Moving and Goodbyes

It is my last night in New York City. And NYC is symbolizing a tale of two cities. There have been so many “lasts/ends” but the sense of new, is also very real to me.

And so much has happened in just the last seven days, so much joy and emotion.

Last Sunday, April 14^th, while packing for our move, Aaron proposed after our last bike ride in New York City. Shocked, surprised and SO happy, we savored our last moments in Brooklyn Bridge Park eating from the Smorgusburg food booths, overlooking the East River over to Manhattan. It was a surreal moment. But without time to spare, we came back home and continued to pack through the night. Our 400 sq. ft. apartment was stacked to the ceiling with boxes and we could barely move throughout it. It was a box fortress. The movers arrived early Monday morning and hauled our stuff from both the apt and the storage unit. An 18-wheeler is now somewhere in Texas with our stuff headed to my parents’ house in Orange County.

Aaron and I have been basically squatting in our apartment for the last week, including sleeping on a twin air mattress…together. We are living out of our suitcases we prepared for the 2.5 weeks before we head to Prague.  It’s sort of a glance for what will soon be our lifestyle for the next 8/9 months.

Last night we had our Goodbye party and people from all parts of our lives arrived. To me it was truly a sign that everything happens for a reason. All of these wonderful people in our lives with so many memories and it was because of knowing them and having experiences that I am able to move on to the next phase of my life. The Goodbye party took place where it all started for Aaron and me, where we met, early summer of 2010, almost 3 years ago.  We had a wonderful time and there were cheers, smiles, tears and hugs, a ton of goodbyes. I am still replaying these moments in my mind.

I leave for California tomorrow afternoon. Flight has been checked in. Car booked. And while so much has happened in the last week, with hundreds of to-dos and musts and checklists, I don’t think the realization had kicked in. Well I can tell you tonight it has. I’ve ordered my last New York City Pizza, listening to Otis Redding and am misty eyed, well more like balling.

After graduating college, living at home for two years to save money in order to move to New York City – I was a woman of will. I WILL live in NYC by the time I am 25. I got things in order and I moved to NYC one week before 25^th birthday. I’ve been here ever since, having lived in five apartments:  two in the West Village, two in the East Village and a loft in Brooklyn. With these 8 years, it is hard to even sum up what it has meant to me. But along the way, I have missed home, missed important home events and I am so excited to be closer to and family and begin to build our own roots there. See you soon Cali.

– Jami