IN 2012...

...we continued where we left off in 2011 - exploring Charleston and loving everything about living there.
...and even though it was really cold and windy sometimes, we still bundled up and went to the beach and walked around downtown Charleston a lot. Living in Charleston was an amazing way to end 2011 and an even better way to start off 2012.
...I participated in my first craft market with Anykind. It was at a really cool venue, I was so proud of my display, and I had no idea how much fun it was going to be to sit at that table all day with Douglas. Thanks to that day, going to craft shows with Douglas became one of my favorite things to do. He's the best.
...things unexpectedly changed when Douglas was transferred to Saratoga Springs, NY for the rest of his training. As you can tell, we loved Charleston and hated to leave so suddenly. We knew it was all a part of being in the Navy, and though we have made the most of it now, things were a little stormy for a while.
...while Douglas moved up to Saratoga and got everything settled, I went back to Athens for a couple months and stayed with my parents. We had a few things planned, and it just worked out better this way. Even though it sucked being away from Douglas for those two months, they were kind of exciting in their own way. I prepared for my biggest craft show yet, Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa, and it went so well! I had my own tent and got to spend two days goofing off with my best friend and the best helper ever, Elizabeth.
...I visited my brother with my parents in Austin, Texas. And loved it. Austin is so cool it kind of hurt.
...I also took another trip to Europe with my dad. We went back to Paris (and almost knew our way around a little) and then went to Barcelona and Madrid. There is so much to see in the world. I feel lucky that I saw this much of it in 2012.
...I drove up to Saratoga with Elizabeth. We stopped in Scranton because duh. The whole drive was beautiful, and Virginia and Pennsylvania took so long to drive through. Overall it was a crazy, surreal kind of trip, driving up to live somewhere I'd never been before. And I was so excited to see Douglas.
...I saw Saratoga for the first time. And started to explore. From our little apartment we could walk downtown through a gorgeous park filled with ducks. There were sidewalks everywhere and people was snarky in an almost charming way. Closest I'll ever get to living in Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls, anyone?).
...I set up our little one bedroom apartment simply, knowing we would only be there for six months. It was my favorite apartment I had lived in up to that point. The floors were beautiful, and I loved the bright, white walls. It was a perfect home for us.
...I loved my work space, too (in the corner of our living room). It was great having an open yet still cozy space to work in. I got some good work done there.
...we experienced upstate New York in the summer. And it was truly amazing. And delicious. The weather was perfect. I went to the huge farmers market every week and bought the best blueberries I've ever had. I know I said how sad we were to leave Charleston for New York. But looking back on our months in Saratoga, though it wasn't that long ago, they have a golden, nostalgic glow to them already.
...I set up in the Saratoga Artisans and Crafter's Market about every other week. Though it was slow, it was great to have so much practice setting up my display and interacting with customers. The best part though, is that Douglas and I made an amazing friend through the market. That alone makes the whole thing worth it.
...I made amazing friends both in Charleston and Saratoga Springs - and also got to spend time with amazing friends while in Athens.
...Douglas and I spent a day at the Saratoga Race Course. Our apartment was on the same road as the track, so we saw plenty of fancy people going to and from the races every day. The season lasted about a month and a half, and it was crazy living in the middle of all of it. We knew we had to go at least once. And luckily we only went once. We bet five dollars and won nine. We were both real excited by our small win...and I imagine our luck would have ended there.
...we also went the Adirondack Balloon Festival, and it was one of most incredible things I've ever seen. We thought we knew what to expect, but once we got there and were up close to the balloons, watching them inflate and take off all around us, it was just amazing.
...we took three trips into New York City. One was for our one-year anniversary (yay!), one was to see Newsies with friends from Georgia, and the last one was to say bye right before we moved to Norfolk. They're some of my favorite times we've spent together.
...we did something I never imaged we'd do - diamond mining! We drove to the Herkimer Diamond Mines with our friend Holly, and Douglas and I spent the day unskillfully beating rocks with hammers. It was great to do something so different together. And it was awesome to go see our friend do something she loves so much.
...as quickly as we came to Saratoga, we left. About two weeks before we had to leave, we found out we were moving to Norfolk, Virginia. So once again, we packed up and set off for somewhere completely new. This time though, we could do it all together. It was all very nerve-wracking and scary and exciting still.
...we made our third home for the year in Norfolk. Our apartment in a dream, and I love how things are going here so far. It's a little scary that Douglas and I are facing some much time apart due to his job, but it's okay. This is such a small fraction of our lives - and look at everything this experience has brought us.
...I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner with the help of Douglas's mom. And it was all delicious. My proudest achievement was making rolls from scratch...yeast and all that. It was so nice to have Douglas's family here for our first Thanksgiving in Norfolk.
...I started up with craft markets around Norfolk. I sold at four holiday shows through November and December, and getting around a little like this has helped me settle in here. Also, I started selling my bags and bows at Kitsch, a local handmade store in our part of town.
...we ended the year with celebrating Hanukkah and then Christmas here in Norfolk. We decided to stay here for some time together. It was perfectly cozy.

Our year was incredibly exciting and emotional and scary and filled with new things - quite the first year of marriage. With all that we know we are facing in 2013, I'm nervous standing at the beginning of it looking at it all at once. But years and days and months go by so fast, and my mom once told me never to wish time to past faster. So we are going to make the most of it. I think that was our slogan of 2012.

Happy New Year, friends.