I celebrated last New Year’s Eve in Minnesota and now I am ending the year as an official Texan.
2015 was wonderful, but exhausting.
James Sanna and Aaron Kraemer getting married in Boston.
A bloody Mary and the New Yorker Magazine at the Washington DC airport.
Alyssa Edwards at the Dallas Gay Pride iLume block party.
Dancers at the iLume block party.
A dramatically lit mansion in Highland Park.
The bartenders telling the crowd to get out at the Bedlam theater in Lowertown, St. Paul, Minnesota.
A puppy at Mackenzie Pub in downtown Minneapolis.
The Kellogg Park Fountain and with the First Bank Building in the background.
The distillery tour at Du Nord Craft Spirits in Longfellow Minneapolis.
Car shenanigans on Fourth of July weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Rouge at the Lounge, a nightclub in downtown Minneapolis, near the stadium.
Will has had it in front of the Calhoun Beach Club, in Minneapolis.
Bingo and Beer in Loring Park at Twin Cities Pride 2015
Canadian artist Peaches Performing at Twin Cities Pride 2015 in Loring Park.
Peaches at 2015 Twin Cities Pride Concert in Loring Park, Minneapolis.
Julia Star at the Gay 90s drag queen pageant during 2015 Twin Cities Pride.
Mason’s Barre in downtown Minneapolis, my new favorite bar.
Absolut Moscow Mule at Cossetta’s Rooftop in the West 7th Neighborhood of Saint Paul.
Grand Old Day Cheese Curd Stand.
Mom and Christina Jackson, at Lush Food Bar’s Saturday bingo.
A girl passed out on the patio of Lush Food Bar in Northeast Minneapolis. Too many bottomless mimosas.
An intoxicated man falls down in the middle of Mears Park in Lowertown, St. Paul.
Eating solo in the Uptown Tavern in Minneapolis’s Uptown neighborhood.
Nighttime dog walks around the Mississippi River in Lowertown, St. Paul.
A foggy day in downtown St. Paul’s Lowertown district.
Hugo in the snow.
Phaedra Simone performs on stage at Flip Phone’s Beyonce Brunch in Minneapolis.
Phaedra Simone and Belize Rodgers perform at Mattie’s on Main.
This was the year that I finally made the leap to escape Minnesota.
I frequently talked about relocating to a bigger city, but an ending lease and relationship made me realize that it was “now or never.”
I wasn’t prepared to live through the horrible dating scene in Minnesota again, and my job lets me move wherever I want… so it was time to go.
Me Leaving Minnesota.
Decision to move to Dallas was made via spreadsheet.
I listed the things that are important to me in a city, assigned weights, and ran the numbers for the biggest cities in the country.
Dallas came out on top.
A spreadsheet of cities that I may move to.
Settling into Texas was easy…once I finally got here.
The online search for an apartment was almost as bad as the epic road trip down here.
Gunter was the last thing left in the apartment, which was cute but slightly sad way to end that chapter of my life.
Gunter in my empty apartment at Lowertown Lofts in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota
Gunter the Chiweenie n my empty apartment at Lowertown Lofts in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota
I ended up at iLume Park (aka Melrose Place) – a residential hotel in the gayborhood with a hilarious cast of characters.
My neighborhood is full of recent arrivals to Texas and the building happy hours and parties make it really easy to meet people.
I successfully transitioned into work as a remote employee, adopted a new dog, and made more friends than enemies (I hope…)
Came across some furries at the Station 4 / S4 Nightclub in Oak Lawn, Dallas
One of my neighbors with a waiter from Tallywackers, the gay Hooters in Oak Lawn, Dallas.
Sometimes iLume Park Happy Hour gets a little strange. Although this isn’t the oddest thing we’ve seen in Oak Lawn.
Nestlé Crunch Cocktails at the iLume Park pool.
Candice, Collin and I at British Beverage Company in Uptown, Dallas
Duvel is my favorite beer, which is why I brought it to the Christmas Party.
Equality Vodka hosted a breakfast cocktail party at iLume Park.
iLume Park Christmas Party in the lobby.
Dancing at the iLume Block Party at Dallas Pride.
Gunter at Happy Hour in iLume. He’s unamused.
Havana Nightclub in Oaklawn, Dallas, Texas.
iLume Park larger dog park with the bone-shaped pool.
Breakfast at iLume Park is served in the lobby every weekday.
Slimming down is one of my primary goals for 2016.
I have been overweight since around 2011, but I’ve really packed on the pounds since moving to Texas.
Could it be the food?
Or the beverages?
iLume Park happy hour with free beer and wine.
Pizza at Italia Express in Oak Lawn
White wine at happy hour in Oak Lawn.
Sitting outside at Mattitos Brunch on a Sunday in Oak Lawn, Dallas.
Happy Hour at iLume Park in Dallas
Grilling at iLume Park pool in Oak Lawn.
Gloria’s Restaurant in Oak Lawn, Dallas. Some of my first Salvadorian food.
Brunch at British Beverage Company in Dallas, Texas. They have a mimosa bar that allows you to choose your own garnishes and juices.
A slushy drink at the Cedar Springs TapHouse. (During their $5 burger basket special.)
Nestle Crunch Candy Bar Cocktails.
Duvel is my favorite beer, which is why I brought it to the Christmas Party.
Brunch at Campuzano, in Oak Lawn, Dallas.
Coffee was everything at the wedding.
A somewhat unrealistic clean eating and workout routine is scheduled for January.
We’ll see how this goes…
Upcoming in 2016
This holiday season was incredibly busy with events and being a tourist with my mom and Minnesotan friends who came to town. Expect some posts regarding those adventures and my new Jillian Michaels fitness lifestyle in the coming days.
Happy New Year from Dallas!
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