Dallas is...

My husband and I will be in our apartment in San Francisco in seven days. SEVEN. One week. I haven't fully wrapped my head around it. I still feel like we're just going on another trip (with everything we own--but that's neither here nor there).

My husband grew up in Flower Mound, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, went to Texas Tech for college, and moved back to the Dallas area after college. I grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, a suburb of Houston, moved to OSU/Texas Tech for college, Dallas after college, Detroit for a quick stint in the Motor City, and back to Dallas for the past two years. Dallas has been such a wonderful home to us and we've made some amazing memories separately and as a couple, so it is extremely difficult for me to say goodbye. I'm not sure my husband is experiencing the same struggle as I am since he's lived here for the majority of his life, but in Dallas I have found some amazing friends, jobs, and the love of my life, so of course it is difficult for me to say goodbye.

With one week left in the big D, I thought I'd share my seven fondest memories from my time in the Dallas area. I'll try to make it through this post without crying...

Dallas is... (in no particular order)

7. Where I got my first fur baby.

Pippa and me, right after we picked her up. We've been best friends ever since.

My husband and I were going to wait until summer to get a puppy, but on the Friday before Christmas in 2014, one of my sorority sisters texted me to see if we wanted a puppy, and she sent me the most adorable photo of this lab puppy mixed with who knows what (we'll never know). I couldn't say no (and neither could my husband). She had been living with a homeless man in downtown Dallas, surviving off bread crumbs, and my friend's boyfriend's neighbor took her in for a few weeks, but she needed a more suitable fur-ever home. Now she is mine, and she cannot wait to move to San Francisco. She will be the perfect city pup! #princesspippa

6. Where I started my professional career.

One of my former colleagues and I pose in front of a military appreciation wall we displayed at the Chevrolet activation at the Puyallup Fair in Washington state.

I interned in various industries and with different companies during my college career, but Dallas is where my professional career began after college. When you graduate and enter the work force, it can be a bit intimidating because you spent four (or 4.5 in my case) years developing skills, contacts and knowledge that should aid you in your field, but what if you're terrible at it? What if you hate it? Those are very real concerns for anyone graduating and beginning their first "real" job, but I can say without a doubt that the time I spent at Texas Tech fine-tuning my PR skills and craft have served me well and will continue to do so as I jump into the SF PR scene with Edelman.

5. Where I taught for a year.

My sweet Young Life friends brought me flowers, prayers and well wishes on my first day of school as a teacher.

I loved high school. I was one of those. I also love kids, and after three years of leading Young Life at Hillcrest High School in Dallas, I decided to take a leap of faith and teach at the school that captured my heart. The kids who walk between the walls of Hillcrest are forever engrained in my life, and I am so thankful for the memories and experiences we shared together through Young Life and in the classroom. I may not be a teacher anymore, but my heart is still with those kids and that school, and that will never change.

4. Where I met my husband (well, technically this happened in Arlington).

My good friend Sara and I in the suite at Cowboys Stadium where my future husband and I would meet.

I love our story. My husband and I met at Cowboys Stadium in November 2012 one month before I was set to move to Detroit for work. There were all sorts of little things that needed to happen in order for us to meet (i.e., Sara got an extra suite ticket, Logan decided to go to the game instead of watch from his couch, Logan randomly texted Sara's boyfriend, and he snuck Logan up into our suite). The stars definitely aligned for us, and even though the first few months of our relationship were incredibly difficult, I wouldn't trade our story for anything.

3. Where my mom ran her first 5k.

My mom killed the Turkey Trot! And my dad loves to smile.

My mom has become a work out machine, and she has devoted so much time and energy to being healthy and happy with her body. She is such an inspiration to me and everyone who knows her, and I was so incredibly proud of her for running the Turkey Trot (November 2012) alongside me, my dad, and two of my brothers.

2. Where my husband proposed.

One of my favorite engagement photos, taken by my friend Micaela at Klyde Warren Park.

My husband proposed to me the day after Valentines Day in 2014 (so tricky) and it was one of the few times in my life that I've been speechless. I think all I said was "oh my gosh!" over and over again. It's one of those moments when even though you know it could happen any day and any moment, (let's be real--I always had my nails done, just in case) you still cannot prepare for the joy and elation you feel when it actually happens. I was a blubbering mess for a solid 30 minutes, and that was the ultimate foreshadowing for our wedding day.

1. Where we got married (technically Richardson).

This is the moment my dad literally gave my hand to Logan so we could become husband and wife.

November 22, 2014 was the absolute best day of my life. That seems like the biggest cliche and understatement, but it was perfect. Even though things didn't go 100 percent smoothly, it was completely fine because all that mattered was that I became Becca Culotta that evening, and everyone had a good time. You can't ask for much more than that. As we near our one year anniversary and begin our first big adventure as husband and wife, I can't help but feel tremendously lucky that I get to "do life" with such a patient, kind, and generous man who loves me more than I deserve.

Well, there you have it! Dallas gave me some incredible memories, and I know San Francisco will do the same. We cannot wait to begin this journey just seven days from now. I hope that whatever journey you're on, whether it be an interim situation to get to the next step or if you're just now getting started like we are, is exactly what you've been hoping for; if it's not, I hope you have the courage to alter your route and get after what you've always desired.