Real Life: No longer the Kentuckian... Kinda... Ish

After a short stay in Kentucky, I have decided it was time to move on. I remember when in 2013, I posted "I am the Kentuckian!" from my super suite room. I did not get the tassled jacket or the coon hat. I should've.

It was not an easy decision as during my time here, I have met a lot of very awesome, funny, and interesting people I will cherish for the rest of my days.

During my time here, I expanded my professional horizons significantly, started and established First Ones Entertainment. Created a mostly regular game of NeoExodus. I turned 40. I attended Gencon, Origins. ActionMan is no longer in pre-school. I nearly died. I discovered bourbon. Got to see my Montreal Canadiens in action. It is a chapter of my life I cannot turn without some tears, which is not all bad. It means that you, my fellow Kentuckians have conquered my heart.

I know many of my readers are laughing at "Kentucky!? Its just a derby and fried chicken!" Well... you aren't quite wrong. It is THAT, but there is so much more to this place and its people!

If you like it so much, why are you leaving, JP? I hear you asking. There are number of reasons, but the biggest one has to do with my health, both physical and mental.

Physical because I have to change things and become more active. The wake up call I got in November literally threw everything I love and do out the window with two exceptions: my marriage and my family. Everything else was re-hashed, re-evaluated, and the subject of long reflections.

Mental because of the typical stresses of the job. I worried over the summer A LOT about my physical health and I came to the conclusion that staying would mean more of the same. While I love what I do (I'm pretty much changing jobs for the same thing different industry), I could not do it in a way that pleased me here and that allowed me the peace of mind to get it done.

Sounds melodramatic? Yes. A little for literary excitement.

Seems like a good reason, what is sad about it? Well after 18 months of pushing forward solutions and trying to get them approved, it was recently announced that we would be moving to most of the solutions I was championing! Yup. I "win" and then decide to leave...

So where are you going? Not very far... I'm heading south to Nashville, TN. A nice drive really. I'll be coming back almost every weekend to be with the family and perhaps sneak out to Moonlite for some Legacies... I'm gone but not fully.

The family is not yet moving to my new haunt of Nashville, TN. They will finish out the school year and we'll take it from there. There are still many months to go!

Console yourselves, I already have join a PFS game there tomorrow! (Shout-out to Thea!) I will be taking the kiddos there and we'll have a family table. Both girls are pretty excited about going to Nashville, and ActionMan expects some hockey... Which there isn't. Not this weekend.

JP