Let me start by saying that Atlanta has been good to me. That is an understatement. I moved here as a very awkward 12 year-old girl, unsure and lonely and needing something to pour myself into. I had always been a sponge for knowledge, so my enormous school was a perfect place to start. The teachers, especially in high school, were spectacular and inspiring. Outside of school, I began to spend every waking moment at the barn or in the show ring. Joey, DJ, Hero, Libby, Newman, Trevor...big and quiet, they taught me responsibility, work ethic, and to believe in myself. My Mom and I got to experience those horse-crazy years together, which I wouldn't trade for the world. And then I went to a great college (Go Jackets!), where I gained lifelong friends, earned the pride of success, and learned to bounce back from the sting of failure. After college, I let my career take off and explored my love of fitness. I've lived it up in the Big City and enjoyed much that the Southern outdoors has to offer. It's been a damn fine 16 years.
There is so much to love about Atlanta. I get downright sentimental about it. I love the greenness of my town. I love the sultry summer heat, the way it envelopes you as you step out the front door. I love the food. I love the winding backroads and secret hotspots. I love the irony of this city, a shining beacon of Southern progress who still so firmly embraces her (tragic, romantic, at times barbaric) heritage. Atlantans had the audacity to carve Confederate heroes into the side of a geological miracle, and then host elaborate laser shows on it. And everyone just accepts that as totally normal. I love Atlanta's welcoming attitude; there are no strangers here. Atlanta holds a special place in my heart. My life here has been blessed in so many ways.
So....why leave?
The Outdoors. First and foremost is that I've fallen in love with cycling, running, hiking, anything outdoors! I want to be in a city that not only has the best of these things, but has a community who embraces it.
The People. So the next reason is to meet other people who love the outdoors. Although I have wonderful friends, their numbers and our shared interests are dwindling. They move away. They start families, or are immersed in their careers. We are adults, and we are busy. So maybe my old friends don't want to spend their limited free time on a 100-mile bike ride with me (Haha, who can blame them?), and maybe I don't enjoy the same things that I used to. We are adults, and we change. So now I sometimes find myself lonely, which is unfamiliar and unpleasant.
The Adventure. I've lived here for 16 years. I am comfortable (see above, all the wonderful things about Atlanta), but nothing is changing. I feel stagnant. I need to mix it up! I need an adventure! Here I am, with this job that enables me to live anywhere I want, with no pets, and no children. I am young...hey, let's do this!
So that's where this blog comes in. I want to share the adventure, and I want to keep in touch. I am learning so much through this process, from the frustrations of moving to surviving snowpocalypse. I'm going to mess some things up. Hilarity will ensue. Maybe I'll get out there and it won't pan out. But maybe (and this is what I'm counting on), something new and wonderful will come of this.
