HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

A year has passed since I moved to San Francisco. Feb 1st marked the 365th day I have been a resident of this magnificent city! There are moments where it feels like a long time ago that I unpacked the car from my 3,000 mile journey. I moved here in pursuit of happiness. I was chasing my long time dream of moving west to the mecca of liberal progression. Life in California is all that I dreamed of and more.

When I came to visit I fell instantly and madly in love with San Francisco. I knew it was where I am supposed to be with absolute certainty. I moved here without knowing ANYONE and without a job. All I had was my faithful canine companion, Derby, and a lot of hope.

I faced many trying moments. The city tested me. Many times she asked "are you sure you want to be here young suburban girl?" And each time I answered her, "YES I am sure I want to be here" Brushing myself off after each fall and adjusting to the many changes I faced in moving to an unfamiliar city far away from friends, family, and everything I knew. I spent 26 years in Florida and it was time to move on. It was time to start a new chapter in my life and re-create myself.

I have since built a community and an expanding circle of friends. I can confidently navigate my way around the city (most of the time), and I feel at home here. I have assimilated to the city culture. I have become a San Francisco cliche and I like it! I walk Derby through golden gate park in the mornings while drinking my home made kale, hemp seed shake out of a mason jar, "epic" and "no worries" have become a part of my daily vocabulary, I walk and bike as a main form of transportation, I refer to places that do not recycle and compost as "the stone age", I can parallel park into the smallest spaces like a professional, I know the schedule of all the open air farmers markets, I have the number for the train schedule predictor programmed into my phone, I am a card carrying member of the bike coalition, and my concept of what is "weird" has been pushed to a whole new level. It is wonderful to live somewhere so beautiful, liberal, and progressive; somewhere I really fit in.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY San Francisco! It has been a year and I can honestly say I am more in love every day!