Already Missing Colorado

As I write this, I am exactly three weeks away from leaving the U.S. and embarking on my new adventure in South Korea.  I am extremely excited about it and I know it's going to be a life-changing experience for me.  That doesn't mean I don't have moments of sheer panic either.  They come out of nowhere, usually when I'm not even thinking about Korea, and they come on quickly.  Luckily it takes me about 30 seconds to get my head right.  It's like my subconscious all of a sudden remembers that I am about to move to a country that I've never even been to.  And while I believe we all have a instinctual fear of the unknown, I'm lucky enough to have an experience behind me that taught me how exciting the unknown can be. 

I do spend a lot of time thinking about and planning for what's coming, but I can't help but miss the place I've spent the last four years.
 

Nowhere else can match the blue skies of Colorado

 

My backyard view in Evergreen

 

The other side of my house in Evergreen

 

Living in Colorado was amazing.  I got a chance to live with incredible surroundings, I met some of the coolest people I've ever known, and it is definitely where I'll live when I come back to the states eventually.  I lived in both Vail and Evergreen while I was there.  Vail was a crazy experience that had a lot of good and definitely some bad.  I lived there the first winter I was in Colorado and worked nights managing a sports bar.  This allowed me to ski over 50 days that winter.  I'll be the first to tell you there may not be a better place to ski in the world than the Vail back bowls when they are getting snow. 

 

I absolutely loved being in Evergreen for the almost 3 years I lived there.  It allowed me to still be living in the mountains while also being only 45 minutes from Denver.  Living in Vail I realized how much I missed being close to a big city.  Gracie and I may have spent more time outside in the 4 years we were in Colorado than I did in the 28 years I was in Texas.   The air is different and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed having a high of 88 degrees during the summers. 

 

Evergreen Lake

 

You won't find this guy on the golf course in Texas

 

Likely the best venue anywhere, Red Rocks Amphitheater



 

When I left Texas, my next stop was completely unknown.  That road trip, to date, was the most challenging and rewarding thing I've ever done.  When I decided to stay in Colorado, where I would live and what I would do was completely unknown.  I ended up finding a home there.  I'll use those experiences and the many memories I made there to help remind me that I need to keep challenging myself.  I know I need to keep learning about myself and experiencing how small the world really is.  I can't wait to find out how South Korea is going to challenge me, what multitude of things I will learn about myself, and to get to know the person I'm going to be when I'm looking back and reflecting on my new adventure. 

 

These three weeks are going to fly by.

 

Goodbye for now, Colorado