Blast from The Past

Evy is so excited to see Brit again! :)

Saturday night my good friend and college roommate, Brittany, and her wonderful husband, Remy, spent the night with me here at my apartment in St. Louis as they made their way on one heck of a move from Flagstaff, AZ to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. That's a drive of approximately 2,450 miles, in case you were wondering!

Evy, Britt & Remy :)

Brittany and I, as I mentioned, were roomies in college. Back in 2006 I moved over 1,300 miles from my home in St. Louis out to Flagstaff, AZ to begin my college career at Northern Arizona University. Boy was I excited (and scared!). If you know me at all, you know that I am a big lover of the "wild west". Something about the mountains has always stirred and called to my soul. Moving to the beautiful mountains of Flagstaff was a life changing experience for me.

Beautiful Flagstaff

The funny thing is that Brittany was actually NOT my original roommate. It was happy circumstance that brought us into each other's lives. The university had more students then available housing for its incoming freshman class in 2006. I was lucky and got put into a permanent dorm immediately. Brit was in temporary housing at the university's joint sorority/fraternity housing unit. My original roommate and I got along OK, but we weren't friends by any means. When my original roommate joined a sorority on campus, she moved into the sorority house and Brit moved in with me. I still remember hitting it off the very first night she had moved in. I was nervous about getting a new roommate, but it turned out to be a huge blessing. Brit is actually the person who encouraged me to pursue working with animals as a career. I was a business major when I came to college, and without Brit's advice I probably would still be in the business field, but not nearly as happy as I am now!

I only wound up staying in Flagstaff for my freshman year of college. I moved home after 9 amazing months (for a variety of reasons, it's a long story). For the longest time I felt such a pull to return to Flagstaff. It was really difficult for me because I felt like I couldn't be happy in my current life unless I would up moving back out that way. I tried several times to return to Flagstaff, but it just wasn't in the cards for me. One day, I had the huge realization that happiness is found inside of you, wherever you may be, and it isn't necessarily found in a certain physical place.


This month will mark the 7 year anniversary of Brit and I meeting and becoming friends. It's hard to believe all the changes that 7 years has brought: We both have gotten married and were bridesmaids in each other's weddings. Brit was married in Salt Lake City, UT on November 11th, 2011 and I was married in Estes Park, Colorado on June 12th 2013. Brit graduated from Northern Arizona University and is off to Canada with her hubby. Matt and I have had a beautiful baby girl. Seasons come and go, and thousands of miles have always separated us, but Brit and I have remained close no matter how many years or miles come between us. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing and special friend in my life. It isn't everyday that you meet someone that you feel an instant connection with.

Lots of Love,

Giuli