selfish.

i know this isn't about me.
actually, it has very little to do with me.
but it has every affect on me.

one of my very best friends has made the decision to leave break up with the city.


this happens all the time. people are always coming and going in new york, it's part of the transient nature of the city. but this time it's personal. this time, a little piece of my new york is shifting with the change.

jamie was my first real friend in new york. she was also my co-worker. she moved to new york 1 week after i did. she said "y'all." she lived 5 blocks away from me for 2 years. she shared my love of quality tv, broadway musicals, mexican food, pop culture, country music and jesus. clearly we were instant friends.

three and a half years and countless adventures later, we're counting down her final days in nyc. and i'm happy for her, really, i am! she's starting a new chapter of her big girl life in atlanta. with a seriously fantastic new job that couldn't be more perfect for her. and i'm proud of her! and excited for her! and all that stuff i'm supposed to feel about this change.

but in all honesty...you know...if i'm being completely truthful...i'm really very sad for me.

jamie is one of my people. she's someone who has experienced this whole crazy new york thing with me from the very start - from day 8 to be exact. i don't know new york without her. my new york is not the same new york without her.

we've shared every struggle, every celebration, every heartache, every annoyance, every happiness, every everything with each other for the past 3.5 years. i can't even begin to find the words for how much this crazy girl has meant to my life. it's true that new york can change you. and in our case, new york has shaped us.

we were just 2 southern girls who decided to move to new york city. and work in advertising. and live in a city we loved. and now we are very good friends. great friends. lifelong friends.

so now as i prepare to send her away from me and away from this city we are both so fond of, i'm struggling not to make this about me. because it's not. it's the realization that in moving across the country, god can bring you to some of your best friends in life. and how it doesn't really matter where they go when they leave new york behind. it's because of new york that they will be best friends for many many years to come.

xoxo friend. i can't find the words to say goodbye and i definitely can't imagine nyc without you, so please visit lots! love!