August 23, 2014. The moving truck was already enroute with most of my belongings to Houston, Texas. The contents consisted of miscellaneous household items, clothes, and any furniture I cobbled together from friends and family in Pennsylvania. August 23 was the day my dad and I would start the 1300 mile drive in my 2014 Nissan Rouge Select. I remember thinking it was odd that I would no longer be a Pennsylvania resident. I wouldn’t be a few hours drive from my family if I wanted to stop by, get help with a house chore, or attend a family birthday party. I could always move back.
Two days later we arrived at my first apartment. Memorable aspects of the drive included stopping to get a meal with my college roommate in Kentucky and a pullover-on-the-side-of-the-road rainstorm in Tennessee. But mostly, many hours of singing Billy Joel and Tom Petty with my dad. At the apartment, I signed the lease papers. It was official, I lived here now.
That next Tuesday, I started my first day of work at ExxonMobil—green, anxious, shy, and probably wearing a pencil skirt. I quelled my nerves by telling myself if I didn’t like it, I didn’t have to stay. But year after year passed. I watched friends and coworkers move on and move away. They moved to a different state to be closer to family, they moved to a more “fun” city, they went into Tech, or they went to grad school. I was always surprised to find myself the one that was still in Houston and still at the same company. But a more enticing opportunity never came up and I was shocked to learn I like it here (save the summer heat and the storms). I’m nothing if not retrospective….so here’s a comparison of some things that have changed (or stayed the same) in the last 10 years to commemorate a wonderful decade in the Space City!
| Comparison Topic | 2014 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 22 | 32 |
| Number of House Plants | 0 | 10 |
| Job Title | Process Design Engineer | Facilities Lead |
| Project Experience | I had skipped almost every 9 am Process Design class lecture only to copy Hari’s notes later. | I’ve designed and started up $100M projects at refineries and designed and planned for billion dollar projects in the CO2 storage and Lithium extraction space. |
| Number of process vessels internally inspected | None | 15+ |
| Corporate Skills | Scared of my coworkers | I regularly set up “quick chats” with people I’ve never met to get info from them. We all become what we hate. |
| Half Marathons | 0 | 5 |
| National Parks Visited | 2 | 29 |
| United Airlines Status | None | Gold |
| Diet | Omnivore | Vegetarian |
| Appearance | I straightened my hair almost everyday and wore a full face of make up. | I let my hair air dry and only wear eye make up to work. Who am I trying to impress? |
| Casual Attire | Probably something cute | Jeans and exclusively National Park T-Shirts. I’ve become my father. |
| Work Attire | Pencil skirts and pants from The Limited (R.I.P.) | Ankle length floral skirts and pants from LOFT. |
| Car | 2014 Nissan Rouge Select | 2014 Nissan Rouge Select |
| Property | None | 1 house |
| Pets | None | 2 dogs |
| What keeps me up at night | Moving to Texas | My parents getting older |
| Weddings Attended | 4 | 17 |
| Device Used for Music | iPod Nano and iTunes | iPhone and Spotify |
| Favorite Piece of Furniture | My grandfather’s Lane end table. | My grandfather’s Lane end table. |
| Typical Saturday Night | Hanging out with big groups of people at crowded locations. | Snuggling with the dogs and watching last week’s Last Week Tonight with Billy or the occasional board game night with friends. |
I don’t have any good recent photos of me in Houston for this commemorative occasion, but here is a photo from each year to show the passage of time.
Just Julia 