So today is a milestone date for me, which means I’ll probably blabber about it far more than anyone is interested. But, for the record …
Today, 30 years ago, I arrived in Colorado.
I was born and raised a California boy, starting up in the Bay Area, then moving down to LA when I was in early elementary school. Except for a brief 9 month stint up in Fort Collins (Colorado) when I was in high school (as my dad tested out a different twist on his career, which he decided he didn’t care for), I lived, went to college, got jobs, got married, in California.
Fast Forward to 1994, which was not a great year for me — going through a (zany but moderately amicable) divorce, tied up for several months living out of a hotel for a project I was trying to rescue for my employer, and, subsequent to that, sort of kicking around the office, trying to figure out what was next (and learning all about this amazing Internet that the company was finally connected to).
Then my boss asked me if I wanted to move to Denver and become the IT Manager for an office they were expanding there.
All other factors aside, this was nearly a non-starter because (a) I don’t take changes in expected life paths well, and (b) I was very much dating a new girlfriend (and an old friend at that) and didn’t relish the prospect of screwing up a long-distance relationship and losing her.
Sure, I had some indication that I liked Colorado from that brief high school stint. And it was a chance to break out of my funk, not to mention to advance my career. But … still … even after I got over the surprise, there was that relationship thing I did not want to screw up.
I was smart enough not to outright say “No” (or “Yes”), but told my boss I’d sleep on it.
I called the girlfriend, explained my concerns, and she said to take the offer and we’d work it out.
So I did. And then, at a big Thanksgiving Dinner (with my family and hers), I popped the question. Yay, romance. And the next day, we hopped in the car and I moved to Denver. (She only came along for the ride, and headed back home shortly after, juuuuuust before Stapleton was decommissioned).
And I’ve been here ever since, and never looked back. And, if things go as planned, I’ll be here the rest of my life, because I love this town and this state.
Oh, and we did work it out, and got married the following April. (Which means we have another big milestone anniversary next spring. Hmmmm.)
So that was one milestone. Another comes tomorrow. Stay tuned.