Friday, June 5, 2015

Next Stop. . . . Iowa?!




Yes, you read that right. Right now, Nick and I are on the road and moving to Des Moines, Iowa, and starting a completely new life together. Over the past few days, as I've released this news to those close to us, everyone has asked if this is for hockey. No, it is not for hockey. The days of playing professional hockey are over, and as Nick says, he has decided to hang up the blades and retire the axe. However, the men's team I play on in the winter could definitely use another player, and I think he would at least make the third or maybe fourth line. Of course, assuming he does well enough at tryouts ;)

For those of you curious, Nick has accepted a terrific job working for a mutual fund company. He will be working with people, and having the chance to meet tons of people from all around the U.S. and world. While this new job will not be taking place within a hockey rink, it is taking place within an arena where he is completely comfortable with- meeting and interacting with new people.

To be honest, this has been a tough decision. We weren't necessarily 100% ready to be done with the hockey life. There are so many terrific people, things, and experiences that are associated with the lifestyle we have had for the last two years. When we left Sweden less than two months ago, we were fairly certain that we would return and have another few years of hockey in front of us. And then things changed.

This is probably the 5th or 6th post I have written on the subject, and I am just now accumulating them into one. This change has thrown both of us for a loop, because this is not only the first time that Nick has retired from hockey, but the second. The first time around, he had no idea it was going to happen until a few days before he officially decided to do it. Then, we spent a wonderful year here in Minneapolis, until we got a call to go back to Sweden and hockey, and jumped on the opportunity. This time around, we also didn't know we would be retiring. Our five-year plan included a few more years of hockey, living in Europe, and traveling. We left 4-5 boxes of our things, including a TV, Nespresso, printer, and treasured belongings in Sweden- because we 'knew' we were going back.

And now we aren't.

We have decided that our time in Europe and playing hockey has come to an end. There are so many factors going into this decision. The few people who knew of this decision asked why we decided it was time...and that turned into quite the story. There is no ONE reason. There aren't two, or even three reasons- there are about a million. I will delve into those many reasons in a future post!

So yes, it has been an adjustment, and a bit of a surprise. Not only to us, but to everyone. No matter what, both of us are excited to get started with the next phase in our lives. We loved our time together in Sweden, and are already looking forward to visits in the future.

In Des Moines, both of us will be starting new jobs, and we will be exploring a new city together. I plan on continuing to work on my MBA and growing this blog, and I'm sure both of us will be in frequent touch with the hockey world- I'm already exploring teams in the Des Moines area to join!

So, to those among the hockey world, I suppose this is a 'see you later'. For the many that have joined us along the way, this is simply a change of pace. I'll still be blogging several days a week, and continuing to use this as an outlet for my thoughts and feelings.  And with that, it's time to start jamming to some Taylor Swift on the way to our new home!

12 comments:

  1. I hope your transition goes smoothly and y'all are able to settle in to Des Moines!

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    1. Thanks Julie! So far we are settling in pretty well- but of course, there is tons more work involved with moving!

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  2. Wow, congratulations to the both of you! :) I guess things happen that way, unexpectedly. Let me rephrase that, the best things happen like that. I wish you lots of fun & exciting new adventures!!

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    1. Thanks Ana! We are pretty excited about the new adventure. It will be an interesting one, thats for sure!

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  3. Congratulations and safe travels! It's crazy how life can happen so fast, but awesome that it is working out so well for you both. I look forward to reading about your adventures in a new city! I also love jamming to T Swift on roadtrips - there's really nothing better. Jeff disagrees ;)

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    1. Thanks Annessa! We are enjoying it so far, but I'm sure it will be quite a change from hockey- like you've experienced! And yes, T Swift is the best- my hubby is learning to love her!

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  4. Wow, congrats!! Wish you the best of luck with everything! I'm sure you're gonna miss Sweden but at least you're much closer to your family now, right? That's got to be nice too ;)

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    1. Thanks Van! Yes, we are definitely closer to family now- only a 3.5 hour drive, versus a 10ish hour flight! It will be a change, but overall a great one!

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  5. Wow, such a big but exciting change! Can't wait to see what new adventures await.

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    1. Thanks Ashley! We are both pretty excited!

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  6. Congrats on your new adventure!!! We have had a great first year away from hockey, and get so much more time together. But, a year later, I do still miss it. Not so much the lifestyle, but the people and friendships we made.

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    1. Thanks Mar! Its encouraging to know that things have worked out well for both of you. I can definitely agree that we will miss the people & friendships the most- and probably the traveling!

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