There's been a lot of big changes in my life recently. I announced a book, I changed roles within WooThemes, and I have one more big announcement. It's something that I've been meaning to do since university but it's always taken a back seat to other priorities. I spent nine years in Green Bay and I love it but it's time for a new setting. I'm moving to Denver Colorado; I should actually be arriving at my Airbnb just a few hours after this post is published.

I'll Miss Green Bay

I've spent more time in Green Bay than any other place. A total of twelve years which is a lot for someone who moved every 2-3 years growing up. I always wanted to move out of Green Bay when I finished school but I got lucky and found a job before I even finished school. That helped my professional career along but it made it that much harder to leave Green Bay. Why try something new when you have something that's already pretty good?

My time in Green Bay was pretty great. Even though I wanted to move I made it my home. I lived in an adorable little town, De Pere, which has a beautiful bridge and trail which were right next to my home. One of my favorite memories will be walking over the bridge almost everyday to my favorite coffee shop. A place isn't a place without friends and after university I found an incredibly supportive group of friends who will be sorely missed.

Why Denver

So why did I give all of this up to go to a place that I never even visited?

While the summers are absolutely gorgeous in Wisconsin the winters are bitter and never ending. This past winter was particularly harsh and I don't want to live in a place where I have to hide inside for four months out of the year. Denver is 10 degrees warmer all year round and relatively speaking that sounds like a sauna.

I started my own meetup group in Green Bay and grew it to ~150 members. That in itself was an awesome experience but I feel like I need some inspiration. I want to be near the vibrant energy of other creators. I want to soak up the inspiration that's just in the atmosphere. Denver has so much going on. I have my first month booked full with different meetups and events to checkout.

Green Bay is beautiful but I don't exactly fit into the culture. I don't hunt or fish. I don't eat meat, and I don't watch the Packers (gasp!). I love the culture but it doesn't fit me very well. I'm excited to move to Denver where the culture is a bit more progressive. I want to be active outside, I want to talk about eating healthy food, and I want to bike around town and not have it be weird. Being in the right culture has a huge effect on every single thing you do.

I'm of course incredibly nervous. This is a big change and it comes at the same time as a role change in my company. #notideal

While I don't know exactly what will happen I do know I'm ready for the challenge. I'll have to push myself to meet people and explore the city. It might be uncomfortable but I'm getting used to being uncomfortable. Every time I'm uncomfortable I get better at accepting that feeling and then it goes away.

I'm honestly not sure how long I'll be in Denver. I know my partner will be applying to PhD programs and if she get's in then I'll probably move again in a year. For all I know I could meet an awesome group of friends, join a couple meetups, learn to rock climb, and then leave after twelve months. Crazy.

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk