American Nomad

Nomad: A person who has no fixed residence and roams about, in short - a wanderer.

Nothing is as scary as the transition from youth to full-grown adulthood. In less than three weeks I'll be turning twenty-five, graduating from Belmont University, and completely befuddled as where my future lies. It's not that I don't know where I want to go. In all honesty I've known what I've wanted to do since I was five years old, the problem has been getting there. So what are my dreams? Working as an author, songwriting, and actress.

If you'd asked me back in 2002 what I thought my life would be like at 25 I can certainly say it wouldn't be like this. I thought I'd be a successful singer/songwriter or at least employed with a decent salary. I certainly thought I'd be out of college by now. I had a structured plan of how life should be, then life happend. In the past seven years if I've learned anything life is tempestuous at best and even the best laid plans can get caught up in the shuffle. You can't get depressed or upset, rather you have to keep coming back and trying to do the best you can to live a life in Christ and do something positive in this world.

Before I go any further, I should introduce myself. My name is Adele Lassiter. I was born on August 29th 1984 in Raleigh North Carolina. I graduated from Needham Broughton High School in 2002. Adventurous by nature I decided to move 2300 miles across country to attend Montana State University. MSU has one of the best film schools in the country and I felt they had the best school for my intended major. I also liked the idea of being in an entirely new location that was filled with dramatic scenery.

I fell in love with Bozeman MT and MSU, but on October 17th 2002 I was in a car accident that would alter my life plan. I was driving to a music lesson in nearby Livingston MT when my Nissan Xterra flipped over. It was a freak accident. I was driving 60 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone and the weather was perfectly sunny.

I woke up in the hospital with a fractured neck, broken leg, two broken wrists and broken hands. The Insurance adjustor said it was a miracle I survived that accident. I know that God had allowed me to live for a reason and that I couldn't squander my life away. After several months of PT, I made a full recovery. I went back to Montana State for the Spring Semester.

When MSU did away with financial aid I moved back to NC. I reassessed my future and decided I wanted to pursue my passion for songwriting. I decided to move to Nashville and attend Belmont University. I could write an entire blog about the hurdles of college bureaucracy (I'll add on more about this later). In short it's been a financial disaster and although I'm grateful for an education I have learned a lot about what not to do from my experience in college. Since moving to Nashville my car has been stolen, my mom's car was totalled, and housing has been a nightmare. Instead of being depressed or frustrated I can only see the disasters as character building lessons in resiliency in faith - although I'd be lying if I don't get mad from time to time.

Like 99% of other college graduates at this time finding a job is next to impossible given the economy. The music business has been hit particularly hard and even the mailroom jobs are hard to come by on Music Row. After considerable thought I've decided to move out west to Seattle.

In one week I'm leaving Nashville and starting a new journey. I'm putting all of my stuff in storage and taking a 1989 Oldsmobile across America. I will camp. I will explore. I will write and most importantly I will experience America. I won't have a permanent address other than email or a blog. I can't say if my car will even make it to Seattle - my intended final destination - I can say that if nothing else it will be a great adventure. I will be an American Nomad, and I like the sound of that.

I will post blogs about my adventures and discoveries on the open road. I will explore National Parks and eat at roadside diners. This will be a travel blog mostly, but also a life blog as well. I'll post updates about my life and interesting topics. From time to time I may post short stories I'm writing and seek your feedback.