Photo by milehightraveler/iStock / Getty Images

For 26 years of my life, I have lived in the midwest. I was born in Chicago. I grew up in Chicago. After I turned 18, I left for a quick 4 years of college and lived in Bloomington, Indiana. I got my bachelors degree at Indiana University and met Cameron. Then I graduated in 2014 and moved back to Chicago.

Since then I’ve been living as a young twenty-something, enjoying the city of Chicago, eating and drinking all the city has to offer, and traveling whenever possible. Cameron stayed by my side as my loving partner in crime.

Cameron grew up in Indianapolis and also went to college at Indiana University. Our lives have been in the midwest since we left the womb. As we both got to know each other as best friends, to boyfriend and girlfriend, we found that we love being outside, hiking, snowboarding, and skiing. We both wanted to live outside of the midwest at some point in our lives.

Coincidence: Denver was the number 1 city where we both wanted to live someday.

We found that out 1 year into our relationship. On year 2 we tried to plan our move for the next year, but the timing wasn’t great. I had just started a new job after finishing the Camino, and Cameron was excelling in his position at work.

On year 3 we visited Denver together. That trip confirmed it’s where we want to be. With the mountains, the beautiful city, the food, the breweries, and all the friends we have out there - we felt like we were home. During that trip, Cameron and I went on a hike through Golden Gate State Park, where he got down on one knee and proposed… I said “Yes” (of course)!

So we waited another year. Planned our wedding. With great timing, Cameron was approved to work remotely and I found myself in need of a career change. Our window to move had opened, which worked out perfectly after our May wedding. We visited Denver again, toured several apartments, and signed a lease to start in mid-July.

On May 6, 2018, Cameron and I vowed to be husband and wife. Now that the wedding is over, we are preparing for our big move, and saying goodbye to our beloved midwest city of Chicago.

Saying goodbye to the city I’ve called home my entire life is really hard. I learned so much here, and I love Chicago with every bone in my body. My whole life I’ve been waiting to move away and say goodbye. Now it’s time, and I can’t find the words… but I can find all the activities.

The next month before we move will be dedicated to eating and exploring my home city. We are going to eat and drink at all of our favorite places, run through all of our favorite neighborhoods, and pretend to be tourists through the last days of living in Chicago.

After we move, we’ll do it all over again in Denver, Colorado.