I knew from an early age that I was going to travel and experience as much as possible. I loved photography for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t until middle or high school that I learned that I loved to write. For a long time, I wanted to be a photojournalist specifically in sports. I still think about it from time to time. I still can’t believe these are all the places I have lived because I would have never dreamt about living in Washington State.
I don’t take for granted that I have been able to travel and see so much. I was just talking about this with someone recently. Being able to travel and live in so many places has been amazing, and taught me more than I could have ever learned. Each place I have lived people are different. I can’t say with all the places that I have lived no two places are the same.
Iowa
I consider Iowa one of the 2 places I am from. I was born here moved away and came back for college. Looking back over everything, Iowa taught me the most. When I moved to Illinois, I came to Iowa a lot to visit friends. The first couple of times was really hard because I am not the same person, and I didn’t want to be judged for being that person. When I left Iowa after college, it was probably the lowest point in my life.
Arkansas
This is the other place that I am from. This is actually where I grew up. I lived in Arkansas from 4th grade to end of the my freshmen year of college. Arkansas is one place that is really hard to return. I haven’t been back since 2008, and I don’t think I would have gone then. I’ve been reconnecting with friends from high school and I don’t know if I could go back. There is just something about Arkansas that gives me anxiety to go back.
Oklahoma
There was a big group of people who all moved to Oklahoma at the same time to work for the Oklahoma City Red Hawks. There were so many good times with these people. I miss them so much! Everyone is all over the US, some are still in sports, and some are not. Oklahoma City will always hold a special place because I met one of my dearest friends in the world. It’s ok though I see every night in my dreams. hehehe Trav. (inside joke)
Kansas
We were only in Kansas for a few months and I can’t decide where I want to rank this in terms of where I lived. It will be towards the bottom of the list mostly because of the length and more bad or negative things that happened. Positive I got to go to Allen Fieldhouse to see Iowa State vs Kansas. I don’t remember who won but I’m sure it was Kansas.
Arizona
West Virginia
The bottom of the list of places I have lived will always be West Virginia. I still refuse to listen to country roads. It’s literally the worst song ever in my mind. There were no very many positive things to living in West Virginia. The best thing about WV is the fact it’s so easy to get to anywhere else. I was always gone on the weekends if the team wasn’t in town.
I hated WV so much that I joked if I got pregnant living in WV that I would be driving to Kentucky to have the baby. It was NOT going to have WV birth certificate. The amount of hate that I received in WV was too much. WV literally broke me. It made me become so hard and I didn’t want to be kind to anyone else. I was literally broken to my core. It took a long time to get back and find myself again.
Washington
Washington had its highs and lows. The highs were really good but the lows were really low. I thought it was going to be AMAZING because I got a job immediately at my dream job. (OrangeTheory Fitness) I was working at the front desk while studying for my personal training certification. I wanted to be a coach there SO BAD! But the environment turned out to be super toxic.
This is where I also got my start in the fitness industry. I worked front desk at Planet Fitness but worked my way up to fitness manager. I don’t remember the exact title, but it’s were I realized I don’t want to be in management. I got my first start as a Trainer too. I loved being a trainer. I loved the classes and loved teaching people about the machines and trying something new. I really hate that PF no longer has trainers.
While living in Washington I wish I was into hiking like I am now, because there are so many hikes there. I know that I can always go back, but I was there. I could have done all the hikes. I was also introduced to Funko’s while living here. I had so many of them, but I sold most of them.
California
I LOVED California until the “world came to an end.” Then California was exhausting and I was so over it and ready to move. When I moved to California, I was so lucky because I got a job at Planet Fitness within the first week. I started out again as a front desk person, but quickly got promoted to trainer. I stayed there for a while, but I needed to get another job.
California was amazing because I traveled so much. I would always say I could live here the rest of my life and never see the same thing twice. There is just so much to do and see. This is also where I discovered that I wanted to explore the ins and outs of every city. I didn’t want to go just to see the popular or touristy things. I want to go up and down every city street. I want to see the hidden gems.
My favorite place I went to in California is Dodgers Stadium. It was so much better than I could ever expect it to be. I walked around the whole time, and never made it to my seats. I could still see the game the whole time. My next favorite place was Palm Springs. I wish I spent more time here, but it’s on my list to go back.
One of my favorite things about California is I found some AMAZING friends. These people were there for me during it all, and I am so thankful for their friendship. I could literally write a book about all of the adventures and memories I have with these people.
Illinois
I never thought I would live back in the midwest. I had a lot of reservations about moving back. I’m shocked as anyone else to say that I am really like it here. I have the best job in the world. It’s a Monday – Friday, and I can travel all the weekends. The benefits are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I have gotten into hiking and camping. It’s bette than I have ever expected.
One thing I will ALWAYS love about Illinois is I found myself here. I found who I want to be and what I will allow. I am setting boundaries and following through on them. I lost my voice for a while, but I am slowly figuring out how to trust my instincts. That is something I will always be grateful for.
Overview
I have lived in Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, West Virginia, Washington, California, and Illinois. Some I wanted to visit but never thought I would live there. Even if I hated living there, I am so thankful for all the places I have been because it taught me something I couldn’t have learned. I learned something good and bad in every place. I’m not sure what’s next, and I’m ok with that.
