Well, it had to happen at some point. April 10^th marked my one-year off since leaving Mondelez and what a year it has been!

It truly has been everything Kelly and I were hoping for when we came up with this crazy scheme. And, as she said in her one-year post… we really did need all that time.

Perhaps if we hadn’t uprooted from our home and managed moving to two different cities in two differet states we could have done it in less time. But, since we wanted to chase our dreams one year has been perfect.

So, what happened? Where did the time go? Why does it have to be over? Well, not sure I have all those answers, but here are a few things I learned along the way.

• Our family is closer than ever! Alex is my best friend. We are constantly playing (mostly trucks lately) and cuddling up. Zoe is my little princess. She is growing so fast and has such a big heart. Kelly and I are still crazy in love after nearly 10 years of marriage. I’m a lucky guy!

• I AM an outdoors guy. I’ve never felt that way before, but maybe that was because I never had the chance? All I know is I loved living at the beach, being outside in the sun, sand and pool. Once we got to Breck, we started hiking, walking everywhere, and, of course, the skiing. Who knew!?!

• Skiing 100 days won’t be enough. As of yesterday I’ve hit my 100th ski day and I likely will end up with a lot more by the time the last resort closes. But, it won’t be enough because I know I’ll miss it right away. Don’t get me wrong, it has been an amazing season – I’m just that addicted to skiing.

• Giving back is important. Kelly and I both wanted to get involved in the Breck community once we got here. We both help out at Zoe’s school. Kelly has found her time at Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) very rewarding. I’ve started mentoring a local kid through Mountain Mentors. It’s true that you get so much back when volunteering.

• I don’t need to work. Well, I guess I do for the money, but many people said I’d be bored after a few weeks of leaving Mondelez. That hasn’t been the case at all. There is so much going on in our lives outside of work at this point that working isn’t needed to fill the time or fill my need to contribute.

• Living with less is easy. We left many of our material things behind when we left our home in Highland Park. We haven’t missed anything. But, we are far from true minimalists. Now that we are looking to buy our next home, we will be happy to furnish it with nice things again. We just won’t go as overboard as we have in the past.

There are a few other things that come to my mind, but those are the big ones. So, what’s left to do?

• Finish off the ski season. Kelly’s got 5 more days to reach her goal of 50 days.  I’ll be out there with her and I also hope to get some more days in the backcountry.

• Play Mr. Mom. Kelly started work last week, so I am on point to take care of the kiddos until I find a job.

• Find my dream job. I have been networking for about a month now and applied for a few different roles. Nothing solid yet, but my dream is to stay living here in Breckenridge and continue to work in IT.

• Buy a home. After sleeping on our friend’s couches and being in furnished rentals the past year, we are ready for a place to call ours again.

Kelly and I will continue to update the Project Pink Day blog until we have fully resettled into “normal” life again. Hope you are all still enjoying following our adventures!