How Gratefulness Helped Me Move Across the Country

Posted: February 17, 2021

In this guest post, I’ve invited Allie, travel blogger and beer enthusiast from the Hoppy Passport to share her story as she moved across the USA. As someone who has lived in five states before turning 21 years old, I can relate to her experience!

A year ago, one decision between my husband and I was enough to uproot our lives — we had moved across the country to Colorado.  We lived in Southeast Michigan for our entire lives and knew we wanted a change. 

I feel lucky that we were born and raised in Michigan.  However, 26 years is a long time to spend in one state when you are as travel + adventure obsessed as we are. The hikes, beers, and adventures of the Western USA had been calling our names for years, and the desire to move grew stronger with each passing year. 

Our destiny in Colorado started to align when my husband received a Colorado job offer in December 2019. We packed our things and headed west within three weeks. The reality of us moving across the country (a 20 hour drive or 5 hour flight!) didn’t really set in until we were pulling out of our driveway with my car full of our most prized possessions. 

Thankfully, the quick move gave us less time for dwelling on our decision. The downside was that we didn’t get a chance to say proper goodbyes, or enjoy the short amount of time we had left in Michigan. We spent those three weeks packing, working, and worrying about our new adventure in Colorado. 

Although I was grateful that my husband and I were experienced travelers and in good health during the move, I couldn’t help but think of the whole life I left behind in Michigan. 

I left my family in Michigan.  When I moved to Colorado, I had to say goodbye to weekly family dinners with my parents, Saturday breakfasts with my sister and her kids, football Sundays at my in-laws, and traditional holiday celebrations with my whole family. I had to say goodbye to afternoons with my aunts and Friday beers with my uncle. I had to say goodbye to hanging out with my in-laws’ two dogs.  

I left behind my friends. I gave up my favorite Saturday night plans: laying on my best friend’s couch, watching our favorite TV shows while eating brownies. I gave up playing on two different volleyball teams. I gave up going out with my college friends. I gave up lunch dates and book swaps with my coworkers who turned into my closest friends. 

Quitting my job as a high school English teacher, my dream job since I was a kid, was one of the hardest things I had to do. I loved my school more than I ever thought possible.  I loved my students and my coworkers. I loved the content I taught, the sports I coached, the clubs I advised, the families I met, and the events I participated in. I think I would have been happy teaching in that community for the rest of my life, and leaving it broke my heart.

I had to leave behind my favorite hobby and stress reliever, my gym. It wasn’t a regular, big chain gym, but a small group training gym with a focus on real strength. I left behind a trainer who made me love working out, who taught me everything I know about strength, and who helped me achieve a 315 lb deadlift!! I left behind my gym friends who motivated me, inspired me, and kept me committed to my fitness journey.  

I said goodbye to my favorite Chinese restaurant. I gave up boating and spending my summers on the lake. I left my people, my history, my whole life, and my comfort zone when I left Michigan. 

But I was damn excited to begin a new adventure in Colorado.

As nature enthusiasts, my husband and I were going to become avid skiers and continue our love of hiking. 

I was looking forward to all the new traveling we could do within Colorado and Western USA. We could visit cute, small towns in the mountains. We could be closer to big cities on the west coast. We could discover the various National Parks that surround Colorado. 

As a craft beer connoisseur, I was so excited to try the breweries and their experimental beers in Colorado, which is known for being beer heaven.

Our new state would also offer quality time with my husband. Our lives in Michigan were busy. As a newly married couple, we could finally slow down.

Colorado’s new adventures pumped me up. I was looking forward to making new friends, discovering our new favorite breweries and restaurants, trying new hobbies, and completing changing our day-to-day life. 

I wasn’t emotional about leaving Michigan and moving to Colorado until we’d lived in Colorado for a week or so. The reality of our new life set in, and as excited as I was, there was a ton of emotions running through my head and my heart.

I was scared that I would hate Colorado because my first visit to Denver didn’t make me a fan. I was concerned that I wouldn’t make new friends. I was nervous that I wasn’t going to find a new teaching job. Or worse, I’d find a teaching job and hate it. 

What if I had made a huge mistake? 

And yet, throughout our journey, I was always (and still am) grateful. 

I was grateful for my health and my husband’s. We were able to make this move because we were mentally and physically healthy. We didn’t have any health-related issues or challenges, and this year of COVID-19 more than ever, made me thankful for that.

I was grateful for my husband’s job providing us with this incredible opportunity to pursue a new adventure. I was happy that we were able to make this cross country move knowing that there would be at least one income to support us in our journey. 

I was grateful for my husband’s support. His willingness to do everything he could to make me happy and feel safe during this transition made me feel lucky to have him in my life. 

I was grateful for all the support and help we received during the moving process. Our friends in Colorado helped us move in, and made us feel welcome. I was grateful that my close friend/college roommate lived in our new city, and spending time with her made me feel at home. 

Fast forward to today and I truly love living in Colorado.

I have an amazing job at a school I really like. I have awesome coworkers that have turned into new friends. I have joined a new gym that I really enjoy. I have become a “regular” at a few of my favorite breweries and bars. I have a great mountain view from my backyard, and consider myself kind of outdoorsy. All of my favorite Saturdays include hiking and trying a new brewery.

The cross country move from Michigan to Colorado put me on a true mountain expedition of emotions. I was sad to leave behind everything and everyone I’d loved for my whole life, but I was excited for a new chapter. Things are working out quite well in Colorado, and I’m thankful that my husband and I decided to uproot our lives, as if we were pine trees being sent to a new home during the Christmas season. Making a decision that changed our lives completely was scary, but the growth and happiness that stemmed from it was more than worthwhile. 

Hi, I’m Allie! I’m a travel enthusiast, craft beer connoisseur, and creator of The Hoppy Passport. 

The Hoppy Passport is a website designed to teach you how to be an efficient traveler and an explorative beer drinker. 

Whether you’re hopping around neighborhoods or traveling the world, The Hoppy Passport will bring you the best brewery guides, travel tips and beyond to ensure you stay well-traveled and inspired to indulge in the ever-developing international craft beer scene. 

Follow The Hoppy Passport on Instagram! 

Cheers!

---

Share this on Pinterest, you savvy traveler: