The One Where I Move to NYC

As you know by now, I am a native to Nashville and have always been a southern girl. I have lived in Tennessee my whole life, with the exception of my 4 years away at college. In a general sense, Franklin is all I know. It’s what I grew up with. It’s what’s familiar to me. It’s safe to me. It feels like home to me…or at least it did until recently. 

After a good bit of personal and emotional growth, I quickly started to feel like I was growing out of Nashville and needed to challenge myself and step out of my bubble. Considering I had just bought a house and started a new job about a year prior, this timing wasn’t the greatest, but let’s be honest, timing is almost never on our side. That being said, I wasn’t going to sit back and just wait for everything to fall into place without trying to make my dreams come true. After visiting New York City quite a few times in 2022, and having been a few times prior, I knew this was the place I needed to be. One way or another, I was going to make it work.

It was mid May of 2022 when I officially decided that I was going to move. I tried my best not to put a restrictive timeline on it, but at the same time knew I needed to work toward the goal of moving by the end of the year. I tried to have a “if it’s meant to be, it will be” outlook on the situation and really just tried to take everything one step at a time. If you know me though, you know my patience level is slim to none, so this was a bit difficult, but I knew it would be worth it in the end. Through the incredible support of my boss and team at work, I was able to begin interviewing in mid August for a position that would allow me to be located in NYC and still work at the same agency I was already employed at, just on a different client team. To be completely honest, it was about a 3 business day timeframe of being notified of the position to then having an interview with the hiring manager, who is now my boss. 

In the midst of all of this, I was prepping for my house to be put on the market and also trying to figure out where on earth I was going to live in Manhattan. To say I was a bit stressed, would be an understatement. But I was so excited nonetheless. 

September rolled around and I had just received my official offer for my new role. Around this time, I had also just signed the offer letter to sell my house, which oh by the way I had about 2.5 weeks to pack up everything and figure out what would come with me and what would stay. As if we didn’t have enough going on already, my parents ALSO decided to sell their house and buy a new one just down the street. So yes, in the span of about 3 weeks I moved out of my house into my parent’s old house and then again into their new house and then finally to New York City. 

November 8th was the day I hopped on a flight with 9 bags altogether and flew to my new home. Home sweet, NYC! I will say, through all of the excitement and anticipation, I did have a few moments where I thought to myself “What on earth am I doing?”. I knew though in the end, it would be so worth it in every way imaginable. And let me tell you, it has been the most amazing step I’ve taken in life thus far. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Now I’m a little over 3 months in and I’m loving it more and more every single day. There is a certain magic about being here that I have never felt anywhere else. The opportunities are endless. The options are endless. There is so much life to be had here, and I am so glad I get to call it home. New York or Nowhere. 

Thanks so much for having me, New York City. I’ll love you forever.

The One Where I Went to NYC...Again

One thing to know about me is that I will drop everything to catch a flight to New York City. Just for the weekend? Perfect for me. A whole week? Amazing, count me in. My favorite things to do include visiting my pals, eating my weight in amazing food and maybe having more drinks than I should. Top moments from this past weekend include every single thing I ate, night views after dinner and the most perfect walk around Soho. Check out the itinerary below for a better look at what we were up to for the weekend.

Thursday: “The Best Salmon You’ve Ever Had” at Mister French, paired with “The Yüna”. I can attest, this was some of the best salmon I have ever had. Work was looming the next morning, but we stopped at The Horny Ram for a quick night cap of a shot of Clase Azul then headed to bed.

Friday: Took advantage of the perfect weather and walked to grab a coffee from Starbucks before sitting down to get some work done. For dinner we went over to Chanson Le Salon in Tribeca and were treated with some of the BEST sea bass I have ever had. Also, cannot discount the fries…because who doesn’t need potatoes at every meal. We decided to head to COTE in Flatiron initially to grab a spot downstairs where the vibes were very much giving Rainforest Cafe, but in the most elegant way. We weren’t in a mood to wait for a table, so we decided to grab a few drinks upstairs at the bar. Honestly the night after this was a mix of different bars, going back to the apartment, then somehow going BACK out and ending the night at Catch NYC. 

Saturday: Woke up and had our regroup session of everyone’s night the night before and then all walked to grab a coffee. Honestly there wasn’t enough caffeine in the world to revive me this morning. Tagged along with the boys to have the most beautiful walk around Soho and got a little shopping done. Bury me in Stadium Goods when I die, pls. We followed up by grabbing din at Lure Seafood in Soho, where I had the most amazing sushi…are you seeing a pattern with the food in NYC yet? We grabbed an Uber and headed back to the apartment to take a little nap before we made our way to the Ludlow House in the Lower East Side for a few quick drinks to end the night.

Sunday: At this point, we were all pretty shot from an eventful weekend. We walked over to The Smith in Midtown for a quick bite and pick me up before making our way around the city and taking a stroll by the water. This was followed by a movie day where we binged Goodfellas and several others. For din, it was back to Ludlow House to meet up for some drinks and good food. We called it a night and decided to head home so I could catch my early flight the next morning. 

NYC, I’ll be back so soon! <3

The One Where I Called Off My Engagement

     I don’t know about you, but every time I would ask someone about how they knew their spouse was the one, every response would be “You just know.” I used to think that was impossible. How could you just know such a huge decision without even a second thought?! Well, let me tell you, they were not wrong that this feeling exists. But what they don’t tell you is that you can feel that way, but sometimes in the end you still don’t end up together. Before I go down this tangent, I want to preface by saying this isn’t a downer on this love in my life and it isn’t meant to discourage, but purely meant to share a lesson.

     To set the scene, picture two people meet in a bar. Another thing I never thought was possible, to meet a significant other in a bar. There was something special about him, something intriguing and something that kept me coming back. For the first few weeks we actually spent almost every second together. This was partially due to me catching COVID and him having to quarantine with me…What a way to start off a relationship. 

     A few months went by and I knew we had something special but my brain kept questioning my heart, “Are you sure you’re ready?” When I came to a decision, we became a “couple”, as if we weren’t one already even without the titles. We quickly became each other’s person and best friend, and for some reason I can’t explain, I felt more comfortable with him than I had with anyone else, even some of my friends. He made it easy to be around him and to be myself, and that made me incredibly happy. 

     As time passed, we really began to dig deep into our relationship and some of the struggles we were having and maybe how we could attack those to come out stronger. We found our strength through a relationship with God.

     As shared previously, I had been surrounded by Christianity my whole life, but being able to share this with him was a feeling like nothing else. It really was that strength in the 3 cords; him, myself and God. I don’t say this lightly, but we had issues thrown at us left and right, and did our best to get through it in whatever way we could. Each time we would come out stronger and better together. A year down the road, we had a date night which ended with a diamond on my finger and the answer “Yes!” But boy if we thought what was in the past were troubling circumstances, we didn’t know what was coming. 

     Weeks and months of engagement went by and periods of excitement and sadness accompanied them. We had ups and downs throughout this period until one day the excitement came to a startling halt. Religion became a boulder of an issue within our relationship and the effect it was having on those close to us. I have to say, this was a state in our relationship that I didn’t ever expect to be in, I didn’t ever expect for there to be an end. And sure enough I was staring right at it.

     I was faced with the decision of choosing between a life and a marriage like I had always dreamed and wanted for myself. A relationship and family centered around Christ. Or choosing a life where Christianity would more so be a “me” thing. I have to say I struggled with this choice for days. What to choose when it came down to it? Do I sacrifice and compromise on the core values and priorities I am looking for in a spouse to stay with the man I said “yes” to and imagined my life with, or do I trust in God’s plan and have faith that God has something in store and for me to walk away from my best friend? “How do I even choose that?”, is a question I asked myself repeatedly for days. After long discussions and lots of tears and emotion, I made the decision that I couldn’t compromise. It was not something I was willing to take a chance on. I was not going to force someone to be with me if we didn’t hold the same value on something that held such an importance in my life. 

     When I say this was easily one of the scariest moments of my life, I was genuinely scared for how I would even continue on with life after making that decision. I questioned myself for days and weeks. Was I even allowed to break off an engagement? I had already said yes, can I do that? What will people think? How mad will he be? I don’t want to hurt anyone. All things that went through my head and heart, and honestly still do months later.

     Reflecting back on this, months after originally writing on it, all I can do is smile. The girl who wrote this didn’t know how she would end up or if her heart would ever be full again. Boy I wish I could hug her now and say “Look, it’s all okay! It’s better than okay!” I can truly say I am 100% confident that I made the right decision, and I am so happy with where my life has led me today. Here’s to making many more big decisions.


The One Where My Besties Get Married

  Let me set the scene for one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long long time. Picture 20+ friends, all lodged up in a cabin overlooking the most beautiful landscape in Colorado Springs, with unlimited alcohol and snacks, ready to celebrate 2 of their best friends getting married. When I say this whole trip was amazing, I would say that’s an understatement.

Anna and Jackson are those people that you just instantly click with. They care so much for others and treat their friendships with the utmost respect. Needless to say, they were made for each other and it has been the biggest blessing to watch their relationship grow over the past 8 years.