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| At the River Walk in San Antonio a couple weeks after we got engaged (Dec 2018) |
I've moved a lot in my life. I love new beginnings and exploring new places, but I hate saying goodbye. It's harder this year because of COVID social distancing - I can't have my usual farewell party, hug all my friends, or take individual pictures with each of them. So I'll keep doing what I do to gain closure - write. (see "Bye NYC, Hi Again Utah!")
As much as I struggled transitioning from NYC to Utah in 2017, I know there are many things I will sorely miss:
- Lots of trails for hiking
- My job at BYU Career Services -
- My colleagues (faculty, advisors, deans)
- My students
- Teaching career classes
- The Gospel explicitly embedded in everything
- The Honor Code - no cussing, taking the Lord's name in vain, or alcohol on campus
- My stand-up desk
- Walking around the beautiful campus
- Campus concerts, plays, and other events
- Attending devotionals and forums with brilliant speakers
- Old friends from many different chapters in my life and new friends I've made
- Having only 1 main freeway to navigate
My 3 years in Utah have been really fruitful. I feel very blessed with the opportunities I've been able to take advantage of:
- Hiking the Grand Canyon with a group which I would never would have done solo (see "Lessons From Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim")
- Learned about the Aventura Latin Dance Cruise - my first cruise which I took solo (see "Aventura Latin Dance Cruise 2018")
- Auditing 2 ballroom dance classes from my former team coach
- Winning 1st prize in Hustle at the US National Dancesport Championships! (see "2018 US National Amateur Dancesport Championships")
- Earning my Gallup Strengths Coach Certification thru BYU
- Earning 3 professional certificates (see Linkedin)
- Coaching from New York University
- Foundations in Positive Psychology from University of Pennsylvania
- Public Speaking from University of Washington
- Presenting at many local conferences, mostly on Personal Branding
- Designing and teaching 7 student development classes (see "Lessons from Teaching a College Class for the 1st Time")
- Dressing up as Ariel and Captain Marvel for my work Halloween parties
- Attending the 2019 Qualtrics Summit where Oprah and Obama spoke
- Attending my 1st rodeos
- Attending my 1st football, volleyball, and basketball games
- Attending my 1st TED Talk event
- Attending my 1st Riverdance concert (see "Riverdance Concert")
- Running into an old acquaintance from BYU Ballroom Dance Company who proposed marriage 4 months later
- Getting married in the Provo City Center Temple (see "Lessons From My First 6 Months of Marriage (And How to Prepare for Marriage")
My husband had lived in San Antonio for the 3 years prior to our wedding and moved to Utah so I could stay in my new job a bit longer. But then his boss wanted him back and we decided it would be a good move for our future family. Based on my 4 brief visits to San Antonio during our engagement and what he's told me, these are the things I'm looking forward to:
- Mild winters averaging temperatures in the mid-60s!!!
- Humidity cuz my skin and hair love it
- More rodeos
- More country dancing places
- More salsa dancing places
- More Latin & country music
- Several large performance venues
- Living in a foodie city
- Cheaper houses
- No income tax
- Lower cost of living
- More diversity of races
- Attending a new temple
- Frequenting the River Walk
- Living closer to the airport
- Having SeaWorld in town
- My new job in another college career services office
I know my life - our life - will dramatically change and there will be a period of adjusting:
- This will be my first time moving as a married person and trying to make friends in a family congregation at church rather than a young single adult congregation
- The first 3 months we're there will be above 100F degrees everyday
- Working at my first small university of 2,500 students (my last 3 universities each had 27,000-33,000 students)
- There will be a much more complicated system of freeways and I'm used to one main highway north to south
- Not having quick access to lots of mountains to hike
I've been mentally and emotionally preparing for this move for a few months now. God has been so good to us and I'm very very grateful. I'll be anxiously awaiting the adventures He will lead us thru in San Antonio!
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