Goodbye New York, Hello New Orleans!

This weekend I said goodbye to the city I love and embarked on a road trip to New Orleans to start a new chapter in my life. Although I am excited to move to a new city, I am also a little afraid. I have called New York my home for almost 24 years. It is where I feel safe and loved. I have a wonderful network of friends and colleagues in New York who will now be separated from me in both space and time. It is daunting to think about rebuilding that social support in another place. Which is why I didn't fully acknowledge I was moving until the day of. Fortunately, I have two little girls in my life who kept me distracted from my sadness (and helped me pack)!

The same girls motivated me to document my journey down south. I decided to send them pictures of my progress to make them smile and to let them know I am still thinking about them. To make the pictures feel fun and personal, I included two significant stuffed animals (a turtle and a bear) to represent each of the girls. Check out the photos from my roadtrip below...

Now it's official: I am a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana! Speaking of which, does anyone know what New Orleans residents call themselves? Is it New Orlander? Or maybe New Orlandite?