20 Years Away From "Home"

Twenty years ago today my parents were helping me unload a bedroom's worth of stuff from a U-Haul into an apartment I had never seen before. Micah and I had both just moved across the country as we were transferring from our separate colleges in Michigan to the University of Colorado at Boulder. He moved in with his sister in Westminster, and I moved into an apartment in Boulder with a couple of girls I had never met. 

It was really scary to move across the country, especially since the only people I knew in Colorado were Micah and his sister. This was before FaceTime or social media. I didn't even have a cell phone yet! I was young, and I didn’t know much about the world, but I was determined to make the move work. 

Within the first couple of years of living in Colorado, I remember flying back to Michigan for a visit. I met someone on the plane who had moved away from Michigan 20 years ago. I remember thinking how crazy that sounded. Twenty years sounds like an eternity to someone in their early 20's!

The "20 Years Away From Michigan" mark has stuck with me over the years. Occasionally, I’ve thought about what life would be like when I have lived away from Michigan for 20 years. It was impossible to imagine, but fun to think about.

Now I am here. I am 40-years-old and it's been 20 years since I left "home." So much was unknown, but I am glad I took that first giant step as life is truly interesting and amazing when you allow yourself to be brave. I’m excited to see what will happen in this next decade of our lives.

Micah and I at the overlook above Boulder when we first moved

My parents and I at the overlook above Boulder when they dropped me off

My room in my first apartment

My room after I rearranged the furniture a few months later