craigdailypress.com

When my old high school acquaintance Bryce Jacobson called me out of the blue in April, I wasn't sure what to make of his words: "This is a recruitment call."

I wasn't looking to leave Sterling or the Journal-Advocate any time soon. I had plans. My sister was about to get married there, I had a vacation planned, I was in the middle of a big Web-based project at the J-A. Why would I leave?

Well, what he said made me rethink my not-leaving-Sterling plan.

He spoke of a community much like Sterling, with a small, down-home feeling, but enough people, services and options to stimulate the mind and heart. He described to me a newspaper that the community was involved and invested in. He really sold Craig and its people on that call.

I had to come see this place for myself.

What I found in early June was much as he described: a community very much like Sterling, but on the Western Slope and with a few differences in economy and industry.

I officially was offered the job later that month. After accepting, I came back to find a place to live. I really lucked out - and I found it in the Craig Daily Press Classifieds (shameless plug).

Now that I'm all moved in (no, the boxes aren't all unpacked, just moved in), I am trying to get out and meet people. It's going to take a while, but if you see a short, squat gal smiling and wearing a Newsboy hat, I'd love to chat with you.

That's how I am. I'm a people person. That's one of the primary reasons I'm in this business: to tell people's stories.

And now that I've moved to a place where I know hardly anyone, I can't wait to tell (read: edit and publish) as many of those stories as possible.

While I can definitely say that I chose to move to Craig, in a lot of ways it feels like Craig chose me. As Bryce pointed out in a meeting the other day, I'm now referring to this community as a "we" instead of a "they." Craig and Moffat County are now my home.

P.S. My column is called "I" on Life because I go by Jenni with an "I." If we do have that chat I mentioned, feel free to call me Jenni.