Vermont is the state I love: A multi-part series.

"Vermont is the state I love. I could not look upon the hills of Ascutney, Killington, Mansfield and Equinox without being moved in a way that no other scene could move me. It is here that I saw the first light of day, here that I received my bride; here my dead lie, pillowed on the breast of our everlasting hills." - President Calvin Coolidge, 1927

I love Vermont.

I've been in love with Vermont for as long as I can remember, and I began thinking about this particular blog driving home one night on a dark Interstate 89 somewhere between the Colchester and Georgia exits. I was contemplating the recent announcement of a friend of mine was preparing to announce that she and her finance were preparing to leave the state.

I've lived in Vermont since graduating from college in 2001. Each year since, I've watched friends move out of state to either find work or for more opportunities in their career. All this despite efforts by state government to minimize such "brain drain."

I've found this particularly frustrating as Vermont is the place I've wanted to live for a long time. It's a special place where many of my childhood memories were formed. It's a place where I wanted to and went to college. It's a place where I want to raise my family. Yet, As I watch more and more of my peers leave the state, I can't help but wonder, "What am I missing out on, and when will that day come when I have to decide between career and the state I love?"

It bothers me that that question should exist.

Why do I feel like I've made a decision and a commitment to live in Vermont? Why do I feel as though I have made some sacrifice? Why do I feel that my out of state friends assume that I'm making a sacrifice by living here?

I think we'll need to start from the beginning of this relationship...

(Part I of III)