVDs, miscellaneous items — along with some much needed furniture. I’ve never driven this far and this long before, so I’m nervous about how I’ll react to this trip, but I honestly think I’ll be fine. It’s kind of like pre-game jitters, I guess.

I’ve been thinking about this trip all day today, and some of the things that worried me a few weeks ago don’t anymore. I was worried that I may not have the time or energy to keep updating my blog on a daily basis, even though my goal since day 1 was to write daily for a full year. I now don’t think that’s going to be a problem. I’m bringing my MacBook Air on this trip, and all I have to do is either pull over, pull my laptop out, and start writing, or I could stop for some food somewhere, bring my laptop, and start writing there. While in California, I could easily set aside 30-60 minutes to write. I’ll be with family, not in jail. Another thing that worried me was maintaining my habits and routines. I won’t be working out by design, so that’s something I don’t have to worry about. I may have to break my diet, but that’ll be okay since 100% of what I will eat won’t be terrible food. Some to most of what I will eat will be stuff I’d eat regardless. The rest, though, is what worried me, and thankfully, I have OmniFocus to help me with that.

In OmniFocus, I have eight contexts. They are: Morning routine, Nightly routine, Focus, Home, Tech, Errands, Work, and Waiting. The only contexts I’ll be focusing on during this trip will be my Morning and Nightly routines. Everything else I’ll defer to a week later, since that’s when I’ll be back home. The big tasks in each of my routine contexts are my writing tasks. Every morning I write my novel, and every night I write my blog entry. The rest of my routines are simple and I can easily do them every day I’m in California. And since I have to and I love writing, I will find the time to write. If that means slinking away into my car and hiding out there for an hour in the morning and at night, then so be it. It has to happen, so it’s going to happen. Other than that? I’m on vacation, so I’m going to relax and have some fun. That’s the whole point, right?

Here’s a promise to you guys: I’ll see you back here in 24 hours. I’ll be on the road somewhere in America with a story to tell, and you guys will be the first to hear it. Failure is not an option here, so I’ll see you guys tomorrow.