At long last — we have arrived here: the end of the beginning. In August 2019, I moved my life from Colorado to North Platte after college to jump-start my career.
Now, nearly 635 days later, I’m leaving. I’m moving back to Colorado at the end of May.
It’s been — a journey, to say the least. Nowhere near the journey I thought I would take (though I didn’t really know what to expect), but here I am. Through all the frustrations, friendships, and audiobooks at work; all the cooking; a global pandemic and subsequent pandemic vaccines; all the nights I worked and mornings WF made me coffee — it’s all lead to here: the last 30 days in Nebraska.
I actually started to cry a little last night because it all really hit me; I was discussing the logistics of moving out and I got to thinking about how much things have changed from 2019 to now.
In 2019, I was first living on my own and looking forward to the new industry. Now I have a new remote marketing content career.
In 2019, WF came to visit me and I was a proper host. Now, we’re in a stable relationship and about to close on an apartment together.
In 2019, I was uncertain about the future. Now, I can look forward feeling both secure and excited.
It’s just crazy to think about what’s happening while living in this little apartment. I’ve made so many great work friends and seen some move on to better things; I’ve enjoyed my job and fell out of love with it; I’ve hosted countless morning shows and listned to countless audiobooks; I’ve fallen in love with my best friend; I’ve watched the world burn and then burn slightly less.
I wish there was a way to catalog every second of every day and then play it as a movie so I could mentally grap what’s happened over the last 600-and-some-odd days. It feels as though it’s been so fast and so slow at the same time.
This has been — a chapter of my life. A long, crazy, incredible chapter of my life. So much has happened and I can’t even put it all into words. I mean, I was just looking through my phone calendar from 2019 and I can remember everything I felt that first month in town. And looking back now…
I don’t think it’s hit me quite yet, but there will be a last time I turn the key to enter my apartment. There will be a last time I drive down the one-ways in town. There will be a last time I go to Pal’s Brewery. A last time I go to the park — WF and I had our first date at that park; a little picnic with all the fallen leaves. I still have photos from that day. I still remember the first time I sent postcards back home; calling WF after my first day at work. Oh my god — he followed me to Nebraska and now we’re going to go back together.
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I know you all cant tell when reading this, but I just took a break from typing to answer a coworker’s text; I broke the news and I just broke down crying thinking about all of this.
We’ll have to have a party! A proper Goodbye Party; even if I plan it myself. A proper send-off.
Goodbye, North Platte <3