Seven years in Boston, seven years of my adult life, seven years of unforgettable people, times and memories. Boston has been the one thing that has been constant in my life since August 1, 1998. Through school, boyfriends, jobs, friends... that is the one commonality. And the one thing that has been a staple for me during my entire adult life, is about to change.
I moved to Boston only four days after I turned 18. On August 1, I packed a U-Haul with all of my things and drove to Beverly, MA. Beverly was where Dana was, my first boyfriend. We started building our lives together; I was basically starting from scratch. My first job was at one of the MIT Libraries. Making $10/hour was the highlight of my first few months; where I grew up, it took years to get to $10/hour at the local jobs. I applied to schools and started Wentworth in January of 1999. For the next three years, Dana and I spent some amazing times together. We traveled around New England, and even out to Minnesota; we moved a couple times and Dana and I settled into a new home that he purchased in Lowell. However, while I loved him dearly (and still do), things just didn't work out the way we had both hoped.
In June of 2001, I found myself living in a college dorm room for the summer while I searched for an apartment in the area. It wasn't until the summer of 2001 that I actually started making friends at school, going out into the community, and creating an identity for myself. And that August, I fell in love again.
Both Nick and I swept each other away... having re-read some of the letters and cards I've found while packing, it was obviously we were in love. We spent the next two years supporting each other (me in school, him at work), grounding each other, having fun, traveling extensively and just having a wonderful time. Of course, there were bumps here and there, but overall we had an awesome relationship. I was also finishing school and graduated in August 2002 with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. I forced my father to recognize that I was in a relationship with someone when I insisted Nick be at my graduation despite my father's uneasiness about my 'lifestyle.' Everything was fine.
Nothing hit me harder in my life than the day Nick returned from a business trip in San Diego to tell me he thought we should end things. November 2003 began a short downward spiral for me. I was extremely depressed and at my lowest weight ever (106lbs.). It took me MONTHS to recover (and some days I realize I still really haven't completely).
After our pre-planned trip to Brazil over New Year's 2003/2004, I returned to the city and moved to downtown Boston, Chinatown to be exact. A few months later, things were getting even better as I landed a great job as a web developer at Digitas. I started to build some close friendships, met a lot of new people, and became more social. In fact, I sadly turned into a scene queen, making appearances all over town almost every night.
I started traveling on my own, and with friends, around the country. Paul G. was one of the very first people I befriended; he was just moving here from Orlando. While I manged to flub up the friendship recently, I still count him as a dear dear friend. In the Spring of 2004 I met Aaron, my partner in crime. He lives in Minneapolis, but it hasn't really put any strain on our friendship at all. I love him dearly. That June, I met Eric L. while he was here in town on a business trip. I later flew to San Francisco to spend a weekend with him and his friends (yes, this is the first Eric I got caught up with). And as far as boys go, there was also John, Isaac, Luke, Eric M, Jonathan... **sigh** As time has passed, 2005 has already seen me growing up even more, getting a promotion at work, and really finding out who my true friends are.
Nasty Girls, LLC is a joint venture between Robert, Stephen, and myself, started back right before the 2004 holiday. In less than a year's time, both Robert and Stephen have surprised me with their generosity, selflessness, and above all SHAMELESSNESS! LOL! I count these two as my sidekicks, they really are. Lifting me up when I need it, and letting me blab on about everything and nothing without becoming bored of it all. We are like brothers, and I'm going to miss them a ton.
Most people know I've wanted to leave Boston for a while now, but now that its happening I don't know how to deal with it. My schedule is being broken; no more Club Cafe on Thursday followed by Embassy with Robert and Stephen. Walking to Buzz in a matter of minutes to see my friends and get a kiss from Derek at the bar. Being convinced to go to Avalon or TRYING to convince a boy to meet me there. LOL! Things just aren't going to be the same. I guess that is the beauty of change.
But seriously, its more than that. While the phone is always there, it just isn't the same. I will miss all of you beyond belief. You can be sure that while I'm sitting in my apartment in Brooklyn, counting all of my nickels and dimes to save for a cosmo, I'll be remembering all of the great times that I've had in this city and all of the spectacular times I've had with all of you. I can't even explain what a sense of loss it is.
On the bright side, y'all have a place to stay in New York. So, I better see you soon!
I LOVE YOU GUYS!!
