Nine months ago I met with one of my friends for a last time, Sarah. As part of an amazing care package she included a letter. The envelope was covered with big letters reading, “CONFIDENCE BOOST.” I had strict instructions not to open it until I had really had a moment where I needed just that. Although I’ve been tempted on a couple other occasions, today was finally the day and I have to say thank you Sarah! …

Cary was short lived, but well lived, and with a really weird sleeping schedule. You see I stayed with Kayla (a good friend of my friend Laura). Kayla works at the local TV station in Raleigh, WRAL. She works the morning news shift. What does that mean? Getting up at 4:15 in the morning! What does it mean when you bring a cake into work when you go in? Getting up at 3:15 in the morning! …

Angel Oak – Simply one of the most amazing trees in the world. It’s close to being the most amazing tree of the trip. I suppose it’s tied with the Red Woods. It’s just a different kind of amazing. It’s not very tall, but the limbs fork out in every direction and could cover a mansion. You could build a lot more than a tree house there, more like a tree mansion, or castle, whichever is more your style. …

One evening I headed with Mark and Lindsay to a nice gathering for the Young Professionals of Charleston. I’ve been to a couple of these appetizer and small chat gatherings before. And even though I wasn’t dressed the part, I knew my story could make up for the rest. On the way in I dropped my card into the pail for a chance to win a door prize. Now I never win things. …

Of the several beaches in the area, Folly Beach is the more youthful of them. The first time around I found myself there with Mark and Lindsay. The next time around it was just the guys, Mark, AJ, and myself. Folly Beach isn’t the most glamorous of beaches I’ve seen on the trip. There have been a lot of beaches, Long Beach, Canon Beach, Santa Cruz, Waikiki, North Shore, Biloxi, Panama City, St. …

Connection after connection. Town after town. State after state. Week after week. Now that I’m in Charleston there is quite the connection, through a chain of people I have never met. For a couple months now I have been keeping in touch with Sean Aiken. Cool guy. Sean, from Canada, started a project called One Week Job. Each week Sean is starting a brand new job, from being a bungee operator, florist, volleyball coach, and much more Sean is having a lot of the same experience I am, and for a lot of the same reasons, we’re pretty much in the same boat on different seas. …

There were two people I was anxious to meet up with while in Asheville, which were two more great reasons to stop by. On Sunday, Jenna headed over from Pigeon Forge, TN. If you remember Jenna is who ultimately got me in touch with Rick who I stayed with in Asheville. So she came over and said hi to Rick as well. That worked out very well. And if you recall I spent time with Jenna and family and friends in Alabama. …

If you look on the map of my route you can see that there is one area of the country where I have spent a whole lot of time. Almost two months prior I was on the other side of the mountain in Gatlinburg. However, it was a very worthwhile stop to come back and see Asheville for a few days. For three nights I stayed with Rick. Here is how this one worked. …

It truly is amazing how many different living styles there are among cities and towns that dot this country. Take New York City alone, there are thousands of different lifestyles in a single city. There are thousands of small towns across the country that differ from one another. It’s quite amazing to me. A person can choose such a wide variety of environments to raise a family, start a first job, or settle down for retirement. …

It seems there I’ve heard here or there or maybe everywhere that Atlanta is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Maybe it is, maybe it’s not. However, Atlanta to me is one of those cities that have a magical feel to it. Just say it with me, on three; one, two, three, ATLANTA! Some cities have it and some cities don’t, even though I haven’t been there before. …