I am moving to Chicago with Jeannette. We are going to stay at our parents’ house until we can find a place in the city. I am taking the fall semester off of school and will start back up in the spring at the University of Illinois at Chicago. And I am doing all this minus the financial support of my parents that I have now.

I went camping in Heber City, Utah with them these past few days. As I said before, I told my mom about the big changes I had planned and she called me back and basically told me that I should come back with them and take a semester off so I can find a decent place to live, only to call me the very next day and tell me something completely different. She said she hadn’t thought over the idea very well and she talked it over with Jerry and they both decided that it wasn’t a good idea. She also said that Jerry got really "angry" and shot her down with tons of questions and then said "You might as well tell him now, we are only paying for 4 years of his college" She told me all of this before they got to Utah.

When they got to Utah I talked it over with my mom. She said that she was afraid of the plan but was behind me 100%. She understood why I wanted to and thought that there is no sense in staying somewhere that makes me unhappy.

After I talked to my mom and got her opinion, I then talked to my stepdad. He said that he didn’t think it was a good idea and had all of these negative things to say about the idea. But with every problem he brought to the table, I had the solution already in my hands. He was surprised that I had actually thought it out and kind of steped back when he realized that I am doing this on my own with or without his help.

Its a good feeling to be financially independent with this new found independence I can do whatever I want to do. I can go anywhere I want to go. Buy anything I want to buy. I have no one calling the shots but myself. Oh the possibilities. Where will this new path I have chosen take me? Chicago is a clean sheet of paper. I just hope I can find my pencil.

This makes me all sorts of nervous, but excited as well. I’m leaving everything I have created here. And now that I’m moving forward I’m seeing all that is Utah and I notice that there isn’t much but broken dreams and a candle that has burned to the ground.