Hello from the road.
Today, we're on our way to Omaha.
Yeah. I know. Not the most glamorous road trip destination, but not the worst by any stretch of the imagination. We are leaving Chicago well rested and full of love, after quite the "hello/goodbye" type-party at Matt's mom's yesterday.

So, needless to say, I probably won't have recipes for a while. And though this may not mean much to many of you, I figured it'd be nice to share some of our final moments in the city that has been Home, to me, for the past ten years. Between the freezing temperatures, the packing of all our worldly possessions, and the well-attended farewell party we had last weekend-- it was the absolute definition of bittersweet to say goodbye to our friends, our apartment, my parents' house, our favorite stomping grounds... everything.

I don't know what this adventure will bring. I don't know what California will hold.
All I know is I will miss these moments, these faces, these places, that lobster roll (obv), and everything else my fair city has offered me over the past decade.

Oh, Boston. I love you so. But I've got to go.

I'm currently sitting in a living room in Chicago, watching more snow relentlessly drop from a gray sky. We are halfway along on our cross-country voyage to Los Angeles, and I have a lot of photos and recipes I need to sort through from our final days in Boston. Our last few weeks out there passed in quite the blur-- after a decade in the city, it took all I had to sort it out, pack it up, and move on out. It still hasn't really hit me that we don't live in Massachusetts anymore. There's so many people and things I am going to miss.

Toward the top of my Boston miss list is, of course, Mei Mei.
I've been on team Li kids since the beginning -- watching them turn their food truck dreams into reality like the smart, scrappy business owners they are. This past November, the siblings did it again and opened their brick-and-mortar restaurant in Audobon Circle.

2008 sounds like a long time ago.

I suppose it wasn't, in the grand scheme of things. But to me, right now-- it feels like worlds away.

I was still pretty fresh out of college, reeling from a breakup with a dude whom I'd thought, at least for a few moments, could have been "the one."

(Spoiler alert: I was way wrong.)

I had just landed a "real" job, working for a mobile startup, that I thought could be the dream gig. (Spoilers again. I was so right.)

And then I found myself in an apartment in Medford, California scheming with one of my roommates and best friends.

We'd head out west for a week.

Or ten days, actually, because when you're twenty three, somewhat reckless, and armed with paid vacation time-- why the fuck not?

So we did. We hopped a 5AM flight from Logan to LAX-- our cab driver on the way to the airport gawking at the length of our trip.
"You gonna come back and the birds a be chirpin," he remarked.
We laughed. And hoped it was true.
Seven hours and one Atlanta layover later, we found ourselves in paradise, crashing with two of our buddies from Chicago, who'd lived in Boston for a bit before this stint in Los Angeles.

And then it happened. Around 4AM Pacific standard time, the day after we arrived, with gin on my breath and my heart in my chest, I leaned in and planted a kiss on Matty.

We'd always been friends.

I'd always had a crush.

But I never thought it would happen like this.

New Year's Day was a good one.

We dragged ourselves out of bed around noon and ventured down the street to our friend's house-- he's kind of a big deal chef in Boston-- on the promise of homemade sausage gravy and buttermilk biscuits.

He and his wife put together an amazing last minute brunch that featured all kinds of delicious treats, a few hours of Cards Against Humanity, and mimosas until the sun set.

We capped the night at our local dive before heading home.

Happy New Year to all.
 

This was an epic year.
One that saw me compose seventy blog posts (70!) about everything from food, to travel, to love. (The dogs wrote a few, too, I suppose. So let's give credit where it's due.)

I started the year off by promising to blog better-- aiming to share more moments, better photos, good recipes. I think, as I close this year out-- I am finally getting there. With a massive rebrand  of this here space in progress, and better food posts than I've ever had-- I think it's safe to say I am holding up my end of the "blog better" bargain.

I hereby promise, so it's in writing, to do even more this coming year. But for now--

Here's ten moments that will forever leave me nostalgic for 2013.


February
Day after winter storm Nemo pounded Boston with over two feet of snow. We ventured out to see how our neighborhood had weathered the storm. The local dive let everyone know their status via snow message.



March
Ozzie turned two, and not that I am one to make a big deal out of my dog's birthday, but I'd be remiss to recap this year without a nod to my first-born-puppy-child. Words cannot describe the love and happiness this little white guy has brought us. He's also an excellent blogger.



April
We went to Chicago for Matt's 30th birthday. His twin brother's wife threw them a hell of a party at a dive bar. Matt and I danced like fools and drank like drunks. It was the weekend before Marathon Monday...and it puts a pang in my heart thinking about that trip. 



May
Found myself on a business trip to Los Angeles, and suddenly weighing the pros and cons of residing there permanently. I was reminded just how much I love California. More importantly--I started to picture myself living there. And I liked it.