A few people have been asking about my moving plans/details…or lack thereof…
So here’s the deal: Cross-country moving is not exactly a piece of cake. And yet, this fact (that would ordinarily stress the bejeezus out of me) doesn’t even phase me because of where I am moving to. HOME!! I feel so at peace now that I know we are definitely getting back to the West Coast.
Our days in NYC are numbered, but at the same time, there is still some flexibility in regards to how and when everything goes down (especially at my job). For the time being, I’m pretty much just going with the flow, enjoying New York and all the amazing things it has to offer.
Go with the flow? No solid set plans? No anxiety about the unknown? Who is this girl? ME!! This is how I used to be. This is my California persona returning. THIS is a good sign. I have enjoyed parts of the New York lifestyle, but what I have not enjoyed is how stressed it has made me. Stress is fine when it is warranted, but when it is for something as absurd as missing a subway train (when you have no reason to be in a rush whatsoever), then it tends to interfere with good living. With happiness as my ultimate goal, I have no use for pointless stress in my life.
To me, California represents how care free I used to be; how much I lived each day to the fullest; how work/school were not the things that defined me; and how spending time with my family and friends (not making $$) were my priorities.
For now, what I DO know is that the onset of May will bring my last shifts at the hospital, after which Kyle and I will be packing up our pint sized apartment and peacing out to sunny California. In the subsequent months we will be spending time with family and friends in both Northern and Southern CA, with a couple of trips to Mexico, Washington, and Vegas in between.
So, that said, am I nervous about leaving a good job and heading West without any job set up? Nope. Kyle and I will both be unemployed for several months and, sure, it may not be the ideal situation, but it’s just money. We are responsible, motivated individuals with full careers ahead of ourselves, and I have no doubt that we can bounce back from whatever financial obstacles come our way. Wedding planning is basically a full time job anyways, though.
I will return to nursing soon after the wedding, and since Kyle will be in school, I will be the one bringing home the (soy) bacon (in addition to the loans we will get for B school). But enough $$ talk. It’s boring and not the focus of this post. I just wanted to write to answer some of the questions I’ve been getting and to say that it’s ok to deviate from set plans. It’s ok to not know where the next week will take you, or the next month, or year…hell, if finding yourself takes a decade, it will be worth it if you do. There’s no point in forcing yourself into a mold if the fit isn’t right. Life’s too short. And in the words of my (younger, but very wise sister) “Yolo!” (you only live once).
In my opinion, having the freedom to enjoy yourself and LIVE it UP while you are young is something that should take priority.
*Disclaimer: I am definitely not advocating dropping out of school and/or abandoning your academic or career-oriented future, nor am I condemning those who are driven. I’ve been there done that (not the dropping-out-of-school-part) and I’m just saying it’s not how I want to continue.
Phew. Wordy post. Let’s get to the food now, shall we?
Sunday was another work day, so I packed my goodies up the night before.
Two tupperware salads, Himalania Goji Berry raw trail mix, pretz/raisins/carob chips, apples, and carrots. Where the bars at yo??? I’m taking a break from them at the moment to try and up the real food and minimize the processed food. Convenience will eventually come back into play, but for now, they are on hold. Ya dig?
The layers of goodness in the bigger tupp included spinach, red bell peppers, chickpeas, carrots, and raisins.
In the other tupp was edamame and corn topped with Bragg’s liquid aminos.
Work was good, same old, same old. After a looooong 12 hours I got home and decided I was craving savory oats.
Ordinarily I go with nooch & veggies in my oats, but there was a package for me that made me change my mind a bit.
I love Gooooooold. Austin Powers anyone? Haha. So the nice people at Garlic Gold sent me the above goodies, and even though I’m not a lover of garlic, I thought I should give it a shot…I mean shoot, Kyle’s out of town, so bad breath wasn’t even a factor.
The organic EVOO and toasted organic garlic added a richer flavor to my oats, and to be honest, I actually liked the garlic-y taste. A convert? I may just be.
I also added nooch, peas, corn, and some of the Garlic Gold sea salt nuggets.
Delicious.
Thanks again Garlic Gold! I have so many new products I still have to try, so stay tuned…
Post dinner, I Calm-ed down with this tea (har har har – I crack myself up).
And on that note – adios!
I cannot begin to imagine how hard cross-country moving would be. One day I hope to move to Seattle, so I’ll be going through what you are!
I’m so proud of you for looking for the carefree you of California. Cross-country moving seems difficult, but it’s so refreshing to hear that you’re up for the challenge, knowing it will only bring inner happiness in the end. Your work snackies look yummy as always :). Keep on going, girl!
Have a lovely day!
xox
Elise!!! So happy for you!!!!!
The carefree return, the homeland return, being unemployed and not having a plan. Perfect.
I am a total type A planner but i can also go with the flow. Case in point i have lived in 5 states in 10 yrs and have lived in 11 diff dwellings in 10 yrs. Scott and i threw our crap in the back of a uhaul and left chicago together (after dating for 6 weeks!) and drove to NC and the beach. We unloaded and lived there 2 yrs, then SC 2 yrs. Then CA for nearly 6 now AZ. This has been the only crappy move but point being, live it up, live your life. It will all work out. And my gawd, you’re ending up in Ca. There are worse places..like az! but i digress 🙂
Good for you for following the path that feels right!
I am totally rooting for your California persona.
Long after you’re gone, living in the land of sunshine and dreams, I’ll be here, screaming hysterically at the subway when the doors close just a second before I can get on the train. And no one will even glance at me. Because they’re all screaming inside.
(Sorry, NYC…I do love you…really, I do…)
I know you can bring home that soy bacon when you need to.
I think that you really have a great approach to life. Good for you for not getting caught up in the regular BS (i.e., stress, money, etc) and for concentrating on what is really important to you like the people & places you love.
I’m not even going to wish you luck because I don’t think you will need it!
You are right, the NYC and CA persona’s are so differently. Since we have moved to CT from CA, I can tell a shift in myself and I miss my CA self.
You guys are going to have a great journey! Going back home…I can’t wait until we are at that stage. 2 more years and then we will be West Coast bound!
Hi Elise,
This is not pertaining to this post, but where on the UWS do you get those carob-covered raisins?! I’ve looked everywhere! Thank you!
Hell yea to being young and living it up while we can! I admire your attitude and try to embrace it in my own life, too. With each post, I can tell how much happier and at peace you are, I swear!
Why have these golden garlic people not contacted me? I’d love to try! Ahhh oh well!
Have a fab Tuesday, love!
That sounds SO exciting! I’m definitely jealous 🙂
You don’t like garlic? Isn’t garlic the predominant flavour in hummus?
Good luck with the move and love your attitude towards life!
~Jess~
xoxoxo
Gary Null’s Uptown Whole Foods (it’s not “the” Whole Foods) – it’s on (89th and B’way) they have a bulk bins section that is sometimes better stocked than Whole Foods
definitely not. garlic is only in the garlic flavored hummus and i never buy garlic hummus. whoa, i just said garlic 3 times in one sentence. ha!
holy crap…do you have a regular moving crew that knows you by name now, hahaha. i kid, but i really really hope you guys get some good news soon. although, maybe now that you have discovered the small free gym in your complex it wont be as bad waiting out the next month??
i hear you – i recently decided to take an extra year off before grad school to travel. it felt REALLY awesome to go with the flow and not have everything nailed down. all in all, if you know you are doing what’s right for you, you so don’t need to have concrete plans.
You sound SO much happier! I can tell my the tone of your post… not that your others posts weren’t happy… just less happy than this post. Okay, so while i dig myself a little hole, haha, my point is I BET YOUR SO PSYCHED 😀 So much respect for you and Kyle and the fact that you are flipping what you know is not working in your life and taking the initiative to do something you love even if uncertainty is involved. I hope i can embrace that same attitude when it comes time for me to graduate and move back across the country 🙂 Oh, and i am totally with you on the bars right now…
I agree with your life philosophy 100%. I went travelling for a year after university with no plan for afterwards. In fact, afterwards I ended up packing a bag and moving stateside to be with a boy I was pretty sure I wanted to be with.
Life takes guts – sometimes doing “nothing” (which I read as “all the good stuff”) is a lot scarier than following a straight path.
Good on the pair of ya. Oh and (soy) bacon made me chuckle.
YAYAYA! I can already hear the California-you. I’m so happy for you guys. I want to be a go-with-the-flow person too, and am trying to figure out what changes I’m going to have to make to be that person I know I have in me.
Love your attitude! I agree that NY def. has made me more stressed. Sometimes I wish I stayed in Maryland where I went to college just because it was more relaxed there. California would be nice too! Haha one day…
Rubia!!! Ah-mazing post! And the talk about moving is good too. =) Love the incorporation of garlic AND gold…haha. You know this girl grew up with garlic goodness all day everyday and I’m on board with trying almost anything that has garlic in it. (‘Member when I told you I had garlic ice cream at the Stinking Rose? Well, that garlic combo wasn’t my fave.)
Anywho, I’m so excited for the west coast move and so is everyone else on this side of town. Your future hubby is trying to convince me that I too need to move to the westside, so we can beach it up, and let’s just say, I am pondering the idea.
p.s. Will you take a last minute NYC visitor? 😉
So glad that your more relaxed self is already returning! You’re taking such a great perspective on this whole situation–just go with the flow and enjoy life. Best of luck in the transition!
TWINSIE. when is your ETA to LALA land? although i am SO happy for you guys, I am sad that I am moving just as you are moving back 🙁 talk about bad timing. Looks like I’ll be moving in the fall but it’s so funny that you talk about not having plans because i was JUST saying the other day that I want to disappear for a little while and travel and not have any plans. Think I’m going to take a month (or two) to myself and travel, have a stress-free move to nyc and give myself time to get to know the city before jumping into a job. anyways, can’t wait to see you soon!! xx
PS- i think my name is now showing up as my travel blog that I started. it’s still in its infancy but I set it up to document my past and future travels- im planning on going to peru for a while in oct and wanted a place to start my travel writing career (my dream job…). check back for updates 🙂
-rach xxxxxx
im soooo happy to be coming back, but as for our timing in swapping places, well, that sucks. im excited to check out your travel blog, though 🙂
sooo excited for your visit. i have a massive list of restaurants that we need to hit up before i move away…so you are going to be mi companera for it all, ok? ok.
man oh man can i relate. i wish you a speedy 2 years.
I have been seeing this Garlic Gold a lot lately….I NEEEED to get some 🙂