Colorado Here We Come.
Earlier this year, Erik and I decided to make a move to Colorado. At the time it seemed like a dream but as the move quickly approaches, reality sets in. After a painstaking apartment search, we have finally found a place to call home once we move. We knew the prices in Colorado were constantly fluctuating but we did not prepare for the amount of stress we dealt with to finalize an apartment. The idea of “acting fast” was put to the test when we were deciding on a place. Seeing prices going up by the day, apartments no longer available, and having to tour neighborhoods via Google Maps; I was losing hope and maybe even losing my mind a little.
We finally signed a lease! I saw a place we had looked at within our price range and wanted to talk to Erik about it before I submitted an application. Well, we woke up the next morning to see prices had DOUBLED from the night before. We looked at each other in disbelief, “That cannot be right…”. We decided to call the leasing agent to confirm the pricing and to hear the shock in his voice when he looked at the website was reassuring. Obviously prices fluctuate but to double overnight seemed like a stretch. He checked with the property manager and he was happy to report, there was a glitch in the system. I was not going to let this one slip through our fingers this time! We jumped on the computer and sped through the application without thinking twice.
After signing what felt like 8,000 different documents, our lease was finalized! They included every single possible form for us to sign. As my eyes glazed over and every word started to look the same, I reached the end. I look around our apartment and can’t believe this chapter will be over in one short month. The friends we have made here, the restaurants we’ve grown to love, and the lives we’ve settled into here in Madison, Wisconsin will be ending soon. It will be a bittersweet goodbye to this place but there’s no looking back.
I have lived in the Midwest my whole life. Born and raised, went to college in Illinois and now my dream is coming true to move West. I cannot wait to wake up to see mountains in the distance, spending weekends camping, testing out new hiking trails, and creating a life we have talked about for awhile. The Midwest will always have a special place in my heart and I will forever be grateful for the memories I have here. If I hadn’t moved to Dubuque, Iowa for a job I would’ve never met my life partner. My California boy living in Iowa, who would’ve thought? It’s funny how things fall into place and if I skipped a step along the way, my life could’ve looked drastically different. So before I part ways with the Midwest, I owe this place a ‘thank you’.
Thank you for the lifelong friendships that I have made that I will carry with me to my next adventure. To the friends that stood next to me while I married the love of my life. Although my siblings have started to spread out throughout the world, our home has always been in Illinois. I know that we are not saying goodbye but a long ‘see you later’. I know it won’t be easy leaving this place I have called home for 29 years, not because I will miss the physical places but I will miss my people.
My mom has always been a drivable distance which won’t be the case once we move; that will be a big adjustment for me. The person that has helped me become the woman I am today, my bestfriend in life, and my biggest supporter won’t be as easily accessible as she has been my whole life. Whenever I need her, she’s there. No questions. She is so excited to see what this move will bring for us and that feels good. To say ‘see you later’ to my mom will be the hardest one of all but her unconditional support tells me this move is the right step for us.
My oldest brother Michael is another rock in my life that I have leaned on whenever I needed support. I’m not only going to miss him but his wife Alex and his three beautiful children. Since moving to Wisconsin, Michael has always facetimed us with the kids to make sure we are staying connected and that won’t change once we move. He has always been good at keeping the gang connected and helping whenever he can. Moving farther away just means we have to be more intentional about visiting our families. We are just a short plane ride away for us to visit or family to come see us in Colorado. While the ‘see you laters’ won’t be the most fun, there is one major highlight with moving to Colorado…
With this move I will actually be closer to my BESTFRIEND, Leah! We have been apart for five years now and soon enough we will only be an hour away from each other. I cannot explain how excited I am to see her more and hangout like old times. I met Leah back in second grade and I don’t even remember becoming friends, it was like we had known each other since birth. Leah has been with me every stage in my life and now I’ll be a stone’s throw away from her; we are both beyond thrilled. Leah and I might not talk everyday but as soon as we see each other, it’s like we haven’t skipped a beat. And if you know Leah, she’s also the world’s worst texter so good luck getting a response right away. She will always be family to me and now I’ll see her more than once a year. Get ready! Updates on our shananigans will definitely be posted.
With any move, there are always ups and downs but each day we get closer, the excitement keeps building. Our new apartment has a fireplace in the living room which we are both elated about. That was one thing on our ‘nice to have’ list when looking at apartments. Luckily, we found a great sized place that included two walk-in closets and a fireplace. Jackpot! Another big bonus for me is being 20 minutes from Boulder. This has always been one of my favorite places to visit in Colorado with a gorgeous downtown and great hiking trails. Now we’re going to be within driving distance! Say it ain’t so! Here we come Colorado, the Brolin’s are moving West.
More updates to come but for now I’ll be selling, donating, and packing everything! Let the chaos begin.
“Magic is when you live your life the way you didn’t picture it and leave nothing behind.” -R.M. Drake
