Moving to Motor City

Where do I even begin on explaining how the last year has been for me. Last year I experienced a lot of new things but I know this year will be bigger. This time last year I was a live-in nanny in Georgetown, DC. I got to experience a very fast pace city filled with politicians everywhere. I quickly learned my brand new Toyota was safe nowhere when I needed to street park everywhere. No one cared if they tapped your car. I also learned it can take 20 minutes to drive 3 miles. So if you can it's easier to just walk it. Everything was super convenient in the city just being able to walk to it. Where I lived was legit in the heart of Georgetown, I could walk to M street in under five minutes. Though it was fun living in the city I worked crazy long hours which normally were 7-8:30, including weekends. I also only got 4 days off a month which for a social butterfly like me that's really depressing. I eventually met a guy who took up all of my free days. (Alex who I am still dating) Before even meeting him I knew I was unhappy & missed my social life so I put in my months notice.

From there I moved back in with my parents for a month till I found a new job. Then from there I moved into what felt like a sorority house. I never have been in a sorority but I feel like this would be what it's like. Luckily my best friend Simmer took me in and let me rent out a room at her house. One of the best parts about living there was we had a pool & hot tub. Also one of the great things about it is that I felt like I had a bunch of sisters I could confined in. Thank you ladies! I also learned how to psycho label my food so no one eats it but also how to be passive aggressive, hah hah I kid! I was living there pretty much the whole summer and got super tan from our pool. But I gotta say don't ever sign up to share one bathroom with three other girls. You'll learn time management real fast & if you'll get hot water or not. Probably one of the best summers I've had though. We had awesome pool parties, girls night and someone to spend hours in Target with. Forever grateful for Nicole, Sommer, Skye, & Ashley.

By this time Alex & I were getting pretty serious. We'd been traveling back and forth doing long distance for quite sometime. Even in the beginning of us dating we knew if we got serious enough I would move to him. Which is exactly what we decided to do. Got really hard not waking up everyday to the one you love, plus travel expenses added up fast too. I let my friends and family know I would be making the big move there. Which to my surprise a lot were worried about my safety. I can honestly say since moving here I've never felt not safe but then again I know how to handle myself. I can understand the concern when Detroit used to be horrible but it's gotten a lot better since then. Decided to throw a going away party because seemed like the prefect way for a farewell. A lot of my really close friends came to spend time with me before I left which I'm forever grateful for. Too those who couldn't make it but reached out to still meant a lot to me. My dad even surprised me by bringing family from Baltimore & flying in my grandmother from Texas. It was really touching to me. But one of the things you learn when moving is seeing who cares enough to see you before you go. I learned who really cared and who didn't. We packed up everything I owned in my tiny car, his truck, & a Uhaul. One of the cutest thing Alex ever did for me was put these signs on our vehicles for the drive up. I couldn't figure out why people were honking at me but then would follow it up with a wave. I was being a pretty good driver. Turns out he did something sneaky.
The back of the Uhaul said: "She's making the move from DC to Detroit"
The back of his truck said: "After stealing my heart"
The back of my car said: "Honk 4 true love"
So you can see why I was given so much attention. That's the sweetest thing ever I don't care what you say. After a long drive we finally made it to Detroit & started unpacking.

As I write this today I've only lived in Detroit now for 4 months, 21 days. It hasn't even been six months! But honestly to me it still feels surreal that I live here now. My life doesn't seem real to me it seems like a dream. I have everything I could ever want. I have a wonderful boyfriend and our dog which is all I really need. I do really miss my home sometimes because of family & friends but I just also really miss Wegmans. I feel like this winter has been fairly kind to me. Just the other day in January it was in the 50's. There's just so many great things I truly love about Detroit & I'm excited to see the city come back. One of the things I've noticed since living here is people seem to be nicer than back home, more willing to hold a conversation. Guess it's that Midwest kindness. Some great things we've done since I've lived here: Dally in the alley, Tigers game (Thanks Amy!), tried some AMAZING food, had Joshua visit, celebrated my 25th birthday (I tried absinthe for the first time!), lots of Eastern Market Saturdays, parents came to visit!, Belle Isle, poutine in Canada with Blaine, Fillmore shows, Greektown, and many more exciting adventures. There's so many new and upcoming places to try & explore which I can't wait. I truly hope I can still keep in contact with those I love from back home. If anyone would like to visit please let us know! Detroit is such a beautiful place that I'm thankful enough to call my home. Also extremely thankful to be welcomed with opened arms from my boyfriends family & friends. To everyone I've met since moving here thank you for making me feel at home.