A year ago this weekend I was in a bar in Steamboat Spring, CO hanging out with some pretty cool guys. It was a long ski weekend and life was great except for one decision I had to make. Now I'm not someone who has ever been the greatest at decision making (repeatedly gets put on my weaknesses list). This decision was whether or not to accept a position with Teach for America in Chicago teaching Special Education starting in the summer. I got a denial phone call from the grad school I applied for a PhD in Sports Psychology while on a chair lift that day and so this decision was even more impactful. Anyway, back to the bar where I'm sitting looking for advice from my friends who can read right through me and knew that accepting the job with TFA was not for me. I turned to Murphy and said "If I don't have something figured out I'm just going to pack on up and drive to Alaska and figure out my life." He literally laughed in my face and said "Erin you can't just do that. People don't do that!" To which I responded "WATCH ME!" (This wasn't why I moved here, but it made me continue thinking about it)
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| Alyeska resort |
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| Ski time in the rain! |
Fast forward 12 months later and I'm laying in bed, in my new house replaying this past year. Last week I bought a car, got myself some car insurance, started another savings account with a plan for a 401k and moved in to my new home (all decisions that took way too long to make and thank God people have some patience with me!) 3 months ago before I accepted my job I called Murphy and told him the situation. He said "Erin I laughed in your face in Steamboat because I didn't think people would do that, but I know you and you are the person who WOULD. You should be scared, but that's what keeps you alive, that's what keeps you going. Life isn't meant to be spent comfortably all the time. If there's anyone cut out for this it's you!" (Great advice giver right?). Sitting in that bar a year ago I would've believed you if you would've told me I would be in Alaska. I'd believe you because it has always been a dream of mine. I've dreamt of seeing the Northern Lights, experiencing a winter solstice in the dark, and skiing Alyeska, all things I've done now. I'd believe you because I've told myself for awhile that one day I'd probably live in Alaska. Out of every place I've been in the world Seward, AK remains my favorite town. But I would've believed you if you would've told me I'd be a teacher in Peru, or in grad school in West Virginia, or a nanny in Germany, or working in Australia. I could've been anywhere and now I'm here!
So while I try and improve my decision making skills I find little victories every day in this new adventure. The days when I don't have to use a map to get somewhere or the times when someone tells me about a city in AK and I actually know where they are talking about. It wasn't moving 3000 miles away or the job that scared me. I didn't want to abandon that spontaneous, up all night, socialite, traveling, adventurous me. So now this "big kid life" is creating new adventures for me. No longer do I book plane tickets for $19 or ski before class. I don't have my best friends around me all the time, in fact they are actually thousands of miles away. I don't have 4 girls to hang out with 24/7 in Unit 3. I don't have a lacrosse team to play on or a skating team to perform with. I don't have Illegal Petes burrito bowls or Wash Park to rollerblade to. But what do I have? New friends, a job, and an outlook that this adventure is teaching more than I will ever know. So open your eyes, open your heart to all the new adventures that are out there and dive head first into them. I sure am glad that I wound up here in the Last Frontier where every single day continues to be a new adventure!
PS Alaska is part of the US. I do not live in a foreign country
PPS. come visit!!!
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| Ice rink one block from my office. Lunch time on Dec. 21 |
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| Company parties |
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| Sunrise at 10:30am |
