6 hours to go

I will be waking up in 6 hours to begin my 30 hour travel across the country to the great Pacific Northwest.  My final destination? Portland, Oregon.  I have gone through a very long and stressful day of packing and cleaning, and I'm now on a couch with a beer and a computer, getting ready to start the next step in my life.

I'm often asked why.  "Why Portland?"  Which is a fair question, and I suppose I don't have the best answer for some people because I will be traveling through 6 different states and do not have employment on the other side.  But, there is a lot of industry in Portland that I would be thrilled to be working in, and therein lies the attraction.  It helps that Portland is an hour from the ocean and an hour from the mountains, has one of the largest Ultimate frisbee communities in the world (already have a team, first tournament is in 2 weeks), and is one of the best beer cities in America.  I'm searching for employment with a brewery and hoping to grow my interest in the outdoors as well as my involvement in the world of Ultimate.  These are the three biggest reasons I have for selecting Portland, Oregon as my new place of residence.

I've been going to school in Missouri since 2005 and have lived here year round since 2007.  While the people that know me the best here are aware that I complain about the state of Missouri ALL the time, I really have enjoyed my time in Columbia, and consider it a big reason for my desire to head to the Northwest.  A lot of elements of Columbia that I value I can find on a larger scale in Portland, and because of that I will never forget my time spent in Missouri.

I will miss the University and the college scene.  I enjoyed my education here and it was fun while it lasted.  But I will mostly miss my secondary educators who have taught me about the world of beer and of Ultimate.  Both of these have become very important in my life and I will never forget all the people that have been apart of those experiences while in Columbia.  You all are the reasons I am moving on (but know that that is a good thing).

This blog is a means for me to write (and I may start writing about any random subject) and to keep friends and family a little informed on how my transition to the Northwest is going.  I will try to keep updates active at least once a week (that's the current goal anyway).