 Three years ago, I made my first trip out to Colorado for a spring break trip to Breckenridge during my senior year of college. Like many other people who visit Colorado, I fell in love with the mountains, the people, the atmosphere, and just everything. I made it a loose goal of mine to move to Colorado “or somewhere out west” after that trip (and a few others that same year to Durango and Mesa Verde National Park). I am a goal driven person, but I still cannot believe that this goal became a reality for me!
That first trip was three years ago, but I packed up my life and moved to Denver three months ago! It was the greatest decision of my life thus far. I have already been able to see and do so many things, yet I have so much more planned for the upcoming months! In my first week here, when my moving crew (aka my dad, sister, and John) were still visiting, we went to The Coors Brewery, Buffalo Bill’s Grave, Casa Bonita, and saw American Aquarium in concert at The Bluebird Theatre.
 The Chainsmokers at Bootsy Bellows in Aspen. Later that month, I went to Aspen for The X-Games. Sadly, though, I didn't make it to any actual X-Game events due to sober-ride scheduling and lack of concert tickets. Instead, my friends and I had a wildly lucky time downtown and got to see the Chainsmokers for FREE in a small downstairs club at a surprise concert! Nothing that awesome has happened again, but I have made two other trips to mountain towns for back to back weekends. The first one was to Keystone to take a second try at skiing! This attempt was much more successful and fun than my first attempt three years ago in Breckenridge. This time, I had a little bit of guidance from the friends I went with.
The second mountain weekend was spent in Steamboat Springs, and it was one of the best weekends ever. John and I had planned for months to attend WinterWonderGrass to see acts like Trampled by Turtles, Town Mountain, the Infamous String Dusters, Billy Strings, and Railroad Earth. We didn't make any other plans for the weekend, yet we somehow went to a hot spring and managed to squeeze in some skiing. It was incredible.
After that great weekend, my family came into town for my little sister’s spring break, and we had a jammed packed week seeing all of Colorado’s best including my living room for two days while a blizzard hit! Even during a “bomb cyclone blizzard”, we managed to fit in a trip to Colorado Springs for The Broadmoor’s Seven Falls and Garden Of The Gods, an Avalanche hockey game, Rocky Mountain National Park, and a stay at the haunted Stanley Hotel!
In between these big trips, there have been several hikes around town. Some of which I took by myself, some with friends, and some with complete strangers! You read that correctly! Part of my journey out to Colorado has been to discover more about myself, be more open and outreaching, and to make new friends.
 Since my move, I have discovered wonderful communities like Women Who Hike and Women Who Explore. They are both full of inspiring and motivated women, and I have had the pleasure of meeting a few of these women for hikes close to home! I’ve met members for hikes in Morrison (near Red Rocks Amphitheater), Boulder, and most recently Rocky Mountain National Park! I also went on a Galentine’s day indoor rock climb with nearly a dozen ladies through the Women Who Hike - Colorado chapter.
 Meeting these new people has been my favorite part about moving to Colorado. It is so easy to find like-minded, adventurous, and outgoing people here. Every day I can find motivation to get out and do something with one these communities or the other friends I have made. Now that the weather is starting to warm up and spring is finally showing itself, I am even more excited for all of the adventures to come! I already have lots of plans in the work for this upcoming spring and summer. Thanks for the wonderful welcome, Colorado. I am just getting started! 
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No matter where we go, John and I end up using Uber to avoid the burden of driving. A friendly chit chat always seems to make our ride more enjoyable no matter the distance. We've developed a few simple questions to ask any driver if the conversation stalls.
How long have you been driving for Uber?
I feel like the term 'millennial' is being thrown around more and more in a negative way. The more negatively we are portrayed, the more proud I am of my generation. I've also found that I have become more disappointed in the previous generation as mine has been disparaged. I believe we millennials have our problems, but the more I see fellow millennials try to do what is right, the more proud I become.
I don't know what it will take for millennials to lose the bad wrap, but we aren't the "snowflakes" people think we are. We are catalysts for change, and I think our generation will do great things. I just hope we don't go about things the wrong way. |
