A New Beginning

In August 2007, I decided to shake up my own world, move my own cheese. In the past 6 years, I've gone through a nasty divorce, a subsequent broken engagement, and the loss of both parents within 11 months of each other. Enough is enough. With the exception of 2 1/2 years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after getting my undergraduate degree, I lived in Arkansas my entire life. While I've been fortunate to travel to many wonderful places, I've never lived anywhere else. So, in August 2007, I answered an ad in a professional publication and applied for a position in Colorado. Colorado! Could there be a more wonderful state? Lots of sunshine, lots of snow, beautiful mountains, environmentally conscious, easy to get in and out of in terms of air travel, and, best of all, no humidity or bugs to speak of. I didn't really expect to get the job, but it was time to start the process of getting on with my life . . . and it wasn't going to happen if I just sat back and waited. Tried that, didn't work. So, oddly enough, I got an interview . . . a phone interview. If you haven't been out in the job market for a while, as I had not, this is the new thing. A group of unknown people on the other end of the phone, asking you questions, listening to your voice, judging how you respond to questions (probably making gestures and facial expressions with each other that you, poor interviewee on the other end of the line, can't see). Somehow I made it through that process, despite my Southern accent, and was offered an in-person, all expenses paid interview. So I thought . . . well . . . I'll have a nice trip, get to practice my in-person interviewing skills, see a great city. Well . . . apparently the interview went well because three days later I received The Call. And . . . sometime after that (it all gets hazy at this point), I accepted the job, put my house on the market, and started getting ready for my next adventure . . . only this one wasn't going to be in the safe confines of a state I'd known all my life.

So, the morning after Christmas, the movers came and packed all of my things, except for the few things I would take with me . . . in a UHaul trailer that I would pull with my newly installed trailer hitch. On December 29, 2007, I loaded my young daughter and 2 Boxers into my car and away we went. We arrived to snow on December 30th. It's been an interesting 4 months. I decided to create this blog to chronicle some of my experiences as I attempt to assimilate to life in Colorado. This way, my beloved friends back in Arkansas can keep up with me and, hopefully, enjoy a little bit of my new state. Hope you enjoy!