You can take the girl out of Cali…

I wrote this at 4:30 AM last night, so make of that what you will. 

I’m about to take on a huge, life-changing event: moving from the west coast to Boston to live with my Scallop. ❤️ Man, I never thought I would leave California. Though I was born in Illinois and lived there as a kid, I’m a California girl, through and through. I love drives along the coast, lazy days basking in the sun in Ventura or Carpinteria, fish tacos, hikes in the chaparral, and In-N-Out. My parents were both raised in the San Gabriel Valley and met at Pasadena City College. My grandparents on both sides all grew up in Los Angeles: Inglewood, Watts, Alhambra, and El Monte. Though my dad’s side was active in the Finnish community and he even lived in Finland briefly as a teenager, my family are Angelenos. How am I gonna adjust to Boston life? 


I’m fortunate to have Nick there, along with my friend Drew and some really amazing extended family out in Western Mass. I really like Nick’s friends that live out there, too- Tom and Rui are both great. The thought of leaving behind my life, my parents, and my best friends is a scary one, but I need to make this leap. I love Nick, and Nick needs to be in Boston for the foreseeable future for his job. Physical touch is too strong of a love language for me to willingly continue being long distance when I have this opportunity. Plus, jobs in pharma pay significantly better on the east coast. There are plenty of good reasons to head on out there. 


Still, California is home, and I’m going to miss it dearly- especially in the winter. I’m glad that Boston has ocean, at least. 


A few years ago, I thought I’d be marrying Ryan and staying in Orange County, sending our future children to University High School. It’s crazy how much has changed, but I’m happy for both of us. We’re both chasing down the lives that we want. 


I wouldn’t make this change for anyone else. Nick is my best friend, my catalyst for growth, and the one my heart never knew it needed. He has seen me at my ugliest, worst, neediest, and most base- more than anyone else in my life- and he still loves me wholeheartedly. I have never known such radical acceptance and forgiveness. I love his sense of humor, the way he teases me, and his adorable laugh. I love how deeply he cares for his friends, and how much he does to help them and me. I love his immense loyalty and the way he prioritizes his relationships with loved ones. I love his Scorpio edge- how he can seem aloof and a bit jaded, but he has such a gentle and sensitive and loving heart underneath. Even when we argue or disagree, he consistently seeks to understand and empathize with my feelings, which means the world to me. 


I have a history of dating Arab Scorpios that teach chemistry and grew up in another country (talk about having a type), but I made a *much* better choice this time around. I love his razor-sharp intellect and curiosity and how it makes our conversations fizz like dry Cava in a champagne glass. God, I am so attracted to his smart, sexy brain. My dad, a biochemist with a Ph.D., told me approvingly that Nick is one of the most intelligent people he has ever met, and I don’t doubt him. What I love, though, is that Nick is so humble about it, and so down-to-earth. I love his big nose, which deserves all the kisses, and his silvery-blue eyes and his dirty blonde hair. I love his raspy voice and the fact that his Texan accent comes out when he’s sleepy. I love his encyclopedic knowledge of country music, and I love that he constantly reaches for my hand when we’re together, if I haven’t reached for his first. I love the way Nick loves and stands up for women without being self-congratulatory about it, and how he’s secure in his masculinity, so he has no problem admitting he loves Britney Spears and Dolly Parton. I love that I have never felt such strong chemistry with and passion for anyone in my life. Ugh, he’s such a babe. I adore that boy. 


I’m still gonna miss In-N-Out, though.

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