Moving to Wisconsin.

I'm sitting at Starbuck's (with a large hot chocolate next to me, yum) inside the Barnes & Noble at Gateway Mall as I type this. It's a beautiful, cloudy fall day in Utah. I met two of my old roommates for lunch in SLC and I'm meeting my brother for dinner up here... so I had some time to kill.

And so, since I do have some time, I'll fill you guys in on life. I'm moving to Wisconsin in less than a week! This decision came somewhat unexpectedly--but I'll explain.

After graduation, I spent three weeks at home in Milwaukee. After going to school year-round for three years, I was in need of some time to just rest. The three week trip was great. Then, I came back to Utah in early September and moved into my new apartment. I have three roommates from California (they all went to HS together) and they are nice girls--welcomed me right in. I liked my apartment and my new ward and I planned to use Utah as a home-base while I applied for jobs. I figured I'd get some kind of temporary job for the fall or for 6 months at the most while I figured out where to go next.

Well, the job market in Utah isn't ideal. I got offered a part-time/on-call position at an eating disorder treatment facility, which would have been great, but they wanted at least a year commitment, and I wouldn't be able to work there full-time for probably at least the first few months. As soon as they said "one-year commitment," it sunk it to me that I did not want to still be in Provo for another year. As soon as I came back from Wisconsin, I felt pretty restless. Being in a college town and not being in school (or not having a job for that matter) can do that to you, and I also just realized that I was ready to try out life in a new place. Provo has been great, but I think it has served its purpose for me, and it's time to keep moving forward.

Once I realized I didn't want to stay here too long, I decided that I could either get a temp job here in Utah and apply out of town for permanent positions or I could do that from Wisconsin (where my family is) . It seemed a bit counterintuitive to leave right after I had come back for the fall, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw the benefits of moving home for a couple of months. 

Some benefits include saving my family some money (my parents are helping me out during this transition period), living one last time in my family's home before my parents sell it (they'll be retiring out in St. George for most of the year starting in the near future and so they're going to sell our house), among other reasons.

I prayed about it and it felt like a good decision, and so, I'll be off in about a week! I have some mixed feelings about leaving. I certainly feel it's probably time to move on from college life and that scene, and yet, I'll really miss this town that has become my home away from home. I'll miss the good times I've had and the good friends I've made out here. I'll especially miss it since this move is permanent. It's hard to cut off this part of my life. But, I'm excited for the road ahead, whatever it brings. Going to NYC last weekend made me realize all of the fun possibilities I have in life in terms of jobs and where I could live (more on the NYC trip soon).

If any of you Provo/SLC kids are reading this, I'd love to see you before I road trip it to Wisconsin next week (Tuesday or Wednesday). Let me know and we'll get together. The short-term plan is to spend the next couple of months in Wisconsin at a temp job, while I look and apply for more permanent work, and then to re-evaluate at the end of the year where I want to go. There's a possibility I'll stay in Wisconsin, and I'm also looking at jobs in some other bigs cities (especially DC and Boston). Whatever happens, I know God is guiding me in these decisions and I'm grateful to have some time with my family and friends in Wisconsin. If you'll be in WI, give me a call!

Provo--I bid thee farewell. You've been a kind friend and you will be missed.