What Happens Now?

This totally isn't goodbye. Just the start of something even more awesome.

So clearly with my awesome news comes the big question – what happens now?

I’ve been a dating blogger for nearly four years. Through those years people have always asked me “what happens when you meet someone.” I never really had a clear cut answer because I didn’t really know and I always just figured I would handle it when/if that happened. And, truth be told, I wasn’t sure if that would happen so I figured why worry about it until it actually did.

Well now it’s happened.

I started blogging because I had something to say and I loved to write. I didn’t really set out to become a dating blogger, but sort of fell into it because I had a lot of crazy/fun stories to share and it fit my style of writing. And I’ve loved every minute of it.

Through the years blogging has been a huge part of my life. It’s helped me to meet many wonderful people and also played a big role in my decision to move to NYC. It’s also helped me to grow as a writer (and land a few wonderful writing gigs).

The point of my babbling is that I don’t want to stop blogging and it seems really silly to give it all up. I don’t want that and Mr. T doesn’t either. He’s incredibly supportive of my blogging and writing (another reason I totally adore that man).

But obviously I know that it will be difficult (OK, OK probably impossible) to go on as a dating blogger. As one friend said to me on Twitter on the night of my engagement, I am now the worst singles blogger ever. And clearly Not What I Ordered isn’t really a fitting title anymore.

So, this will be my last post on Not What I Ordered and I have started a new blog called Last Call which is where I will be posting from now on. If you’re a fellow blogger who has been so fabulous to include me on your blog roll or favorites I ask that you change to reflect the new blog.  Just replace everything with Last Call and the new link (http://lastcallblog.com/). And of course update any kind of feeds and such so you’ll be alerted when I post on the new blog.)

I chose to start a new blog in order to leave Not What I Ordered as is. There are a lot of links to my blog out there and I don’t want to mess any of that up. And I really just want to keep Not What I Ordered so it can stay what it is – an account of my life as a single woman. It’s important to me to sort of preserve that. It was a significant time in my life.

I don’t want to totally abandon the whole dating and relationships thing – it just can’t be the focus of my blog anymore. Last Call will be more of a lifestyle blog. Relationships and dating will come in there from time to time. So will things about wedding planning and such. And I can guarantee that I will have a lot to say about the transition I’m making. But overall, the theme will be life and all the things that happen while you’re living it.

Also, as a side note, you’ll also be able to read all of my articles about dating advice over on We Love Dates. I promise to be better at positing them on the new blog. I also tweet them and post them regularly to Facebook so look for them there.

It’s my hope to continue to inspire women – single or not. It’s also my hope that all of my loyal readers will continue with me during the next phase of my life. I’ve enjoyed answering questions/interacting with everyone over the years and definitely want to continue to do so.

Happy Anniversary: One Whole Year in New York City

Exactly one year ago today, I arrived in New York. The night before, my mom and I packed all we could in her car in the middle of a rainstorm. I cried a lot that night. Partially for the belongings that I left behind. Partially out of fear. Partially out of excitement.

We came  to Brooklyn, from Chicago, by way of a 14-hour drive. Overnight. I seriously have never eaten that many gas station hot dogs in my whole life. But we made it without much of a hitch. We only managed to get lost once. Seriously Google Maps, you have to make directions to the Holland Tunnel a little clearer. This is the second time I’ve had to guess my way through it. Did I mention it was also raining here?

So here I am, a year later and I honestly can’t believe it’s been a year. And, I have to say that I am pretty darn happy. I’ve had some fun times and some not so fun times. But, Brooklyn feels like home. I feel like my life is here (that’s still really hard for me to say).

All in all, I think moving here was a lot like how I expected it to be. And, you’re stuck with me for another year Brooklyn (and I’m pretty sure I’ll be here a lot longer). So, with all that, let’s take a happy anniversary stroll down memory lane. Shall we?

• A few days after moving here, I met up with a guy from OkCupid. A few days after that, the guy came over to my apartment, touched my boobs, and then left. True story.  

• I discovered a tattoo place near my apartment that only has a $40 minimum -- that's a rare gem in NYC. Really lots of places for that matter. But I also discovered that I have no self-control when it comes to visiting said tattoo shop. 

• I dealt with a couple of crazies from OkCupid. One who, after I rejected him, said he was just taking one for the team anyway. And the other who said he'd like to have sex with me, but I might make his penis look too small.
  

• I dated a freegan who liked to dig things out of the trash who also ended up in the psych ward just after I ended things with him.  Though, I don't think being a freegan had anything to do with that and I am not sure if ending things with him did either. That's a story that I haven't had the courage to share yet. Another time, another place.

• I tried fried pickles. Then, went to Hoboken and had them again. And made a little trip to the Brooklyn Bridge.

• I went to The Strand where I found cheap copies of Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, Silence of the Lambs, and that book about men and women being from different planets -- whatever it's called. Something about Mars and Venus. It was $1.

• I discovered that Brooklyn is a pretty amazing place to live. In fact, I really love it here. And, no, it has nothing to do with that damn hologram Jesus. I am pretty sure they have those everywhere. 

• And let's not forget about the Badoo Project.

• I also realized that Mr. BST can suck it (am I allowed to say stuff like that when I'm almost 32?). I'm not technically sure if that has anything to do with being here, but I think it helped some.

• I've made trips to Central Park and Prospect Park. And, had more than my fair share of drunken nights (not in the park). One where I didn't get home until 7am after making out with some guy in the bar and being proposed to by the cab driver. Though he was the only one after three cabs who would actually take me to Brooklyn, so maybe I should have married him. Also, the guy at the bar wanted to take me home but Taylor wouldn't let him because she said (and I quote) "he's going to murder you."

• I met a guy who I actually considered seriously dating. It didn't work out, but we've managed a friendship. It's a good friendship and he's actually becoming one of my most favorite people to hang out with. And that's not because he has a car and took me to Ikea (and bought me two hot dogs). He's also super creative so we are working on a really cool project together. Stay tuned for all of that.

• I met the most amazing hairstylist named Rocio who works at a salon called Rare in Tribeca. Seriously, she does awesome things to my hair. And I'm not just saying that because she tells me how cool I am and how much she loves when I come in for a hair cut. She also did not pay me to say that.

• I met a guy off of OkCupid locals. He was a refugee from hurricane Katrina. He took me to all these crazy old man type of clubs (and was also a little offended when said old men kept checking me out). We ended up going back to his place and it was the scariest thing I have ever seen in my life. I didn't stay very long.

• I finally had the courage to rock red lipstick. And, figured out that it suits me pretty well.

• I've also met many amazing people and made lots of friends. There are too many of them to name in this post (especially since it's already 994 words long). But, they know who they are. And, they are largely responsible for all the awesome experiences I've listed on here.