A Year in Reflection.......

This is a big one, Friday was my one year anniversary in Denver....I can't believe it. The last month I have been in a state of reflection.....is there more I should have done in a year, did I accomplish enough...should I feel different, etc. I think when I look back on this year, there are many events that have been unplanned, many things I am grateful for and many adventures ahead I am excited for. I wanted to list them out in no particular order.

1) Probably one of the hardest things about moving away is missing people back home and events I would normally be a part of and probably planning. That is hard. I feel like I have this life here I am building and sometimes that has meant it is harder for me to communicate with everyone....maybe I don't feel the pressure as badly to call everyone back right away, afterall I can't see all of you whenever I want, and maybe some of that is good for me. The hour time difference makes a huge difference and sometimes makes it more difficult to communicate. I just never want friends & family to think I care any less and I hope they realize how much I wish I could be present for every moment.

2) Work is what brought me here, or maybe the catalyst I needed to make a much needed change, work has also been unpredictable and at times unstable. Two jobs in one year certainly wasn't in the gameplan...as I am on the heels of my first deal (cross your fingers) I am so grateful for all I have gone through because I learned a ton. It's just caused me to be a bit more unsettled than I would like and not in the place financially I would like to be in BUT I truly think this is the best job I have ever had.....I work for the most incredible people, work with awesome people and believe this opportunity will catapult me into places I have wanted to go for a long time.

3) Awareness: Slowing down....believe it or not I have done this. I care a little bit less about certain things than I used too. I recognize what I am capable of. I recognize what I deserve. I recognize what is important to ME and that sometimes that is the most important thing. Realizing what I need to be happy, when I need to take a break, when I need to turn off from the world. This was not as easy back home but this is something I needed desperately.

4) I am able to face my fears a little better here in CO. I have done so much soul searching over the past 18 months really and I know what I am afraid of and I would like to think I have become a lot better about communicating that......and sometimes facing them....

5) I am incredibly blessed. If you are reading this than I am incredibly blessed to have you in my life. I truly have been amazed at the outpouring I have received from my friends & family. So many have visited, I know some of you wanted to visit earlier in the year and I needed a break, but I don't think I could have made it through this past year without you. I constantly feel love and support from so many regions in the U.S. and I am truly thankful for this. It might be an email, a post on Facebook, a text, a call, or a trip....it all means so much. It is easy to feel isolated and all of these things make me feel your warmth and love so close to me.

6) I have learned a lot about people in the last year. I have friends here of all ages and of all backgrounds and I am thankful for their open arms and acceptance. I am thankful I have reconnected with friends from the past, have connected with friends I knew but was never close too, and for the brand new friendships I have made. It is the first time in my life I have had to try and make friends and really put myself out there. For as long as I can remember I always had a group, whether it was the small & close one from high school and my best friends who are still my best friends today to the amazing girls I met at UCSB to the incredible South Bay crew and everyone in between I met through people and from work, etc. It has been a great learning experience.

7) There is a lot more I want to see and do over the next year. You can bet I will be on the mountains more this year (Yikes!!), work should stabilize and I am going on a tropical vaca! I will be moving in August to a different apartment and I have more visitors lined up for December that I can't wait for. I plan on using my nice camera a lot more starting with a trip to the Butterfly Pavillion this Saturday with a MeetUp Group I joined. I no longer have the excuse of "newness" to this city. I have to get after it!