Michael Northrup

I'm amazed it's been 20 years. In 1987 I definitely couldn't imagine myself as a 38 year old guy, but life since then has been full of amazing people and places. No regrets here. I've really enjoyed reading all the bios posted here so far so here's my life in the last 20 years.

After graduation I went to a small college called Simpson in the middle of Iowa, mostly because I thought it would change my life...and a lot of other folks were going to small, private colleges, right? After giving it a good try for 2 years, I decided it was definitely not for me and I transferred back to UNM. I was never happier being back around my buddies from the classes of '86 and '85 Andrew Breshears, Matt Crawford, Rita Herbst, and Lisa Hoffman. Looking back, I wish I had saved my parents the money, but I learned a good lesson. I got an amazing education from UNM and I'm proud to be a Lobo Alum!

The summer before my last year at UNM I worked as House Manager for the Santa Fe Opera, where I met an awesome guy. As soon as I graduated, we moved to San Francisco where he had landed a great job. I eventually ended up working for Nordstrom and stayed there for almost 7 years, starting in the stock room hanging ties, then moving to the sales floor, then doing some management and then to a position in HR. Although I found myself single a couple of years later, I loved San Francisco and had made some terrific friends, so I stayed a few more years. Eventually the daily grind and the expense began to wear on me, however.

For some reason, I always wanted to live in Seattle (ever read Snow Falling on Cedars?), so with the Nordy connection, I transferred to Corporate HR and moved to the Emerald City in 1997. Shortly after moving I met the guy I spent the next 7 years with. We bought a dog and a house and had the life. A year later I also changed careers and ended up in software consulting (so much for the Psych and Spanish degree...). I've been doing PeopleSoft implementations ever since and I've been able to travel to some amazing cities across the country. Besides enjoying my work and the travel, I've been able to keep up with various LAHS alums including Ann Keller, Lily Hsu, Laura Muir and Michelle Whetten. Ann and I see each other whenever I'm in the Bay area or when she is in NM. Currently I'm on a long-term project in Cambridge, MA, so Laura Muir and I get to see each other all the time, which has been such an amazing reconnection and so good for us both. Being on the East coast has also given me the wonderful opportunity get to New York City frequently and to see Michelle Whetten. We have traveled and laughed a lot together over the years...Italy, Stockholm and the Winter Olympics last year. I can't imagine life without these friends.

My time in Seattle came to an end this summer when I moved back to Albuquerque to be near my family and to be on-site for my new role as Uncle and God Father to my amazing, adorable, smart nephew Soren Wade Savage. My sister and her husband live just down the hall from me and my folks live across town, so it's a wonderful arrangement. Moving back to New Mexico also allowed me to take my 7-year old Chocolate Lab named Ruby and have the best dog-sitters in the world...my parents. I'm not quite sure how life would be without her (or without my family, for sure), and although I only see her on weekends, she is the love of my life and the best thing to come home to. Being in NM again is a big change, but being back around my family is an amazing blessing. I am constantly energized by the skies, the vistas and the food, just like I never left. I certainly left part of my heart in Seattle, and I'll always consider it home as well. It's funny how many of us have lived there ...in some goofy way it reminds me of Los Alamos, just with more water.

So if you find yourself in Boston or in Albuquerque and you want to grab a coffee or a beer, mail me at . I'm really looking forward to see everyone again at the reunion this summer ...hopefully many people who were there for the 10 and a bunch who weren't. I also want to thank all the local alums for all their ongoing hard work. This will be a terrific reunion.  

Mike