Settling In

I'm overdue for a post, but I know many of you could care less about the 'work stuff' and want to know more about the 'fun stuff'.

I've been in Denver for just under two weeks and am loving it! The weather is great - and the views are even better! Especially from my office: 

 


I've worked a full week now and am starting to get the hang of things. It's definitely a big change from the financial goddesses!! There are no dogs in the office, not much noise, and not nearly as many funny stories being shared - but it's still a great place to be at. It's another small company, with four people, and I think I'll learn a lot and will be given the chance to make all of the client presentations. It's still early but I'm excited about what I'll learn from the company.

I've also been making my way around the city fairly well. It's hard to stay in the city and go out because I have about a 45-minute drive from downtown, but I've tried to do my best. I've been to a couple K-State football watch parties, BBQ'd at Wash Park, found an Oktoberfest to try out some local brews, and attended a wedding reception. Yes, I make friends fast. Okay, not really. It was a friend from college. But most importantly, I've bought all my snowboarding gear - including my ski pass!  

And most recently, went for a nice 4-mile + hike. In Colorado, you have no excuse for not exercising! The weather was perfect for it and I'm hoping to get a few more in soon before the weather gets too cold!

Road Rules/Lessons We Need to Remember

Yesterday was the big drive to Denver. No, I did not drive down I-80 with a big U-Haul. It was just me and my shoes, and a few boxes of clothes! It took me just under 8 hours to go from Lincoln to Castle Rock, and I did not get nearly as bored as I thought I would - yay! However, during the drive there were quite a few annoyances from other drivers on the road. So here's the list of rules/comments we should all consider when driving down the interstate:

1) Semis should only be allowed to drive at night. Those drivers are on the road more than anyone else, yet I believe they're the some of the worst drivers around!

2) If you're driving along and you catch up to someone and need them to get over the right lane so you can pass them, it's practically a guarantee that you'll tap your break, turning off cruise control, and THEN they'll move over.

3) On that note, if you don't plan on driving the speed limit, pull off or get over.

4) There are some drivers who ride your tail, but you can't get over because there's another car. When you do finally pull into the right lane, they most likely will not pass you. But when they finally do pass you, they'll choose to then cut you off, forcing you to hit the brakes - again.

5) A small reminder for everyone: Those dotted lines are there for a reason. You're not supposed to cross them unless your changing lanes. And if you're doing that, check to make sure there are no cars next to you first.  

75% of these happened in Nebraska, take that for what you want. :)

Time To Get Outta Here!

I've spent the past two weeks in Lincoln, hanging out with the family and friends. You could call it a vacation, although, let's face it - the reason I come back to Lincoln is NOT for the great scenery and beaches.

The day before I left for Lincoln, I had a going away party in Kansas City. My amazing co-workers (former, now) threw me a party and it was basically my excuse to get all of my friends together before I left. There was a monsoon in KC that night, so an extra thanks to everyone who came out in the crappy weather to say their goodbyes! I expect lots of visitors! Below are a couple pictures from the party:

And, my friend Ben came and gave me a nice gift. He said since I'm moving to Denver I have to get used to drinking Coors Light!

The first week in Lincoln went by pretty fast. I did a lot of 'catch-up' on sleep, made a day-trip to Denver (which resulted in a new job for me!) and hung out with friends. I was most looking forward to my Saturday, though.

My cousin, Jessi, has two little boys, Brevin and Pierce, whom I call my nephews, and I LOVE spending time with them. They crack me up all the time! I have wanted to take them to the Lincoln Children's Zoo for the longest time, and I finally got the time to do it. I remember as a little girl always going to the zoo and how it was the coolest thing ever. Well, it's a nice zoo, but definitely not quite like I remembered it. I kept walking through the zoo thinking "this isn't how I remembered it". One of the favorite parts was definitely the train ride. Brevin and Pierce love trains so we saved it for the end. Throughout our time at the zoo, Pierce came saying "Is it time to ride the train yet?" So cute!

There's a picture of me on this same turtle when I was about Pierce's age!

And finally......the train ride!!!

I loved my time in Lincoln, getting to spend a lot of relaxing time just hanging with the fam and friends, but it's definitely time to get on the road! It's quite boring while everyone else is at work and you're at the house all day - vacations aren't as fun unless someone is on it with you!

What Do YOU Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Not many people can say that they loved their first job out of college. In fact, not many people can say they even stuck with it for very long. I happen to be one of the lucky ones. About three weeks after college graduation, I went to work at The Planned Approach to be a financial goddess, and knew it was the perfect fit. From the job to the people, everything about it was great. So I new trying to find something just as great in Denver was going to be hard.

I never really had to do a job search the first time around. The position at TPA got sent to our department head at K-State, and I had the job before I graduated. I was in for a rude awakening this time around. Not only is it a tough economy to be even searching for a job, but I was job searching from nine hours away, and no one seemed to care about what was on my resume, nor were they interested in someone who wasn't even living in the city yet.

The biggest hurdle I faced was really deciding what I wanted to do. I had spent four years in the same position and I wasn't sure how much I enjoyed it anymore. With all of my work with Relay For Life, I contemplated going the non-profit route, and taking my fundraising and event planning to a professional level. I applied for a few jobs, but still wasn't sure what path I should go down. I'm the kind of person who sets my goal on wanting to do something, and then doing it. So to think that I might want to change career paths, or just spend time not knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up was a scary thing. It's the planner in me - wanting to know what's going to happen next. :)

I talked to many people about it, though, and realized that I was not alone, and that it was not just a case of the '20-somethings'. Everybody always questions if they should maybe be doing something different. So with that, I decided to continue on with the job search. I felt I hadn't truly accomplished everything I wanted to in the world of financial planning and I wanted to stick with it. I mean, I passed the 10-hour CFP exam, I wanted to make sure I got the most from it!!

I kept applying for jobs, and found one that seemed like a perfect fit. I applied for it on a Sunday morning, had a phone interview that evening, they called TPA the next day for references, did a couple more interviews and tests over the next few days, and she then decided she wanted to sit down for a face-to-face interview. Quite the whirlwind! So yesterday, I flew out to Denver for what ended up being a 6-hour interview, and today I got the offer. I am very excited to say that I am officially employed as a financial planning associate with Abacus Financial in Denver. I will be starting as soon as I move out there. Technically, I like to say I've only had three days of unemployment. :)

And if this job doesn't work out, I've still got my hopes set on the big lottery winning someday!!!!!

Is This Really Happening?!?!?!

Ever since I made the decision to move, I've had many moments where I thought - am I really doing this? I must be crazy!! I think about all of the great things that were happening for me in Kansas City - working my way up the volunteer path with Relay For Life, a job with great co-workers that cannot be replaced, and most importantly - some of the most amazing friends a girl could ask for. I never felt the love from them more than I did on Friday night. 

My co-worker, Janis, and her husband Matt, were so sweet and threw me a going away party at their house. So many people came to the party to show their support and say goodbye, and it was a great last night to spend in Kansas City! There were very few tears - mostly because when I felt them coming on, I would walk away and start a new conversation! :) But it really did make me feel like one of the luckiest people to have such great friends! And gave a good energy boost for the next morning, as my dad, sister and I packed up my house, emptied it out, and moved all of my stuff to Lincoln - where I'll spend a couple weeks hanging with the fam.

So again people ask, why would you leave?! I don't want to be someone who looks back at my life with regrets about what I could have done. You can make your life something great no matter where you are, and I'm sure that will happen in Denver as well. I guarantee there will be many more days where I get sad, miss everyone in KC, and question whether it was the right decision. But hopefully, the sadness will quickly fade as the new life begins.

On the drive to Lincoln I was listening to one of my favorite bands, Sugarland, and their song 'Settlin' came on. It is the theme song of my life right now and one line in particular sums up exactly how I feel: "Find what it means to be the girl, who changed her mind and changed the world".

A New Life Out West

For quite some time I've pondered the thought of moving to Denver. I had the opportunity to do it right after college graduation, but decided at the time, it was a better decision for me to move to Kansas City. Well, times have changed, and I've decided it's now or never. I'm making the move. I've never been a 'blogger', but a friend of mine gave me the idea to start a blog about my journey for everyone to keep updated on what's happening in this new life of mine. I make no promises to regular updates - but I'll do my best!

The question I've been asked more often than any other is: Are you getting married???? Really?! I laugh everytime I hear that. It IS okay for a girl to move her life just because she wants to! So let me answer all the questions now. No, I'm not getting married. No, I don't have a job out there. And no, there is no family out there. I just love Denver. Every time I go out there to visit friends, I always wonder 'what if'. And I finally decided that there is no better time to make this change than right now, so I will never have to continue asking myself "I wonder...."

When I first started telling people, I don't think anyone believed me. To be honest, I didn't believe it at first. Even though I knew it was happening, it took me a LONG time to finally say the words "I'm moving to Denver". One of my best friends got off the phone with me and told her husband, "She doesn't know it yet, but she's moving out there. She just hasn't convinced herself yet. But don't tell her I said that in case she still decides to stay!" For some reason, this story gives me comfort in knowing that although it is a huge leap and risk that I am taking - it's a good decision for me.

I've had a lot of people tell me that it's really brave of me to do this, or that they're proud of me for moving. I will never be a person that takes a risk by jumping out of an airplane, but picking your life up and moving 9 hours away? Sure, why not. There are worse things in life that can happen to a person besides moving to a new city and not enjoying it. I'm just incredibly grateful that I have an AMAZING support system of incredible family and friends who are making this transition so easy for me.

Let the fun begin!!