A delicious Date Walnut Coffee Cake topped with Coffee Buttercream that goes perfectly with a cup of coffee any time of the year.

I'm two weeks late in delivering this post, but I had to write up my Farewell 2018 post. What a crazy year 2018 was. It was the most transformative year of my life because I moved across the country leaving behind my family, friends, and city. My husband is SO worth it, hence the move was definitely justified, but certainly not easy.

Work

Ahhhh... where do I begin. It was February 2018, I mustered up the courage and told my work that I had to move to California. Luckily, they approved my transfer and I'm now based out of California. This alone was one of the biggest blessings of 2018 since my transition to SoCal was much easier. I came here and got straight to work without too much time to think about home.

Moving Out

March 2018 - It all hit me like a ton of bricks when I didn't renew my lease after living in Jersey City for 9 years. It was official, I had to vacate my apartment by the end of May. This was the first time in my life I ever had to vacate an apartment and move, hence I was in for a real surprise. 🙂

I started cleaning out my apartment, and OMG I am such a hoarder! I donated SO much stuff to Salvation Army & Goodwill, including clothes, kitchen items, blankets, and so many knick knacks. My new rule is to clean out my closet/kitchen once a year and donate whatever I can.

My husband was by my side the last month before the move and helped me clean out my entire apartment. This man made multiple trips to the salvation army, lend me advice on selling all my crap (Craigslist, OfferUp, LetGo), dealt with all the buyers, and gave me a countless number of pep talks.

Travel

During this time, we managed to squeeze in a a week long getaway to Portugal for my birthday. Since it was our first time in Europe as a couple, we chose to visit a place neither one of us had been to. Portugal was amazing and the food was incredible. I highly recommend visiting Lisbon and Porto.

California

June finally rolled around and I landed in California on June 4, 2019. That flight was so painful, but the sunny weather, blue skies, and incredible views made it a little more bearable. My husband is the sweetest and he was especially thoughtful during this time. He made every effort to take me out, show me around, and lifted me when I was down. He reassured me that I could go back home anytime I wanted to... provided I came back. LOL. (okay, maybe not funny)

July and August were challenging months as it started to hit me more and more that California is now my new home. I wasn't ready to embrace it and kept fighting it. This made my transition all the more difficult. Luckily though, I made one friend here who had already experienced everything I was going through, and she helped me get through those rough times. Just having one person who totally gets you can make you feel 10 times better.

Home

I stayed in California for 3 months before I finally went home in September. It was amazing to say the least. The feeling of home never really goes away, does it? After speaking with countless people, I realize that perhaps each time I go home, I will always feel at home, and that will never change.

Weekend Getaway

I finally had the opportunity to explore the California coastline and spent a weekend in Santa Barbara with my husband. Although Santa Barbara is beautiful and scenic, I can't particularly say I loved it since I found the pace a bit slower than what I like (don't hate me), nonetheless it was nice to get away.

Holidays

The year came to an end with spending Thanksgiving with my husband's side of the family, and Christmas with my side of the family. It was so nice to be home for Christmas and seeing all my family and friends. I even had a chance to stay in New York City, and it was magical. The streets I once used to roam and took for granted, I no longer do.

Goals for 2019

As you can see my 2018 was all about transitions and adjustments, high and lows. It's been a good year because I've seen tremendous growth in myself. The one thing I feared most was moving away from my family, and I'm pleasantly surprised that I actually moved and conquered my biggest fear. I'm proud to see how far I've come along because I didn't actually think I could do it. It's been hard letting go of everything I've known, but I try and visit every few months to keep myself sane.

I hope in 2019 I will feel more at home in California and build a life for myself here. I truly do like California, but it will take time to call it home. In the meantime, I will take all the great advice I've received on Instagram DM and try to make friends within my community. Thankfully, I'm the type of person who only needs 3-4 friends to feel content.

And last but not least, as far as my blog goes, I hope to deliver 2 posts a week in 2019 (I'll try). It's important for me to engage with my audience, and a platform like Instagram allows me to do that so effortlessly. My hope is to deliver quality, healthy-ish content, and listen to your requests more.

Here's to 2019 bringing us all health, love, happiness, peace, success, forming meaningful relationships, and great food. I will leave you with this delicious Date Walnut Coffee Cake topped with a Coffee Buttercream Glaze. My husband, mother-in-law, and our family friends all loved this cake. Hope you do too! Happy New Year!