419 kind of girl

So September 1st will mark exactly one year since I moved to the "big city." You would think that after living and working here for a year, I would no longer assume phone numbers start with the area code 419. One would think, but one would be wrong. Just today, when filling out some paper work, I started to fill in the phone number and started writing 419-216...wait a minute..those are two different area codes. Old habits die hard, right? But to me, there is so much more to it than just an old habit. The two area codes represent the two major chapters in my life. The majority of my 24 years have been spent living in a 419 area code and a 419 way of life. What am I talking about? 419 way of life? You might not think there are differences between the lifestyles simply based on area code, but I assure you there are. Nothing specifically bad or good. Just different. 419 represents the easy way of life. The life where I was being taken care of by my parents. The college life which we all know is "the life." 216 represents the new chapter in my life. The "real world" chapter and the soon to be "for better or for worse" chapter. The other day I caught myself referring to something in Cleveland and I said "we" as if myself and the Cleveland community are a collective unit where as before I would have said "they." I don't want to read too much into it, but maybe..just maybe...I'm ready to start that second chapter of my life. While there are parts of the 419 life that I really miss (my family, my animals, very little rush hour) there is so much excitement here in the 216. My new house, my recent engagement, my future husband, career opportunities, and all the exciting activities that come with living in a big city with 3 major sports teams! I've never been one to handle change well, so it should come as no surprise that after a year I'm still in the "adjusting" stage. I will tell you this. I don't regret, not even for a second, moving to Cleveland. It was the best move for my relationship and in turn, the best move for me. I've learned so much at my job and have met a lot of wonderful people. That being said, I will always be a 419 kind of girl. You can take the girl out of the 419, but you can't take the 419 out of the girl. :)