Homesick for... Hurricanes?

Most of my weekend's actions are meaningless because all of my weekend's thoughts were centered on Hurricane Irene. During a time where I find myself more homesick than I probably have ever been, within the first week of leaving NYC/NJ, that area has experienced an EARTHQUAKE and now a HURRICANE?!! It's positively surreal to think about and absolutely heart wrenching to be this far away. I know there's nothing I could do to help my loved ones and much-loved places if I was there, but it was hard to feel so helpless and slightly guilty for being half way across the country during NYC/NJ's time of need.

Luckily, everyone evacuated and came through okay. I was so relieved. :-)

The highlight of the weekend was Friday night when my friends Skyped me in to a dinner party. It's so great when I Skype with friends. It makes me feel more a part of their lives and like I'm almost there.

I miss everyone so much and am so glad everyone is okay.

First Week At Work

I have a feeling this is going to be a very short post, as I don't really have too much to report from my first week at work. But I know a lot of people have been asking so I thought I should say something...

Work seems fine. The people seem really nice and a few have gone out of their way to join me for lunch. My boss even took another coworker and I out to lunch on Tuesday, (she was out on Monday.) I'm especially excited that my boss is very hands-off. I am far away from the land of micro-managing and it makes me feel like a 500lb weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

I've had a pretty slow start. I didn't have anything to do until my first meeting on Thursday so I watched training videos to brush up on my coding skills until then. The great thing is that these are tutorials that I was planning on watching in my own time anyway and I already have learned so much. The projects that have started seem very manageable.

The most interesting thing about my new job is that I have a PC! I haven't used a PC for years (I've only been using Macs) so it's been interested re-learning all my usual shortcuts and getting used to the new set up.

Overall, it matches my expectations and I look forward to learning a lot here but I can't picture being here forever.

First Apartment Happy Hour: Epic Fail

One of the reasons we picked our apartment building is because they have "resort style living", which means they are very social and even throw a happy hour once a month. Since we don't know anyone in the area, we thought this would help us meet people.

Tonight was the first happy hour and we had been looking forward to it for awhile. We were some of the first people there and I enjoyed the appetizers while Mark enjoyed the refreshments. Then, our neighbors started filling up the restaurant. The crowd was filled with young professionals and many couples, people that we thought we could easily have a lot of things in common with. Everyone looked very friendly. So friendly, in fact, that everyone already seemed to know each other besides us. Mark and I stood alone in the middle of the floor as people walked around us greeting each other. We had met and talked with one girl at the beginning who happened to sit next to us, but besides that, we didn't talk to a single other soul. (I don't count the occasional "excuse me" when someone needed to get past us to grab some of the free appetizers.) Determined, I made us stay until the end and stand in the middle of the room instead of hiding in the corner. And nothing... Epic fail.

Now I'm not going to go blaming our neighbors. I'm sure if I was busy catching up with others, I would have not noticed the newbies lost at sea in the middle of the crowded room either. It's not their fault, but it made me humbly realize two things:

1. I am far away from home.
There was this one guy, (we'll call him "Texas Guy" in reference to his t-shirt,) that seemed to know everyone. There was barely a person that entered the room that he didn't greet with a sincere hug and people just seemed to gravitate to him. Texas Guy had lots of friends here, Texas Guy ruled the roost. Back in Hoboken, I could rarely leave my apartment, even to walk a few blocks to the store, without running into someone I knew. Every night that my friends and I would go out, we'd always run into others we knew and often, we'd know the bartender or bouncer working that night. Many of my friends had met each other through me. I was Texas Guy in Hoboken (or at least had his confidence.) But in Texas, Hoboken Girl means nothing...

2. I have no idea how to make new friends and I've never had to before.
When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be the "new girl" in school. I would fantasize about getting a fresh start and reinventing myself. But, we never moved and I never got the opportunity. The friends at my senior lunch table were essentially the same group of friends that I had sat with since kindergarten.

In college, sure I was new. But so was everyone else. And there were classes and social events that made it easy to meet new people, especially because they were also new and wanted to meet each other. Even then, since I went to college in the same town that I grew up in and many of my high school friends were still in the area, I didn't feel motivated to make new friendships. Some of my current best friends I did meet in college, but they are all people that I had class with. Otherwise, who knows if I would have met anyone.

In NYC/NJ, I had a group of friends already in place since many of my college friends already lived in the area. Mark asked me how I met people in Hoboken and I realized that the only new people I had met, (besides those I had met through other friends,) I had used an opening line that would not apply down here, "Hey, didn't you go to CMU?" Sigh...

This is really my first time in this situation and I have to humbly and honestly admit, I suck at it! I default to a very shy, naive demeanor and hope that people approach me. I mean, how am I supposed to approach someone else for a friendship? It's not the same as picking up a guy at a bar. I can't smile at a girl from across the room without her thinking I'm not only creepy but interested in something totally different. And once I do strike up a conversation, how do I take it to the next level? Asking for a phone number again just sounds creepy. And super awkward.

I am clueless. I miss my friends, family and my identity back home. Mark was so supportive and encouraging, suggesting that we try going out to a bar after the event was over to see if we could have any better luck. But I was not up to it. I just wanted to go home. And the closest I could get was upstairs in our new apartment to go to sleep and dream of a land far away...

First Day in Dallas

I woke up this morning and at first didn't know where I was. It only took me a moment to remember but it felt like I was in a hotel on a trip. It will probably take awhile until I wake up feeling like I'm at home. We got to work right away making a list of things to buy and spent the day shopping for things for our new place (so exciting,) having a lovely Tex-Mex brunch (hello eggs benedict made with "taco meat") and Mark made a wonderful salad for dinner with some of the groceries we had bought. It was an awesome first day and I'm very excited to see how my first day at work goes tomorrow. Since I haven't even met my new coworkers, or been inside the office (although we did a drive-by today,) I am nervous and curious to see what my new office is going to be like.

Mark's amazing dinner:


















Things I saw on our shopping trip that I would have never spotted out east:

Hello Texas!

I flew through Charlotte. I knew I was waiting in the right gate for my connecting flight when I noticed that the guy next to me and the girl across from me were both wearing cowboy boots. When I got to my seat in the plane, the loudest girl in the concourse with a baby sat next to me. A guy with a shirt that said "You have to pay for this gun show" and only one tooth on his top gum sat behind me. It felt like a long flight. But as we got closer, I started to feel butterflies. Anxious, excited, I'm not sure what except the feeling of "Wow, this is really happening."

As soon as I landed in Dallas and saw Mark waiting for me in the baggage claim, everything felt wonderful. All the stress of worrying about getting evicted from my Hoboken home melted away. All the worry about the move was gone. It was just my wonderful boyfriend and I together again and it felt great. Mark had brought me gifts. I got my set of keys for our first apartment and a cowgirl hat. Yeehaw! We got my bag and headed to the apartment. It was amazing, just like the model we had seen but with a small patio overlooking the pool. I started getting excited thinking about how we could decorate it together. There wasn't much time to look around though, just enough time for a quick change and then we were off to our first event.

We had made reservations to do a meetup that night (from meetup.com) for 20/30-somethings in Dallas at a steak house in Addison as part of Restaurant Week. We figured it was a great way to meet people. Everyone seemed shocked that I had just landed two hours prior and had great tips for the area. The people were really friendly and we had a lovely dinner. The highlights were when a lawyer admitted that she carries a gun with her in her purse, (at first I thought she was kidding,) and a pilot from jetBlue revealed that jetBlue would be starting flights between Dallas and NYC starting as soon as December! (I had been very disappointed that my favorite airline didn't run to Dallas.) Addison apparently has the most restaurants per capita in Texas and I'm sure we will be back many times to explore that area.

So far, so good.

Defying Gravity

This past week has been wonderful.

I knocked off the last and most important thing on my "To Do Before Leaving NYC" list and saw Wicked, so powerfully beautiful, even from my seat in the next to last row.

After 5-1/2 years at my job, they threw me a goodbye party and before I knew it, it was my last day. I've learned so much there but I knew it was time for me to move on and that I will keep in touch with the wonderful people I have met there.

Friday, after my last (half) day at work, I hurried home to meet the movers. Luckily, my friend Khal had let them in. They had found a parking spot but unfortunately had to tow someone that had illegally parked in one of our blocked-off spots. I was so glad they made it and got my things. And I have to admit, it was very special to me that they are the official movers of the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates since I am rooted in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, there was some drama though. The one mover gave me some attitude about him forgetting to pack some things. And then a mover called the management company on us, claiming that the movers were scuffing the newly-painted walls in the hall. First of all, there was not any marks when I went out there to check. And second of all, who does that?? The reason this is at all relevant is now the management is asking what we're moving and I'm getting very nervous they're going to figure out that we're subletting the apartment. Which could get us evicted. Granted, I do not live there anymore, but my roommate does and I would never want that to happen to her!! So scared about that and saddened all my stuff is gone.

After my things were all packed up and shipped off, it was time to get ready for my going away party that one of the closest people to me in the world, Lindsay, was throwing. I did not feel up to a party. I was in a horrible mood from the movers and thinking about leaving. And then, I got a call. Apparently there was a huge storm on the way and people were starting to cancel. At that point, I really didn't even want to leave my apartment. I understood that some people couldn't make it, I probably wouldn't be able to go either if I lived far, but the weather just seemed to match what I was feeling and the thought that no one would be able to show up seemed like the last straw. All I could worry about was if my brother was going to make it. I could not imagine being able to leave the city without getting to at least say goodbye to him.

Nervous, I willed myself off the couch from where I had let the time fly by as I stared blankly at the apartment that was now stripped of my things, and forced myself to get ready. I am so glad that I did. So many of my friends made the journey to see me, some from far away. And there were some really wonderful surprises. Lindsay had put together a journal where everyone wrote goodbye notes to me. She had made a wonderful dessert for the occasion. Several other friends brought awesome decorations, wrote touching cards and gave me Godiva chocolates, (I found it really funny that all my friends' gifts were Godiva chocolates, they know me well.) It was a wonderful night and my brother made it. He even had a card for me which he had drawn a lovely goodbye comic inside. When he left and we said goodbye was the first and only time I teared up that evening.

It was a great night with some of my favorite people. I went home and stayed up reading all the messages people had written. They were so sweet and some were very funny. I fell asleep on my couch (the movers had taken my bedding) feeling very ready for the the next day. At some point along the week, I had discovered that what I was feeling was that my life was going to come to an end when I moved to Dallas. I was searching for closure, to be at peace with how I left things in NYC. And I had found that. I also discovered that my life in fact was coming to an end, but only that chapter of my life. A new chapter was just beginning.


The journal Lindsay had made me.







The adorable comic my brother had drawn in his card to me.













I woke up the next morning and could see the sun shining through the windows, the storm was over and it looked like a beautiful day outside. I felt great. And then I started thinking more about my fears of getting evicted and felt very worried. I met Lindsay for breakfast and some errands and wished my roommate Kix goodbye. They walked me out as the car came to take me to the airport.

It was finally time to, (as the Wicked song says,) defy gravity. And move to Dallas.

Things Are Looking Up: A Tearful Goodbye at Church & Movers Rescheduled

Today was so much better than frustrating Friday.

I started my day at church and was surprised when I was called up to the front following the prayers. Pastor had written a heartfelt goodbye, with such personal things as mentioning Rwanda, Haiti, and my cake pops that they "will miss so much." A tear rolled down my face. She handed me the microphone to reply and I did the best I could to thank them for the amazing impact they had had on my life over the past few years. Following her blessing was the exchange of peace and as I walked back down the aisle, I was greeted by my friend Courtney, in tears. We bawled and hugged right there in the aisle. It was so sad and genuine and I felt like it was hitting me that much deeper, this was really happening and THIS is what it means.

Walking back from church, I felt like after spending all weekend freaking out about the move, I was starting to bounce back. It's like I had to reach my low to start to come back from it. And I was starting to feel better about everything.

When I got home, I called the mover and they were able to reschedule for this Friday, August 19th in the afternoon, right when I'd be back from work. Perfect.

Maybe things are going to work out after all. :-) Things are looking up. Six more days... The countdown begins. Tomorrow, I start my final week at macys.com!

First Attempt At Moving: Epic Fail

What a frustrating day. Last night I had found out that I could get the street blocked off through the Hoboken traffic utility for the moving truck, excellent! (My reoccurring concern about this move was that the movers were not going to be able to find parking.) So I went down to the traffic utility early, soon after it opened to get a pass. They needed to know how big the truck was. Okay, not hard, just call the movers right? So I thought... It turned out my phone wasn't working and the movers couldn't hear me. My fabulous boyfriend came to the rescue and called them to discover it's a SIXTY TWO FOOT TRUCK?! Uh oh. I returned to the parking utility to find out that that sized truck was too big to park anywhere in Hoboken. This would be a problem. I found a pay phone, (apparently a few of these still exist?) and tried again to call the movers. And, of course, the pay phone was broken. Mark called them again and we found out that it in fact was only a 26 foot truck. Wonderful! Back to the parking utility. Unfortunately, that size is still too big to park on the street in front of my apartment (which is metered and you only need a 2hr heads up to block off.) It would fit on the side street though. But, since that is not a metered street, a 72 hour advance is required. Seriously?? They suggested I put out courtesy signs available on their website and cross my fingers... After all this running around, I get snacks and drinks for the movers and let in Mark's amazing father, Keith, who had graciously offered to stay in my apartment and let the movers in while I returned to the photography class I was enrolled in this week.

I return to class and watch my phone. And watch it. No lights, no nothing. Not a peep. For hours. Then, 5 hours after Keith had arrived at my apartment, I received a call from the movers. They couldn't find parking and would have to reschedule. (I guess my neighbors weren't so "courteous" after all... More likely, they were all already at work and weren't even home to see the signs...) And the person that will reschedule my move wouldn't be back in the office until Sunday. WHAT?! I called Keith and thanked him and felt awful that he waited there for nothing. I then proceeded to freak out. How am I going to get my stuff to Texas? Is this all a sign that I shouldn't be going? I was so glad I had been cautious and planned the move for a week prior to when I was flying there so I had plenty of time to figure out a plan B, but at the time all I could think was "I'm screwed".

I returned to Hoboken to sit on my stoop until someone opened the door to let me in, (I was locked out because I had Keith leave my keys on the mat outside my apartment door and my phone decided to die again so I couldn't reach my roommate.)

What a terribly frustrating day.

All Booked

Before: I had made a decision. Signed a document. Given my notice. Told friends and family.

But today: I bought a ticket. A one way ticket. To Texas. In August.

Wow, this is really happening. Plans are slowly coming together. Besides my one way ticket, I also booked movers today to come and not only move my things, but pack everything. This seemed like the easiest thing to do and the best way to avoid fragile items getting broken, leave the packing to the experts. And luckily, it really wasn't that much extra money.

A side note about these movers: they're the official movers of the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins and come highly recommended from my friends. There's a certain kind of irony that my things will have to pass through Pittsburgh to get to Texas...

So I officially have a plan! Here it is:

August 12th: Movers come to take all my worldly possessions, pack them up and drive them down to Texas
August 19th: Last day at my old job
August 20th: Fly to DFW (with a stop over in Charlotte)
August 22nd: Start at my new job

(Sometime between August 17th and August 27th, my things will arrive in Texas so I will have to pack enough clothes for a few weeks when they come on the 12th.)

Other updates:
• Mark got the keys to our new home! He sent me pics but I can't wait to see it in person. :-)
• I started a pinterest board for inspiration for the decor to our new apartment. (I probably won't post much until I get into the actual space and see what we need.)