Surprise! I moved!

I’m sure you’re all very curious to know where I moved to, and why I didn’t mention it sooner. I did drop hints on IG though, if you were paying super close attention!

I moved to…

Dallas, TX!

Are y’all shocked? I sure am. And I’ve had about five months to get used to it, haha! I know everyone is going to have so many questions based on the responses from friends and family I’ve told leading up to the big move. I’m going to answer FAQs here, and share more moving behind the scenes on IG and TikTok. So without further ado…

Why Dallas? I though you loved California/the Bay Area?

The very first question out of everyone’s mouths! I have spent the past year or so thinking a lot about what I wanted my next step to be. Especially after settling into my first job, I started to feel ready for something else (not career-wise! But in terms of ‘launching’ myself). Moving out felt like the next logical step. I thought long and hard about staying in California, and what that would mean for me.

As you probably know, the SF Bay Area is one of the most expensive places to live in the US. Honestly, I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars a month in rent to live in a tiny apartment or with multiple roommates. Plus, I’m not a huge city person, and I just know I wouldn’t have loved living in SF and it wouldn’t be worth it for me at this stage. I thought about more suburban locations outside of the city, but nothing felt like a great fit. It’s still crazy expensive!

Another huge part is lack of community. When I envisioned moving back to the Bay Area post-grad, I had really thought more of my friends and support system would be here. Of course I have my immediate family, but I only have two friends (yes, just two!!) who still live in the area. I have been desperately missing what I had in high school and college in terms of friends and a social life. If I moved somewhere else in the Bay Area, I’d just be spending tons of money on rent and probably still be going home to see my family constantly. It just didn’t make any sense, financially or otherwise. And staying home longer wouldn’t be healthy for me or my family (though we all love each other very much!!!) at this stage.

Once I realized that the Bay Area wasn’t the most logical move (a frustrating realization that took me a while to accept), I started thinking of other locations I could live. I knew didn’t want to start over somewhere 100% new to me, because a major part of what I felt I needed was a community of people my age. Major props to those who move to a new city without knowing a soul, but that didn’t feel right for me. I already made a big, crazy change the first time I moved to Texas, so I think I’m all set in that department. When my mom suggested Dallas, it felt right. I do have a love for Texas (some issues too, but not everywhere can be California!), it’s close to Fort Worth (where I went to college), and I have family and friends there as well. It’s affordable, the perfect mix of city life and the parts of suburban life I love, and a great place for twenty-somethings!

I still love California with all my heart – and I am fairly certain (barring any truly unexpected events) that I will end up back in the Bay Area in the future. Plus, my parents are both still in the East Bay, so I will be visiting constantly. Already planning my first trip back…

Did you get a new job?

No! I am so so unbelievably grateful to my manager and team for letting me go fully remote. I have been remote for the entirety of my job and that didn’t seem to be changing anytime soon, so the company did not have any issue with me moving out of state. I absolutely love my job and was not going to move if it was a no from them. I told my manager when I started toying with the idea of Dallas and waited for approval before fully diving in.

Do you have a roommate?

No. I have spent a lot of time (two years to be exact!) thinking about what I wanted when I was able to move out, and living alone was number one. After having a couple of interesting roommate experiences in college and then living at home again for an extended period of time, I was really ready for my own space! Especially since I work from home (the stories I could tell you about my brothers doing ridiculous things while I’m on Zoom!). I am also in a place in my life where I can afford (in terms of Dallas prices) to live alone. I’m a very particular person and honestly I don’t want to compromise on how I want to live in my apartment – decor wise, organization wise, etc. I want to be able to just do what I want and not have to worry about anyone else! Maybe that’s selfish, but I just want a space that’s 100% my own and I’ve worked very hard to be able to do that for myself.

Are you getting a pet?

This one is TBD, haha! Definitely not right away! But I would absolutely love a Cavalier. I miss my animals so much – I just need a kitty or dog to cuddle with!

Why did you wait until you moved to tell everyone?

Honestly, I kept planning to tell y’all and then just figured it would be fun to wait! Plus, I wouldn’t have had much content to share aside from “I signed an electronic document and thought about ordering a couch and called 5 moving companies that won’t call me back” !! Plus I was so nervous it wouldn’t actually end up happening that I didn’t want to say anything and then have to backtrack. It also just didn’t feel real until very very recently! And, while I pay very little mind to internet trolls, I really just didn’t want the unsolicited advice. People on IG loveee to tell me what they think, which I welcome 99% of the time, but not when it comes to personal, major life decisions. This was a situation where I didn’t want the outside noise/input. I just didn’t need it and wanted it to be a fun, exciting surprise to share when I felt ready!

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Eeek I’m so happy to be in Dallas! I’m really really excited about this next adventure and I can’t wait to share more. Stay tuned for apartment posts in the future and be sure to follow on IG or TikTok for all the moving content!

xx, car