The leaves are slowly beginning to change here. Light green, yellow, even some maroon. We still have several weeks to watch their full transformation, but I am already loving the change. Fall in Colorado is my favorite time of year. August and early September bring very hot days but by mid September after Labor Day has passed we’re seeing chilly mornings, mild afternoons, and cool evenings. Soon the colors will be vibrant and different shades all across the front range and in the mountains. We have so many aspen trees here and they sure are beautiful this time of year. I would never be happy living anywhere that didn’t have a true fall. It’s almost time to get out my Halloween decor. But first, I have to finish moving.
Three weeks ago Ben accepted a position as a lawyer in Breckenridge, Colorado and he’s now finishing his second week of work. You may have heard of Breckenridge– the ski resort town, the vacation hot spot, one of Colorado’s most popular destinations.
Breckenridge is located at an elevation of 9,600 feet above sea level. It’s a ski town in Summit County, Colorado. Breck as its known across the state, is an hour and thirty minutes west of Denver up i-70, our mountain highway that takes you from the Eastern states through Eastern Colorado through the metropolitan of Denver through our mountains and then on to Utah and so on.
10 years ago this past May I visited Breckenridge and it was that visit and those four days in Colorado that were enough to inspire me to pack up my life in San Diego, explain the situation to Copper, and move to this state. How funny that after 10 years, we’re coming full circle?
We’ll be living in a small town just next to Breckenridge– Silverthorne.
The 2 bedroom condo we found sits up a hilly road at a whopping 9,650 feet in elevation. The mountain views are incredible, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to be living in a mountain town.
Above: The town of Silverthorne from above. The steps up to the condo, then the view from the balcony, and then the neighborhood… which is a bunch of mountains.
My current work contract ends in 6 weeks and then I’m jobless. I have already started interviewing at mountain hospitals in the Breckenridge area. There aren’t too many, but there’s a couple, and its nice to be applying for positions with 6 years of experience as a nurse to bring to the table. I’m a little anxious to stop the travel nurse life, but I’m excited to finally lay down some roots.
Life is wild. Last week we were in DC meeting President George W. Bush (stay tuned for photos!), this week I’m packing up my life and moving to the mountains, in a month my best friend is getting married in Sedona and then I’m off to Africa. Oh, and I hold a full time job 96 miles away from my current apartment which involves commuting now and is going to involve even more commuting for those final four weeks in October when I no longer also have this place. Life is wild.
I wasn’t excited for Africa in the beginning. In fact, I was so stressed about it. It’s hard moving so much, traveling, taking care of three dogs– one who is 12.5 years old and requires about as much as a baby and one who is just recovering from cancer, holding down a job that is night shift half the time and day shift the other half and is 1.5 hours away each way– that’s stressful. Putting that all on pause to head to a country that requires a 24 hour flight and several days of volunteer work? Oh, and did I mention I am absolutely terrified of flying and each flight is a huge deal? And that I don’t have PTO to cover those two weeks I’m away? I was talking to my Grandpa on the phone and he said, well then why are you going?! That answer is simple: because I feel called. And because, well, what life would this be for me if I turned down opportunities because I was stressed, or scared of flying, or overwhelmed at times?
I’ve been trying to pray about all of this– the move, the job, Africa. But that’s hard, too. I forget. I get busy. I think I can do life on my own. And then I remember that none of us can. If you’re a prayer– will you pray for me in this transition of life, this new season, and Africa? God has been very faithful answering our prayers. Ben landed a job he’d been praying for. Sure, it’s in a location that will surely be a change for us (hello, snow in the winter time) but it is a place that anyone would be lucky to call home. We can finally get on with our lives and plan a wedding. At some point here very soon, we’ll be “officially” engaged and pick a date. He’s obviously keeping the exact time frame for that engagement under wraps. But we’re both in our mid thirties and engagements and the natural order of things don’t entirely matter for us. We already know we’re getting married next spring or summer, and will look to add a human to our family 2021. We may be total gypsies, but we do have plans to settle down and give the dogs a child. And Ben taking this job, and the relocation… these things help us with that plan.
So like the colors of the leaves outside, life is surely changing.
| jenn at home | 