WHAT'S HAPPENED

When I said "hope to see you around next year" in my last post, I didn't really think it would take me half of the year to show up again. I knew things were winding down here for a little bit though. Douglas left for deployment at the beginning of the year, and it's just been an odd time. It's weird when something you've been dreading for years happens, and it's completely different than you thought it would be. Also, it's kind of relieving. It's better to be getting through something than it is to be sitting around waiting for it.

It's really just good days and bad days, good weeks and bad weeks. I miss Douglas every day, but some days it hangs over me more than others, and it feels endless. Other days I'm just really proud of him and of us, that we're getting through this. It will be so amazing to be together again. I try to think about that most days.

I've kept busy, and for the most part, it's been kind of a cool year. I got anykind into three new stores around Virginia. I've done some fun shows so far and have been working on a website to get everything in one place (still working). I've made some new friends and have become closer with some really awesome people here. I took a terrarium class. I went to Amsterdam and Paris with my dad and spent a week at home in Georgia, and it was all amazing. I road tripped back to Norfolk with my best friend and got to have her in Norfolk for a week. I've gotten to know where I live a little bit better. I've had some really good days where nothing really happened. I got a new sewing machine that's really old, but that deserves its own post.

That's what's been going on with me. In the past couple of weeks I've felt the urge to pick up posting again because I miss sharing stuff, and I really miss taking so many photos. I started with a small redesign of some things on the page, and I changed the name to anykind so things are more cohesive with everything else. I haven't changed the web address yet, so Well It's Okay will still be around for a while. If you're still here reading, thanks. See you soon.

THE LAST BIT OF 2013

This is what a few of our last days in 2013 looked like. We had cloudy, rainy weather. We went to the top floor (the 25th) of the tallest building in Hampton Roads. I went to a yard sale at a huge, old house up the street. I left this fawn behind but filled my passenger seat with armfuls of old fabric. We listened to the new Britney Spears song "Perfume" about fifty times. We had some much needed normal days at home together. Douglas's holiday break started today and we're getting ready to go home to Athens, Georgia. I'm excited but it's a little surreal because he hasn't been home in about two years. I just want it to be a really good trip. 

This is a weird time. Usually I get really excited at the end of the year because you can make plans for next year and think about how much better everything will be. But right now we're looking towards Douglas's deployment early in 2014. He will be gone most of the year. And it's hard to make plans or think about any of it too much, really. I hope next year is a good year. I hope Douglas's experience is safe and that he learns a lot and gets to see a little bit of the world. I hope I can keep it together and do somethings I have been wanting to do. I know we'll make it, but I hope we do more than that. 

Happy New Year to all of you. I hope to see you around next year. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

This is what our Christmas looks like this year. I spent the past few weeks getting these things together while Douglas was away on the ship. So this little display is special to me - it was comforting to prepare and look at everything while waiting for him to get back. He got home a few days ago, and I'm so happy we're having a quiet, cozy, probably Chinese food for dinner Christmas. We are making breakfast though.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and happy new year.

OUR TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

Today is our two year anniversary! I could talk about him forever. But mostly I just feel so overwhelmingly lucky to have Douglas as my husband and best friend. In the past two years we've lived in three states, three different apartments, and have had so many adventures together. It hasn't been easy moving around so much, but it has been so amazing going through all of this together. It's very special to have these different times and places in our relationship to look back on.

We can't be together today because Douglas is away for about a month on the ship, but we spent the last two weekends celebrating in different ways. It's hard not being together today, but I am so proud of what he is doing. So much of what he have and what we have experienced has been because of Douglas's job in the Navy. Being away from each other so much is the most painful thing we've ever done and, of course, we would love to not be separated at all. But it's not forever. That's what we keep saying. And it will be worth it.

To celebrate our anniversary early we took a day trip to Richmond and walked around Carytown (and got our photostrips taken!), I made Douglas beef wellingtons and a chocolate hazelnut torte, we went bowling, and went to the shiny, new Dave and Busters in Virginia Beach. On top of that, we got to enjoy some time at home, doing mostly nothing, which is hands down our favorite thing.

I hope we always have new adventures together and always find that coming home together in the end is the best part. I can't wait until he is home.

*You can see and read a little about our wedding day here!

QUICK PHILADELPHIA WEEKEND

We took a short and sweet trip to Philadelphia last weekend. We really just...needed to get out of Norfolk and have some time to ourselves. It was a perfect weekend of driving and talking, some shopping around, staying in a nice hotel we would have never been able to afford regularly (thanks Priceline), eating Mexican tapas, and having a lazy Sunday hotel morning. It was exactly what we needed.

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.