I'm leaving Austin, and I'll miss it dearly.

I moved here 4 years ago when my girlfriend got a job managing a women's gym. In that time, I've quit drinking, worked my way up to a management position at a restaurant, and made several very close friends. But at the end of the day, it's simply too expensive and, quite frankly, soul-crushing. I've lived in one of the biggest cities in America for 4 years and I feel like I've barely gotten to explore it because I'm always working or exhausted from working. Me and my girl pay 2k a month for an apartment where half the shit doesn't work. There's so much to enjoy in this city but I feel like I've never been able to truly enjoy myself. I make the most money I've made in my life and I feel like I have nothing to show for it. My girl is in the same boat, the job she moved here for overworked and underpaying her, so quit and within a month the place was closed. That being said, we're so torn up about leaving. Relocating back to our medium sized town in Missouri is gonna leave a giant, Austin-shaped hole in our hearts. The North Lamar neighborhood will always be near and dear to me. I'll miss the culture and the food scene, but not the Longhorns (Woo Pig). Until we meet again.