Denver.

Exactly 12 months ago tomorrow, I started a blog entitled "Live for Today: A 12 month challenge to start doing things I've always wanted to do," complete with a backboard picture of big beautiful mountains...all with absolutely ZERO thought of moving to any new city...

...and here I am 12 months later, getting ready to leave DC in 3 months for a job in Denver, a place I've always wanted to live, with big beautiful mountains.

12 months, 4 posts per month = 48 fun adventures in volunteering, cooking, crafting, and exploring.

It's been really super fun and has truly helped me to make time for the things that make me happy. 

This last post technically falls under the "exploring new places in and around the city" category. But I took liberty with the "around" part and explored a city a couple states away, nestled about 12 miles east of the foothills of the Rockies. A city I saw a picture of when I was 16 and decided I would someday live.

In summary, I flew in to Denver Thursday night, rented a car, arrived to my friend's house at 11pm, and had a 2 hour interview at 8am, followed by 3 more that day, driving around the city with both my iphone and my paper map finding all the schools. Spent Friday night exploring Brennan's neighborhood on foot. Woke up on Saturday morning to 9 inches of snow and drove to a job fair 30 miles North of the city at 6am in 9 inches of unplowed highway in my Ford Focus rental car. Found out that in Denver, if you have any initiative at all, job fairs are not for you. I was 8 steps ahead of the job fair and they told me to go home and enjoy my already scheduled interviews. So then I went 1 hour South to my family friend's house and met up with my parents who drove 19 hours until the highway was closed at the CO border because of snow drifts, stayed at a hotel until it opened again, and continued on. After visiting with our friends, we left and got a hotel in Denver for 4 days while we drove and walked every inch of the city, exploring all the neighborhoods (I can live by myself for $580/mo in the middle of the city...and I'm making the same salary!), driving all the roads at rush hour to know what to avoid, and sending me off to 2 more interviews. By mid-week I had fallen in love with the city. It's fifty times smaller than DC and a hundred times easier. I know my way around better after 4 days than I ever have in DC in 20 years. You can drive the whole city in 45 minutes. There's far less traffic. There are parking spots everywhere, all the time. Everyone bikes everywhere. Everyone has dogs (everyone). By Wednesday night, I had finished all my interviews and knew which one I liked the best. They wanted my answer by Friday so I wrote them, said "See you in August," and got on the plane. 

I thought I'd be more nervous/scared/anxious right now, thinking about leaving everything I've ever known (since I was 9) including friend networks from elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and first jobs, to go to a city where I know a grand total of ONE person (I love you Brennan!) (Okay, I have one family friend an hour South of Denver, and one family friend an hour North of Denver, but that is really all.)

But besides one teary episode in a bar with my mom a couple hours before I sent the final email to accept the job...

(Mom, Dad, and I sitting at the bar, Mom and I talking, Dad watching sports on TV)

Mom: You're going to have so much fun here. Yes, it's going to be great.

Me: I know, I think so too.

Mom: You just have to answer every time I call, so I know you're okay. Or text me back. We have to have an understanding that you'll always do that. Okay? 

Me: Okay, Mom, I can do that.

Mom: (big giant tears welling and hands covering her face)

Me: Mom?! Why are you crying?! (as I start to cry)

Dad turns around from watching sports on the TV: What the hell is going on?!

...I am mostly just excited. :)

I love DC - the metro, the monuments (especially Washington, my fav!), the restaurants, the theaters, the bike trails, the shopping, walking to Clarendon for yoga and Trader Joe's (there is ONE Trader Joe's in all of Colorado, luckily it is in Denver and not too far from where I want to live). 

But I will not miss the traffic, expense, or materialism. 

I LOVE my friends. They are why I have stayed here the last 8 years.

But they will always be my friends. Keeping in touch is NOT one of my weak points.

Despite it being HARD, I love my job, and I love my school. 

But I truly believe I need to experience new things and new ways in education to grow and be the best I can be. 

So, here is my new home....

And here is my new school...

And here is what I plan to spend my weekends doing...

And here is one of the two incredible people in my life who drove 22 hours to help me do this...

Only time will tell if this is a short adventure or the place where I will plant my roots.

But I'm ready to spread my wings and experience a new city and live the way I've dreamed of living for a while (biking around the city on my new cruiser - yes I'm buying a 3rd bike - while staring at the mountains).

And I thank you times a million, billion, trillion, and then some for supporting me through this decision and telling me that I can do it and that you will still be there.

I hope you will follow me on this blog through my literal and figurative life leap across the country to Denver.