Life Update: Screenwriting Class, Living in Denver, and Heading to the Beach!

Hi Friends!

I thought I would take some time this week to update you on what’s been going on with me! … And some exciting things that are coming up. 

Let’s talk about life in Denver, Brian & my upcoming stay at the beach, and the close (for now) of 2 hobbies that have kept me busy over the last few months: ski season and my first ever screenwriting class. 

Denver Life

Now that we have lived in Denver for about 9 months I feel like I can express more of an opinion on what living here is like. One GIANT caveat- I don’t think moving mid-global pandemic can be considered the “normal” experience. And it definitely showed right when we got here. For the first few months of settling in, we really didn’t have friends, and for 2 people who have lived in the same city their entire lives, that was HARD. However, it was probably the most fun time of our relationship so far. Living together, cooking together, finding favorite TV shows, and spending quality time together all weekend was the best. Since then, we’ve established a pretty amazing group of friends. Most are also Atlanta transplants that moved around the same time, or just after, us. For that, we feel extremely lucky.

Let’s talk about the differences between Atlanta and Denver because that’s what I find myself doing more often than not around here. 

1. Denver is DRY. Which, for the most part, is the best. The snow is gone in about a day, my hair and dishes dry in less than an hour (yes, really), and it never rains. AND it is SO SUNNY. About 300 days of the year if I’m remembering correctly. I will say I do not miss the rain. 

2. Denver is pretty cold. It snows from Sept-May and that has been a huge adjustment. The first few months were so exciting because I had never seen so much snow, but now it’s the middle of April and I’m ready for some consistent warmth. 

3. Everyone here values being outside. It’s pretty insane. The traffic to get to the mountains is unreal because everyone heads west first thing Saturday morning. I definitely feel a little out of my depths sometimes (like every time I go to REI), but it has been great for my mental health. By the time we are on the way down from a hike, I feel like a new person. So.. yes, I now have hiking boots, hiking socks, beanies, base layers (what else sounds like something I’ve never owned before in my life?)

4. Denver is a much smaller city. There are way fewer chains, which is amazing, and it takes way less time to get anywhere than Atlanta. But it definitely doesn’t have the same big-city buzz. A lot of the things you take for granted about a big city - a variety of restaurants, a huge airport, big companies, just aren’t as common in a smaller city like Denver.

Overall, we have really liked it so far! I think Atlanta will always feel like home and we won’t be in Denver forever, but I’m excited to see what the city is like when it opens back up again!

Learning to Ski! 

I learned to ski! We spent one day a weekend skiing every weekend this season. Pretty much every time we drove out, we found ourselves feeling like we were going on vacation. It has been great to live so close to the mountains, where it feels like you are really (like, really) leaving the city in just an hour. It’s been a long time since I’ve learned a new sport or really picked up a new hobby, so it was definitely an adjustment to learn something brand new but ended up being SO rewarding! I ended the season skiing Blue runs, which was my goal, and Brian got pretty good at jumps and even skied his first Double Black! I also wrote a whole post about my experience learning to ski, so you can read that here if you’re interested. 

Screenwriting Class

Help I’m in love. My journey to screenwriting has been at least a year in the making and it felt SO GOOD to take a class and really learn about it! I took a few on-camera acting classes in Atlanta last year, and it completely opened my eyes to jobs and an industry that I honestly never considered reachable. Pretty much since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve been writing: poetry, short stories, and have started a few scripts. I just finished a virtual 4 week Screenwriting 101 class with Lighthouse Writers Workshop. We learned about how to structure a screenplay, write action, dialogue, character descriptions, and about the industry. It was so fun! We also got to start our own screenplay and get feedback- which was invaluable! I can’t wait until I get to take another. I’m also in a new Writers Group with some friends from class that starts next week, so I’ll keep you updated on what it’s like.

What’s Next? We’re Heading to an Island!

Brian and I are heading to Fripp Island today! We are so excited to spend time in the sun, relaxing. Brian has some time off work and I’ll be working remote - which also means ON Eastern time! I’ve been working Eastern time from Denver since we moved, and while 9 times out of 10, it’s amazing to get off early in the day, I am excited to “sleep in” until 7 or 8 for a few weeks. We’ll be staying with my Nana (thanks Nana!) for 3 weeks and can’t wait!

Stay tuned on my Instagram (maybe even Tik Tok? Who is she?) for real-time updates on our trip. :) I’m excited to share it with y’all.