Choosing Wyoming

Over and over I kept thinking about what Zack said to me the first night I met him, "This beer will change your life". I mean, come on! Who says that about a crappy tasting beer!? I've always looked for signs from "the universe", and no matter what I did, I kept circling back to what he said. I had left Pennsylvania with the ultimate goal to find where I was supposed to be in life. I knew it wasn't Pennsylvania, and I certainly didn't think it was supposed to be Wyoming, but how could I know if I didn't give it a chance? I was happy at my perfect spot on the summit, and was in no real rush, so I started applying to jobs in Laramie and in the bigger city of Cheyenne.


On some nights I would spend time with Dianna and JL, my neighbors in the other camper. JL was a great musician, who could play almost any instrument, and had them with him too! Their camper had previously had a bunkroom, which they replaced and turned into a storage closet for all of his instruments. He played mostly old time country, like Johnny Cash, and had a really great country voice. We couldn't really have a fire because it was extremely windy, but the view of the town was enough. The wild fires in Montana and Idaho had finally brought smoke into Wyoming, and while during the day it made everything appear hazy, it turned the sunsets into brilliant oranges, and the moon glowed a blood red on the horizon.


JL loved playing his guitar, and would sing song after song. On one of the last nights they were there, he sang "Take me home, country roads" by John Denver, which had me choking back the tears that had built up from being so homesick. Right after, he introduced the next song by saying, "this one is for your obsession with the Rocky Mountains", and told me that he had learned it over the last 2 days so that he could play it for me. He then sang "Rocky Mountain High", also by John Denver. I had never heard the song before, and sitting under the red moon, knowing the Rockies were just off in the distance, those homesick tears went back into hiding, leaving a wide grin on my face. It was another one of those moments that had become so frequent, where I was beside myself in happiness, goose bumps covering my body, filled by the magic of knowing I was where I should be.


One of the days following, I received a call back from a bank that I had applied to in Cheyenne. I was woken up from the phone call, and when the man on the phone invited me for a phone interview at Starbucks for the next day, I honestly agreed solely on how good coffee sounded in that moment. I had already accepted a job as a temporary nanny in Cheyenne until November, and really had no interest in staying any longer than that. I had heard from many people how cold and terrible the winters were, and how it could snow at any minute, so when I had found the nanny job I figured it was the perfect opportunity to make some money and then get the hell out before winter came!


The next day I almost chose to miss the interview. I already had a job, why should I drive 45 minutes to interview for a teller position? But I got myself up and dressed as professional as I could with just having my road trip clothes, and met Kaare at Starbucks. Almost immediately he told me he wouldn't be hiring me as a teller, but that there was a Personal Banking Manager position open that he wanted me to have. It was better pay than the nanny job, and better looking on a resume, but of course not a temporary position. Once again, I chose to let the universe decide for me. I told him that if I found somewhere to live in Cheyenne, I would take the job. I had been looking pretty actively as it was, and so far had had no luck. Either the campsites were full, or they were closed for the winter. Or my personal favorite, they didn't allow Pitbulls 😒


After leaving Starbucks I drove to Terry Bison Ranch, one of the last places I had to check on. When I arrived, the woman at the desk said they had a waiting list with about 15 names on it, and wished me good luck. I asked how long that list would take to get a spot, and explained my new job riding on having a place to live. She then handed me a rental agreement and a pen, and said, "I did not let you cut the line". When I walked out I immediately called my god father to check in and make sure I wasn't loosing my mind. I mean, I was only supposed to stay in Wyoming one night, and here I am signing a rental agreement and accepting a bank job!? It seemed absolutely crazy, but then again, a lot of things had become crazy since leaving Pennsylvania, and everything felt just right.


For whatever reason, I was meant to be in Wyoming right then. And that is why I chose to stay.