Saying Goodbye to Dallas

I've never experienced a move before and I believe even if you have, each stage of your life is so different. Richard and I are experiencing a mixture of pure excitement, wonder and joy about our NYC adventure...but a very bittersweet feeling leaving our wonderful nest of good friends and family. During this time I thought everything would go by so fast, but it has been quite the opposite. I have been enjoying every minute of dinner with friends, birthday celebrations, church services, bachelorette parties and just seeing people... much more than I have ever appreciated. Friendships and family relationships are such a work in progress and take time to develop and moving to a new city feels like you are starting over again. In my moments of anxiety, I have been reminded by friends that have moved away that you are gaining a new experience and a new network... you aren't losing what you have worked so hard to build...you are just making it bigger and better!

It's funny... when you prepare to leave a city,

you start to see all the reasons you love a city and it's uniqueness.

We've also been told by other "traveling" couples that when you move away from everyone you know ~ you each rely on one another more than ever before...building a new strength in your relationship. Richard and I have been thinking about what we want to get out of our time in NYC and what we want to accomplish. We have started our little list and hope to share those experiences with you in the upcoming months as we head down our journey together. We are pretty pumped!

Here is a glimpse into our lives as we prepare to leave Dallas...

Goodbye Lunch With Our Families :: Tex-Mex Style!

Goodbye Dinner @ Gloria's With Prit & Dana
(2 very sweet ladies I worked with at the City of Mesquite in the Fire Dept)

Goodbye Lunch @ Ali Baba's with my Community Service / Historic Mesquite Crew!

Richard heading off to NYC to meet with our broker and find an apartment!

St. Patty's Day Parade with Alisa, Brandee & Amy!

Richard boo-ing the NY Rangers! :) Our niece, Chloe, was SO ready for some cake at our Going Away Lunch!

Our super cute cake that Bren made! Love her and her talents!

Our "Going Away Fiesta"!

Our "Going Away Fiesta" included a pinata, playing Loteria (Mexican BINGO), Cascarones (basically throwing confetti filled eggs at each other...yep, look at that amazing shot up there) and other fun games! 

Our "Southern Style Farewell" included a crawfish boil and frying just about every food you can think of!
 Fried PB&J and  Pickles were two of my favs!

Our "Southern Style" Farewell!

Saying Goodbye to Sean at our fav spot - Pluckers!

Saying goodbye to Jessa at "Into My Garden Tea Room" in Downtown Plano!

Saying goodby to Grammy at her farewell concert!

My Capital One co-workers!

Goodbye Happy Hour with Richard's Co-Workers!

Richard's co-workers gave him a goodbye sign with a mini-van when they found
out we were driving to NYC in one! :)

Saying Goodbye to Christie & Frank :: Our friends we met in the CARES Program!

Walking Sonny home one last time... It has been such a blessing developing a relationship with her! The night before we left, she brought tons of food (as usual) and two dresses, fingernail polish and cooking pans for us. So thoughtful.

Goodbye Texas!

Jessa goes to New Orleans, Richard goes to New York

New Orleans


I had the opportunity to travel to New Orleans for my job! The retreat was fantastic. We received a tour of the city, looked at the work Capital One has been doing through various nonprofits in the city and experienced wonderful food and fun nightlife! The best part of the trip was doing a deep dive into Charter Schools in New Orleans (including Capital One's interaction model with them) and the amazing work our team has done with the Bayou District Foundation creating Columbia Parc (President Obama has even toured it...even if you don't like him, it's still pretty cool!).

Here is the story of the creation of the Bayou District Foundation:

In the Fall of 2005, in the months after Hurricane Katrina’s devastating hit on the Gulf Coast, a group of civic-minded New Orleans residents formed the Bayou District Foundation. Their vision was to assist in the rebirth of the City of New Orleans by helping to restore the areas in and around New Orleans City Park. Today that vision is a reality. Bayou District Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit whose members include highly engaged community leaders within both the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana.




Bayou District Foundation is constructing a mixed income residential community on the site of the former St. Bernard Public Housing Development and in surrounding neighborhoods. Bayou District Foundation is building a world class 0-5 early education center for 150 low income children and is working with New Schools for New Orleans to introduce a K-8 charter to the Pilotland neighborhood. To complete this 'cradle to college' pipeline; BDF is partnering with the Orleans Parish School Board and the Recovery School District to bring a world class college prep high school to the Bayou District. The Bayou District Foundation effort also includes the restoration of New Orleans City Park’s golf facilities.


Pictures are on this website of the community that we were able to tour: Columbia Parc




Trip Highlights: Parkway Bakery & Tavern for Po-boys in Mid-City, Breakfast at Ruby Slipper (I had an omelet filled with shrimp), Meeting with the Bayou District Foundation, Tour of Columbia Parc (the place-based initiative Capital One has been working on to restore a post-Katrina neighborhood), Tour of Gentilly and Lower Ninth Ward, Lunch-n-Learn on Charter Schools with New Schools for New Orleans, Dinner at Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House, Karaoke Bar on Bourbon Street, Blue Dot Donuts and Lunch @ Emeril’s!

Bourbon Street, View from my hotel (Loew's), Street in New Orleans, and yummy dessert!

The awesome welcome kit our New Orleans team provided - all New Orleans-themed!

Columbia Parc

9th Ward - very cool eco-friendly homes....very expensive. Brad Pitt has a home in this area.

My first "chicken 'n' waffles" experience...it was good!

9th Ward - very cool eco-friendly homes....very expensive. Brad Pitt has a home in this area.

One of the new apartments in Columbia Parc (nice, huh?).

Columbia Parc

New York


Richard had a busy time in NYC! He met with a broker Monday - Wednesday searching for an apartment...they looked at over 30 apartments! He said he was sore from all the walking. We are so happy that our #1 pick (based on location, price, dog-friendly area, square footage) is the apartment we got! It will for sure be a different atmosphere than we are used to, but we are SO excited ! On Thursday and Friday, Richard worked from the NYC Office and had dinner with his new team. He had the opportunity to try a variety of food each night and swears he lost 4 lbs from all the walking he did! He also saw dauchshunds everywhere he went. :)

The entrance to our NYC apartment building!!

Richard preparing for his 3-day apartment search in NYC...check out his super cool spiral!

When Richard wasn't apartment searching, he was exploring the city at night!

Our NYC Apartment!! WOOHOO! Upper East Side in Manhattan!

Food Highlights: Shake Shack, Gray's Papaya, Ray's Pizza,
 Random Hot Dog Vendor, Mughlai, Nanoosh and BlueWater Grill

The crazy amount of paperwork we had to complete for our apartment!

February Fun

Happy Heart Day!

We decided to go on a "duck hunt" this Valentine's! We've never cooked duck before...so we thought we would give it a try! We spent the Saturday night before Valentine's Day shopping at Whole Foods for a duck and yummy sides. Whole Foods now has a wine bar in the middle of the store...you can drink a glass of wine while shopping. So fun!

Duck Hunting!

Getting ready to put the duck in the oven!

YUM

Beard Contest

Richard's beard contest has come to an end. The official voting began this week on TPN's facebook page. Richard is up for: "Best Named Beard", "Best Lumberjack Beard" and "Best Ultimate Beard"

"The Wife Shield"

Kristi's Baby Shower

Our close friend's Kristi and Ben are about to have baby #1! We are SO excited for them. We can't wait to meet Miss Kaylie Petty!

Babyshower Fun!

Jude's 2nd Birthday

We can't believe our sweet little nephew is already 2 years old! Time sure does fly. =)

Such a funny picture! Jude wasn't too sure about his new bike and helmet.

Jude LOVED the balloons!

Mindy's Bachelorette Party

Richard and I are in our friend's Mindy and Evan's wedding this upcoming April! We are so excited for them. :) We celebrated with manis/pedis at Polished, the Omni Dallas, dinner at Hattie's and nightlife nearby!

One of my closest friends is getting married! Fun night out in Dallas with the bridal party.

Pink Pandas

Richard joined a kickball league with another CARES Team that we have become friends with over the past 2 years! They are named the "Pink Pandas"...ha!

CARES

This is our second to last month serving as a CARES Team - very bittersweet as we are just getting to develop relationships with residents in the Corners/Corners East community.

Homemade Italian Night was a huge hit!

Dessert Night for Valentine's Day!

Pickle and Sundae

Pickle and her new toy! She loves playing with Richard!

Sundae is such a lap dog! What a cutie.

We're Movin' To NYC!!!

We are beyond excited to announce that we are moving to New York City!! As you know, we have been talking about our huge desire to move to NYC for over 2 years now. This is a move that we have been in deep prayer and research about... God has provided direction and we are ready! 

Here's the how, why and when:

How: Job relocation. Richard works for an Omnicom Marketing/Advertising Agency, TPN. He has accepted a NYC-based position on the digital marketing team supporting Bank of America. Jessa works in the Community Affairs department of Capital One. They have agreed to transfer her position to a work from home position in the NY-market!

Why: Big dreams. Richard's desire to move to a big city came true when he was offered a full-scholarship to UT-Dallas. His big city dreams have continued to grow and since his first visit to NYC in 2007, he fell in love with the largest and most diverse city in the world. Not to mention, this is a huge career opportunity for him! NYC is the heart of the Ad Agency world and gaining experience in the NY market is huge. Jessa has never moved outside of the Dallas area. Throughout college, the CARES program and her career, she has continued to meet people from all over the world and all walks of life. Her desire to experience new culture has continued to grow with each passing year. NYC is also a hub for the nonprofit realm. Just like Richard, gaining experience in the NY market is huge for her career. 

When: Soon. Richard's transition period is April. We will fly up to NYC in March and lease an apartment and begin the move the following month. We are so blessed to know people in the area and more specifically, people that have made the move from Dallas to NYC. This will help guide our new journey. 

***

Are we anxious? Of course! Who wouldn't be with such a life-changing move! But, we are so excited for the opportunity to meet new friends, experience a new way of life, enjoy one of the most dog-friendly cities in the world and dive into history, culture and food! 

What about the dogs? They are getting excited. Ha! We are in the process of buying warm winter clothes, shoes and rain jackets for the little ones!

Are you coming back to Texas? Eventually, yes! I mean c'mon....we have to come back for the Mexican food at some point. =) 

Does this impact your plan on starting a family? Absolutely not! A valuable lesson we have learned by example from friends and family is that you can start your family anywhere! Whether that be in Nicaragua or Japan while on a long-term mission, Michigan for a job relocation, or Texas after leaving your friends and family up North. This has no impact on our timeline. 

What about a church? One of our top priorities! We already have church recommendations for the area and can't wait to get plugged in! We ask for your prayers on starting our church search. 

Are you no longer a CARES Team? This chapter has come to a close. We have been a CARES Team through Apartment Life, Inc. for over 2 1/2 years. Most couples commit to a 2 year period. We are very sad to leave apartment ministry, but have gained so much from the program. It was a life-changing experience that we will never forget. 

So, when are you buying your plane ticket to come visit us? :) Everyone is invited! 

We want to share this experience with you! We appreciate your support, prayers and excitement as we enter this new chapter in our lives. 

Warm Winter Days

Winter in Dallas has definitely stayed in the warmer temperatures!

I love the weather...Richard would rather be in the middle of a snow storm. ;)

The Village Apartment Community - we love having our own lake, walking trails and gorgeous views.  Pickle and Sundae have been chasing the ducks on our walks lately. :) It has been so nice being able to enjoy the outdoors!


CARES

We are wrapping up our first month as the CARES Team at the Corners / Corners East in The Village! So far, we have held a Breakfast & Mexican Food Night. We have already met a ton of new residents with truly fascinating stories (most from overseas or different parts of the US).

Preparing for our Mexican Food Night!

Even though we are no longer the CARES Team at the Cliffs/Bluffs, we still see Sonny on a regular basis.
 She also frequently drops food off on our door step. haha


The Beard Contest

Yes, you have all heard and seen....Richard has entered into a Beard Contest at work. He has now entered into his final days before the big shave!

The Beard of 2012


Pickle and Sundae

Pickle's favorite spot - our bed!

 Sundae's favorite spot - our laps!

Family and Friends

 The Grants are having a BOY!

Such a fun painting class!

Wine Tasting Party at Bren's House!

Richard's wonderful homemade lasagna for my parent's birthday celebrations.

Uncle Richard "teaching" Chloe and Jude to play the piano with dog sounds (Turbo = Right; Pickle = Left).

 We said a final farewell to Richard's Grandmother this month.
"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord to those who love him and know him."
- 90 Minutes in Heaven