Leaving Beantown - It's Long and It's Random

So here is the long-awaited post about my move back to Dallas. Enjoy.

I've been asked the question "Were you excited to move back to Dallas?" a bazillion times. And my answer remains the same: Eh.

Now don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't like Dallas and there's absolutely nothing wrong with Texas. It's just that it didn't exactly happen according to my original plan. And I kind of like things to go my way. There, I said it.

The move back was spurred on by the ending of my apartment lease. I had still been working without a boss (for a total of 7 months) and let's face it--retail was (and is) going down the crapper. So I was faced with the decision: sign for another year and look for a new job or move back to Texas and look for a new job. So I made the decision to apply for jobs in Texas and see if anything happened before the lease re-signing deadline.

It worked out that I got a call from one of the law firms I applied to in Dallas. Did a phone interview, was able to interview in the office while I was in town for Sarah Beth's bachelorette party, and was offered the job the next week while I was traveling to Tahoe for Megan's wedding.

Like I said, it all happened pretty fast and so it took me a while to absorb it. Maybe I still haven't fully absorbed it? Anyway, I miss Boston most days, but I'm enjoying Dallas for today and the time I'm getting to spend with my brothers and friends.

I realized in looking through pictures that I have a lot I never posted from my time in Boston. So follow me as I travel through my picture folders...

Here are some pictures from last February. Erin was my saving grace in Boston. It was so great to have such a good friend to go through the craziness that accompanies a move across the country. I could not have done it without her! And I'm hoping she gets into grad school in Boston because I plan on coming to visit regularly.



This was from the same night in February. One thing we had to get used to was that there are not many fast food restaurants in Boston. Even fewer that stay open late night. So we had to resort to making food or eating whatever you could find in your pantry. This was one of our late night creations made with friends. Doritos, rice and cajun sausage. But I'm pretty sure it was all eaten by me and Erin.



This picture is from when the movie Bride Wars was filming on my street. Massachusetts gives lots of tax breaks for films and it's easy to film "New York scenes" in the neighborhoods of Boston. So...I woke up many mornings to find a notice on the front door that a new movie would be filming that day. So cool, but I still never saw an actual celebrity.



Coleen and Mindy came to visit the weekend before St. Paddy's Day. We didn't do much because Coleen was sick and so we definitely didn't take pictures. But I did snap this picture of our exciting Saturday afternoon. Wall to wall mattresses to watch movies. Great set up. :)



After Coleen and Mindy left on Sunday morning I met up with Erin to watch the infamous St. Paddy's Day parade in Southie. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that the normal 20 minute subway ride would turn into 2 hours. This is all we saw of the parade.



Back in a warm house party.



First and only time to try the fried dough. It's sold all over Boston in the food carts. Kind of similar to a funnel cake, but not as good in my opinion.



I know this picture doesn't seem that exciting, but at the time, it made our monthyear. After trying every Mexican food restaurant in Boston, we finally found a good one in Cambridge. And it couldn't have happened on a more fitting day: Cinco de Mayo.



I took this picture when Jen Steffenauer came to visit. It's a note explaining how this person's headlight ended up on the hood. And who said Bostonians aren't friendly? Too bad it was a note from someone other than the person who actually hit the car.



In June, we decided that a harbor cruise would be a good way to see Boston. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that the harbor cruise was actually a 1993 booze cruise.





But Erin, Wendy and I made the best of it by getting airbrush tattoos.



And doing what we do: judging people and their unfortunate fashion decisions.





This was at the combined birthday party for my Neimans friends: Lisa, Barbara and Dena. Always fun with these girls.



At an event called "The Greatest Party of All Time." So wrong in their description, but again, we made the best of a bad situation.



With Lisa and Wendy. Wendy has a problem with not blinking in pictures.



Snapped this picture of the alley behind my apartment. Not your typical alley, but very nice for me since I walked everywhere.



Brooke came back for a training class in August and happened to be there on her birthday.



Finally! A Red Sox game. The only "seats" available were standing room at the very top of the ballpark. But so worth it.







And these pictures are from my last few days in Boston.

with Wendy and our GM, Lesley



Neimans friends



last night in Beantown



one more of the one million pictures we took that night



the rest are from my last day walking around the city















Good times and good memories. Here's to more wherever 2009 may find me!
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