Life Update: Our NYC Move

You may or may not have noticed, but the last couple of months I have been really quiet and disconnected. Ryan and I had a lot happening on the back end of our lives and have had some really exciting changes in the works. If you follow along on Instagram you already know, but we moved to NEW YORK CITY! We rented out our home, packed up everything we owned, and hit the road for NYC.

I still think I’m in denial that we’re actually here. This is something that has been in the works for years. I don’t even know where to begin – – I first went to New York with my family when I was in high school. I came up to take dance classes at Broadway Dance Center and I just fell in love with the city. The first thing I instantly loved was that I felt like I had found my people. I was always kind of that weird girl in high school, and I felt like I never really fit in. I would wear heels and dresses to class in tenth grade and then dress grungy the next day. Growing up, I never felt like there were people quite like me. When my parents took me to New York, one of the first things I did was go shopping and purchased a high-heeled pair of boots (I literally kept them as a memento until recently). I wore them alllll around the city and had the worst blisters on my feet by the end of the day — but I had never felt more like myself.

That was when I first realized that New York was something that called to me. I felt at home and at peace there. Ever since, even from that young age, I’d been dreaming of a way to get myself back up here someday.

A couple of years into Ryan and I’s relationship, we visited NYC as a couple. Seeing the city for the first time as an independent adult, I fell in love with the city’s energy and culture and everything it had to offer. Shortly after, we started to go to New York Fashion Week together — that was a whole new world to me (and a literal childhood dream come true!). Being able to experience that with Ryan, and falling in love with the city all over again is something I’ll never forget. I knew when we spent time up here that it was something that I saw in our future. From that moment on, living in NYC became a goal.

Around 2018, we sat down and started talking about logistically how we could make our dream a reality. There was a lot of logistical and financial planning that went into the process, and it definitely wasn’t always easy. There were a lot of times that I felt like I was never going to get here, A LOT of tears, and a lot of being scared of change. People say when you pursue your dreams it’s not always easy, it is going to be hard — and this was hard. The last couple of months also have been hard. I kept reminding myself you don’t achieve great things if you’re scared and don’t take the risk and follow your heart. So, here we are, following our heart and taking the risk.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s not great timing. There are bigger issues in the world than pursuing our childhood dreams. Is it selfish? — yes, it’s selfish. We moved because we wanted to move. We didn’t have to. We took a risk by doing it and gave up a lot back home. We are going to (and already do) miss our families terribly.

We really don’t know what this move will lead to, but we are so beyond excited and feel like in our gut, this is the right thing for us and for our future. It’s one of the first big risks I have ever taken in my life and it’s scary, but I feel so good about it. I believe in myself and am really proud of myself for being able to make this dream come true.

So — that’s it! I’ve been processing all of the emotions and truly soaking up our last days at home and our special first days in NYC over the last couple of weeks. I’m currently sitting in our (GORGEOUS) new apartment and I’ve never been happier. More updates to come soon!

x Marianne