One year in Dallas, WOW. Time flies when you’re having fun.
The past year has been quite the whirlwind. Shortly after our wedding in October 2017 in good ole’ Orlando, I accepted a job in Dallas! We packed up our bags and moved across the country in January. I started my new role at Southwest and Justin transferred to a new team at his current employer. We traveled a ton. We visited family and friends and fit in a few vacations too. Flight perks are sweet.
That summer I launched my blog (hello!) and we spent nine months in our apartment before leaping into purchasing our first home. This is where I currently lay on the living room floor writing this post to you.
That’s to say that I had A LOT going on and making friends was one of many priorities, amongst all of these other things.
Dallas has felt like home right from the start. I know moving to a new city isn’t always as easy as you’d like, though. For me, a new city seemed like exactly what I needed. I loved (and still do love) having the opportunity to meet new people and start fresh.
I first knew I had made myself at home when I stopped by the mall and ran into a friend. Running into friends in public places is a sure fire way to know you’ve made yourself at home. Then I was completely reassured when we threw our housewarming party and actually had people to invite. I’d never felt so loved in our new city.
I’m writing to you today to share some tips and insight into my experience with you! For someone so awfully busy all the time, it can seem super intimidating to make time to build new connections. Even for someone not super busy- it’s scary to leave the comfort of your tiny little corner fo the world to put yourself out there!
But, once you find your community- you’ll feel so much more at home. Promise!
Here are my top tips for making friends in a new city.
Make it a priority. Moving to Dallas also gave us unlimited flight perks, but it’s impossible to build new relationships when you’re out of town. This was always on my mind and I made certain to make time to be here. When I am local, I make it a point to fill my weekend with coffee dates, sweat dates and dinners.
Making new friends is very similar to dating… they’re not all going to be great dates and that’s okay. Put yourself out there. If any friends or family knew someone in town that they wanted to connect me with, I made a coffee date with them. Some lead to flourishing bonds and others didn’t. You never know until you try!
Follow up. Just like dating, don’t be afraid to take the lead. If you like someone, ask them on a second friend date. Don’t let the good ones go!
Seek out events. I love going to free fitness events and there are ten zillion in Dallas on any given day. I started following local bloggers and instagramers to learn more about local events. Outdoor Voices and Athleta host a ton. Volunteer and faith events are great too! I attended probably 95% of these on my own and I quickly learned that most of the other participants did too. People who attend events like that are looking to make friends! And guess what? If they’re there, they probably have a similar interest to you already! Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself.
I hope these tips are helpful to you in your new city! Life is all about the connections you make. Find your tribe and love them hard.