friday, i'm in love (ATX edition!)

woo hoo! it's been quite the week. the move to austin has been brewing for a while now, and when i got my apartment lease renewal and saw that my rent was increasing by $400 (for a STUDIO. yes, for ONE ROOM.), i took that as my kick in the pants that it's time to go. so i'm selling all my stuff and getting on a plane on april 30th to see what's waiting for me down south! i. can't. wait. my incredible, amazing job is giving me a 4 month paid sabbatical to figure out whether the move is permanent, which gives me some much-needed breathing room. my hunch is that i'll be in austin to stay, but considering how much i love.love.love nyc, it's always possible that i'll be back. so, in honor of my first move in ten years, here's what i'm loving about becoming an austin resident:

the fam.

major reason for the life upheaval. three years ago, my mom, step-dad and 9 year old brother moved to austin. two years later, my sis followed. that left me on the receiving end of saturday morning phone calls as everyone was eating breakfast tacos and on their way to kayak or hike or bike for the afternoon. color me jealous. i haven't lived closer than 2000 miles from family since i graduated high school. i can't wait to be able to go to my little bro's basketball games, sing karaoke with my sis on weekends, and go to my mom's house for dinner whenever i want. and let's not forget the menagerie of animals that come along as part of the package deal.

whole foods

my happy place. i plan on being here every damn day. even better? i won't have to lug all my amazing groceries home 70 blocks on the subway. i can put them all in a car. A CAR!!! i'm going to have a car for the first time ever!

it's the happiest place on earth!
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black swan yoga

obsession. this studio feels like home. over christmas break, i challenged myself to attend 14 classes in 14 days - and i actually did it! incredible. i can't wait to practice here all. the. time. plus i'm really interested in taking their teacher training as well. anyone in austin looking for a digital strategist, copywriter, social media consultant and/or yoga teacher?

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sunshine!

now, i'm really not one that hates hates hates the cold weather. i'm a fan of having four seasons, especially now that i know how to dress for it. i've been to austin in august, and it ain't pretty. that being said, it's freakin' 70 degrees there this weekend. in february. and i could totally use some more sunshine in my life after all the damn snow this year.

this will be me in february next year.
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torchy's tacos
i'm a mexican food fiend. i could eat it for every meal. and austin is the holy grail. my personal fave (and frequent lunch date destination with me and my little bro) is torchy's tacos (trailer park, obvs). i've been known to make multiple visits per day when in austin, so this does not bode well for my attempt at veganism. but if i'm going down, you can be damn sure it'll be face-first in a bowl of queso.

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more space. less rent.

this is usually the number one reason for escaping nyc. the RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH. and it is, but it never bothered me until now. and as i'm figuring out what my living options are in atx, i've realized that for the same amount i'm paying now for a walk-up studio in a brownstone, i can get a brand-new, swanky, one bedroom with a ginormous kitchen right downtown. SCORE!

if i lived here, i'd be home by now. and freakin' stoked about it.
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