The First 3 Years of the Rest of My Life

It's hard to believe, but on Friday 11/4/2011 it had been exactly three years since my move out to the Mile High City. Completely weird to think how the first year was so tough living out here, but once I met the current group of people I've been hanging out with, everything has just snowballed into an epic mass of awesome!

So the third chapter in my life would be the post-San Diego Hiatt. Luckily for me, my brother, Russel, talked me into moving away from my comfort zone in good old SD and on out to Denver. This is the second of only two places I've ever really wanted to live in my life ever since I visited here in 2005 when my friend and ex-coworker Katie was living out here. The phone conversation prior to the decision to leave SD with Russ was definitely the encouragement I needed. Something about how we're both outgoing and that since I've been thinking about moving that I should just do the damn thing and JUMP! Of course he paved the way when he moved from San Diego to North Carolina all those years ago, and now he resides there with his wife and kids. There's no turning back from NC for him, just like there's really no turning back from CO for me.

I've been through a lot out here in Denver, starting with being held up at gun point in the first house I was living in. You would think something like that would sour my view, but there was really no physical harm, and the main emotional toll that was bestowed on me was courtesy of the "great" people at the Colorado DMV. There were spin-outs on the freeway on my way to snowboard, sphincter-tightening moments driving on Loveland Pass, Loveland Pass Moonlight rides in the winter, the BSG, the GPC, coaching lacrosse (for the main purpose of finding leagues to play in myself: Mission Accomplished), hiking 14ers, camping, skydiving, wakeboarding, and a slew of other events that have culminated into my ultimate love for my second home.

As most people that I am associated with now-a-days know, the BSG saved my social life. I am heading into the fourth winter season snowboarding in the Rockies and pretty much everyone who I hang out with now is a result of the BSG. Two years ago I started riding with a bunch of avid snowboarders from the cities and outlying areas of Denver and Boulder, and chances are that if you know me, we were introduced by the BSG or by someone who I met in the BSG. Now there's yet another season ahead with a Mountain Haus, and it will most likely end up in being the best season yet!

With my apologies to all I know and love in San Diego, I feel like Denver is the city I have been looking to make my permanent residence. My life has changed dramatically out here, to the point of never really wanting to live in San Diego again. There's too much to do out here in Colorado. The winters, of course for snowboarding, were the main reason I moved out here. Also the fact that housing is cheaper to purchase (although I have realized I need to seriously start working on my spending/saving habits in order to purchase one), and the bar and nightlife scene is more my style. Most everywhere is t-shirt and jeans as far as the bar scene goes. Even downtown is pretty laid-back and chill. In that respect I get the beach bar atmosphere, but in the downtown setting. Being in the mountains on the weekends in the winter is like living in a whole other city also. Besides the winters, summers out here kick ass! Camping, hiking, pool parties, house get-togethers, the summer-crew, and most recently wakeboarding... You should be able to gather the fact that there is no shortage of amazing things to do in the summer to keep me busy. I have missed my hometown less and less and noticed that I haven't seen hardly any of my San Diego friends visiting me in Colorado. The trips back to San Diego will start to get less and less attractive to me as I get to know other cool things to do out here, and keep meeting new and awesome people out here in Colorful Colorado. Don't be surprised if sooner rather than later I don't make it back to California at all for a visit because it may take away from my time in my new residency.

And of course to all who know me in Colorado, I thank all of you for helping me come to the realization that the best decision in my life happened three years ago. I can't thank Chris Miller enough for volunteering to drive his own car full of my crap almost 1100 miles to drop it off with me. He ultimately drove back on his own, but on 11/3/2008 Chris Miller and myself got into our cars to move me out of Southern California, and on 11/4/2008 my foot stepped down onto the ground that I now call HOME.