I have been very open about my past struggles with Dallas. I have never been completely comfortable with the idea that I will live in one city for the rest of my life. The thought actually gives me major anxiety and is one of the reasons my husband is supporting my summer move. I moved to Dallas in 2006 to attend Southern Methodist University. I fell in love with the school and the city after attending a wedding here while I was a junior in high school. I knew SMU and Dallas were the only place I wanted to be. The campus, the city, the bustle, it was all magical to this small town girl. While at SMU I found my “people” and my routine and had the best time in the world. I loved Dallas and everything it had to offer. It was exactly where I was supposed to be. Then I graduated.

I had a serious come to Jesus talk with myself and with Dallas. My friends moved away, life after college was a struggle, and the city itself had seemed to lose its luster. I immediately developed this urge to move. However, life happened, jobs came, and time passed. That brings me to now. Well, a few months ago. That struggle was still real up until recently. Up until I decided to have an attitude change, put myself out there, and meet new people. With all of the new life coming to Dallas (have you seen our restaurant scene) and the potential to make new friends (which already has me excited) I have a new outlook on Dallas.

It was actually one event in particular which I attended a few weeks ago where I really started to re-realize how great this city was. I was invited to an evening in the arts by Wolfgang Puck. The night started with a bang – cocktails in the garden at the Nasher.  The Nasher is actually one of my favorite places in Dallas. It is tranquil, cultured, and extremely beautiful. After we finished our first rounds of champagne we headed inside the Nashar for cake decorating. Secretly cake decorating has always been on my bucket list. I am not creative in the least when it comes to things like that but I always wanted to squeeze the icing out of that damn bag! And I did! Oh did I! It was magic and something I am so excited to have done. Bucket list: check. So the icing was fantastic but my favorite part was the (real) edible flowers they provided as decoration for our cakes. The flowers were stunning and looked gorgeous on our cakes but I was more mesmerized that I could actually eat them! And they tasted fantastic! Who knew? I definitely walked away with a few ideas of using flowers for decor (and eating) in the future!

From the cake decorating we walked to the AT&T Performing Arts Center for what was my favorite part of the evening – Dinner on the Reflective Pool! It was actually the first dinner ever held on the pool and being the person I am, I loved that I got to do it first! But to be honest, it won’t be my last time. The hubs and I are even thinking it could be the perfect spot for his 30th birthday dinner. It was an experience not to forget. Totally my style – shoes off and dig in! However, the evening was made even more memorable by the company around me. Not only did I have the best time getting to know Dave who does ‎Brand PR and Management at The Richards Group but I also loved getting to chat with Yvette, also of the Richards group.  They were so interesting and full of great conversation. It reinstated my excitement to meet new people and explore all the greatness Dallas has to offer. Yvette even has ties to the Swiss and French groups in Dallas so it was a joy to get to connect via that commonality.

Over all the evening was unforgettable. From the stars above, water below, great wine (via Cakebread Cellars), the most divine food you have ever tasted, and an experience of a lifetime I would say Dallas is looking pretty good! And I can’t wait for more evenings shared with new people in this amazing city!