Thirteen years ago I moved to Las Vegas to finish my bachelor’s degree, but the plan was to only stay a year. One year turned into two and then three, four, five, etc. Each year I would boldly declare to my friends and family “this is my last year,” and yet that didn’t happen. There were a number of times I applied half-heartedly for jobs in other states, but there was never any serious intent behind those actions. I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to finally move on, but for whatever reason 2013 is the year.
I will be moving to the Lone Star State of Texas in July and teaching in Frisco (suburb of Dallas). I am both excited and a bit nervous for the huge change. The move provides me with an opportunity to live much closer to most of my family and is a good opportunity to shake up my habits and laziness. I am sad to be leaving a job that I have come to adore and coworkers that have significantly made me a better teacher. I am not necessarily gaining a better teaching opportunity, so I’m hoping the improvement in my quality of life makes up for my sacrifice.
In planning for the big move, I have realized that I have saddled myself with too much “stuff” and since I will be moving into a smaller apartment, I am going to have to significantly downsize. Purging and selling my things makes me realize how much money I waste, and I hope this will help me be more mindful of what I decide to spend my money on in the future. I also plan on completing some long-standing projects that I want completed before I move.
Moving also brings up another issue—wasted opportunities. Because I had always intended on only staying in Las Vegas for a year I have allowed myself to be a temporary resident. What I mean by that is that I haven’t tried very hard to make many significant friendships, I have put off visiting interesting places and eating at delicious restaurants thinking that I would get around to it eventually. Eventually is now and until I move on the 24 of July I will be documenting my long goodbye to Vegas. I will be visiting some of my favorite sites, eating at some highly recommended restaurants and trying to absorb the town that has slowly, but surely grown on me.
Here is to my last few adventures in one of the most exciting cities on earth!