Oh My Elevation....

Over the last couple of days I have been exploring my new city. I have found a local coffee shop that I really like and have eaten at a couple restaurants. I still want to do a little more driving around and learning about streets and different locations of the city. But I know that will come as I get to do more and I meet new people.

That being said, yesterday I went to the local OrangeTheory Fitness and did a workout. It was a Power day which means there was a lot of short sprints and explosive exercises. Now I also have to admit that I had not worked out in over a week due to all the traveling and moving. So I was already not starting out at my peak of fitness and I could tell from the moment I started running. But then about halfway through the workout my head started to get a little light and my heart rate became very rapid. I can say I was probably pushing myself a little too hard because I was also applying for a job and wanted to seem capable. But I can say I know my body pretty well so I feel like there was something more working against me.

Then it hit me (both figuratively and physically). Birmingham is probably about 600 miles above sea level, while my new home is much higher. Billings only has an elevation of just over 3000, but that 2500 difference was definitely effecting me. And as I continued to push through the workout, let me tell you I was FEELING it for sure.

Even a few hours later, back at my cute little home, I was still feeling a little funny. It was probably a mix of being tired and also my intense workout. So I just kept drinking water and slowly my body started to feel better.

Then today I went for my first outdoor run in my neighborhood. Now although it was not quite as bad, I could still tell a difference in the feeling of my run. Back in Alabama I would have been drenched in sweat and externally burning up form the humidity. But here I was just slightly sweaty (even though I was working pretty hard) and at the end I felt the need to chug gallons of water. Obviously it is very dry here and I could tell that instead of sweating a lot my body was holding onto the water.

Isn't it interesting how a change in location can make a huge difference in your fitness and workout routine? When it comes down to it I have to keep reminding myself that my body needs some time to adapt to my new home. And all the climate and weather changes that go with it.

But that is why I wanted to start this blog in the first place, to observe the differences in BHM and BIL. To show off how different (and the same) two places that are so far from each other can be. So there it is the first big difference - working out conditions ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

KR

2000 Miles Later...

     And here I find myself, in another coffee shop looking out the window, holding a Chia Tea Latte, just like any other day. But today is different because as I look out watching cars fly past I know that I do not know the name of the street. I know I do not know anyone in any of the cars. And I only know a tiny bit about the city that I am currently observing.

I am officially a Montanan.

And to be quite honest, I kinda can not believe it. After six months of talking and preparing, I am finally here. I live in a city where I know no one and have to use GPS to get anywhere. But you know what? I am excited. This is different, this is challenging, this is what I have always said I would do. And today I did it.

I am so thankful for all of the people that gave me the ability to get here. My parents have been nothing but supportive and dropping them off was harder than I could have imagined. My friends have encouraged me endlessly, keeping me on the right path towards this exciting future. And of course I believe God has been there watching over me the entire time, guiding me here. For He is the one who truly knows my heart and knows that I can do this. A thought which brings a lot of comfort as I think about all of the new around me. But I am also so excited. Excited about the new people and the new experiences. I can not believe that it is finally here.

There is one thing that is also on my mind besides being by myself...it is COLD. Well more chilly, but still it is August 20th. In Alabama August is known as one of the very hottest months of the year. And yet here I am, in jeans, a jacket and wielding a hot cup of tea. The forecast states that it is fifty five degrees here. IN AUGUST. It seems like there is going to be a lot that I am going to have to get used to here in Billings.

All right I should probably stop rambling now and head to lunch with some of my new classmates. I think my mind is a little bit overloaded right now. Understandable, right? Wow I can not believe I am here. In BILLINGS. Things are going to be good.

KR

Here we go...

Written August 15th-

For the last six months I have been telling people “Oh yeah, I am moving to Montana.” This morning, at 6:48 we pulled out of my drive-way in Birmingham and hit the road to head West. It is actually happening.

Even though for the past week people have been asking me how I am feeling about all of this I really haven’t had an answer. And to be honest I still do not. I am nervous, of course. There is no way I could be moving so far away and no literally no one and not be at least a little bit nervous. But there is also an excitement that balances it out. Excitement about this new adventure. About being brave enough to have the dream of moving and actually doing it. But then there is something else mixed in with those emotions. Something that I cannot quite put a name to.

Maybe it is a feeling of peace with how things are finally turning out. I have spent the last year worrying, stressing, and wondering where my next turn would be. And finally it is here. This is causing me to really reflect on how things always turn out the way they should be. I guess this shows that even though I have doubted, God is still watching out for me. Making sure that I am on the right path and that I continue to grow- in myself and in my faith. There is a side of me that knows that there will be times when I will feel lonely. I will feel excluded because I am so far away from my friends and my family. But I also know that I will be experiencing things that I cannot even imagine. Meeting new people and learning so much. This move is challenging me, but it is also encouraging me to be a better version of myself.

Now, on less of a sentimental side, I have to go back to where I sit currently. In the crowded back seat of a HUGE white truck the U-Haul trailer with all of my belongings trailing behind us. We are an hour and a half down, and twenty-five and a half hours to go. There is sure to be more stories and adventures along the way, so stay tuned…

KR

From the South to the Treasure State...

On February 14th 2018 I got an email that made my life path change in the best way possible. I was running an errand for work and decided to check my mail. There in the local Walmart parking lot I opened the email that proudly proclaimed "Congratulations on your acceptance into our Occupational Therapy Graduate program!" I immediately began crying (ugly) happy tears as the weight of three years of anxiety lifted from my shoulders. I was officially accepted into graduate school. A school in Billings, Montana none the less!

From that initial moment I knew there was going to be a lot of work to figure out the logistics of actually making such a big life decision. But, I am incredibly blessed and as I began to make pro and con lists, look into finances and living situations things seemed to fall into place one piece at a time. There was one minute in particular when over a family dinner full of talking about details my mom looked at me and stated "Your really going to Montana aren't you?" I felt a certain sense of peace as I simply said back "Yeah, I think I am."

Now here I sit, knowing that in three months (3 months 16 days and 15 hours to be exact)  I am headed 25 hours across the country to Billings. As I have been planning and figuring out all of the things that need to be done before I can load up the moving van, it has officially hit me just how far away I am going. I was born in Birmingham, raised in Birmingham, and after four years at Auburn University (not even two hours away from Birmingham) I moved back here for a year to figure out my next step. I have been here forever and it is starting to sink in that I am going "far far" away (as my mom has now deemed it). There are going to be so many differences- in the culture, in the land, in the weather, in the people. But I have to remind myself that people make moves just like this, if not bigger, every day.
Whenever I tell any of my patients or clients where I am moving to the response is always one of surprise, immediately followed by one word. "WHY?"

The answer to why is really quite simple. The phrase "the mountains are calling and I must go" has always resonated deeply with me. I get this honestly from my parents who both love the West and anything to do with it. I have always felt a call to move somewhere that challenged me and where I could experience the wondrous outdoors that make up the Western US. But I am too much of a realistic and to practical to just get into a car and drive out there with no plans, no job and no money. I knew that if I ever were to really move I would need some solid reason.

When it came time to apply to graduate schools I applied to a few in the South and then on a whim I applied to a few in Arizona and Montana. My thought was that if I was meant to be somewhere out there then it would all work out. And work out is exactly what it did.

Sure I might not be the most confident person ever, but I am beyond excited that my future is shaping up like it is. I am figuring it out every day, but one thing is certain- I am forcing myself out of my small, safe comfort zone. I am pushing myself to go and experience the world and some of the things it has to offer.

Yes, there is going to be some differences out there for this born and raised southern gal. But that's the reason I created this blog. To share some of my experiences and hopefully even one day motivate those wandering souls who need that little push to just say "go and do it!"

KR