2016--The Year for Change

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to go to Washington state for some maintenance training on our robotic palletizer that stacks our feed.  It was super cool and completely over my head (after seven years working in the plant, I still consider myself to be mechanically retarded), but the best part of all was getting to see the Pacific Northwest.  I'd traveled out West as a kid, and while it seemed cool, at the time it didn't seem any different from going anywhere else in the country.  I always thought I'd move around a lot with my job and it's strange to me that I've stayed in Ohio for so long (almost 6 years!).  Once I got to see Washington, I can't explain it; I just knew--I needed to be there.

There are MOUNTAINS behind those tulips!!!

I waited patiently for a transfer, and kept myself fully occupied with an intense and extremely rewarding horse showing schedule.  I don't regret my time in Ohio at all--I've made some seriously awesome friends, and have had a truly amazing show career with Barb Foster and the best horse in the world, Ridin Good N Radical, "Scotty."

All American Quarter Horse Congress-Top 5!!

My trip to Washington piqued my interest in activities other than horse-showing, however.  I started rock climbing, camping, and backpacking.  None of these activities are easy to do in Ohio--the amount of driving required to get anywhere cool is insane, and gets old fast.  As time passed, I started to get impatient.  I waited a full year for a transfer with my current job, and then decided it was time to make things happen on my own.

Rocks! Western-ness! Yay!

I am not one to sit idly by, waiting for good things to happen.  I strongly believe that if you are willing to put the work in, you can MAKE good things happen.  As I thought through each of my options, I realized this was the perfect time to pursue that MBA I'd always wanted.  It was a win-win; I could move West (my criteria had now expanded to include anywhere with mountains) and hit that career-reset button.  I don't know exactly what I want to do yet, but I have 2 years to figure that out.  I just know I am ready for a change, and I was not willing to wait any more!

So now, I'm enrolled in the University of Colorado's full-time MBA program, starting August 15th.  My last day at work will be June 15th, then I'm headed out to Colorado to thru-hike the Colorado Trail, 486 miles from Denver to Durango.  I am beyond excited for this new adventure with one of my best friends.

Me, Tucker, Monika, and Roxy Oct '15 backpacking trip to Allegheny National Forest

Since I decided this in February, it's been a whirlwind--My house sold in only 3 weeks, and I've been officially homeless for a whole month now (in some ways, it's not as bad as it sounds...in other ways, it is).  I made the incredibly difficult and painful decision to sell Scotty, although he has a wonderful new family and gets to stay with Barb.

Check out that SOLD sign! :)

I just returned from driving all my stuff out to Boulder (Screw those expensive moving companies that wanted more $$ than my stuff was even worth...I had a horse trailer, I'd do it myself!).  3,093 miles, 325 gallons of gas, and approximately 50 hours of driving later, I kind of wish I would have just sold all my stuff and just bought new when I got out there.  But oh well, lessons learned, and one more box is checked off.

Camping at North Sterling State Park

I still need to sell my truck, horse trailer, and show saddle...but everything has been falling into place so neatly, it just feels right.

57 days until the Colorado Trail!