Happy Anniversary, Charlotte! — Falafel & Earrings

This past week marked our one-year anniversary living in Charlotte, NC. It came and went without any pomp and circumstance — Jon was traveling for work and I was busy with my own work to-do’s. Aside from a couple, “Hey! We’ve lived here for a year!” moments, it was just an average week.

But yesterday at dinner, we were talking and I paused for a minute to really think about how big this year has been. 2018 packed a LOT in: we got married, got a new car, moved to a new city all within just over six months. There were fewer notable milestones in the past 12 months. But, when I look back at how far we’ve come from that first week here — loaded with anxiety, unsure of when our belongings would get here and it what shape, living on an air mattress and $2 patio furniture from Target — it’s wild.

We’ve met some incredible new friends in this city. We adopted Lucy Pup, who turned us into dog people in less than a week. Jon’s taken on new work challenges, all while adjusting to working from home full-time, and I’ve seen my own share of growth in my career. I’ve started teaching again, and pushed myself to try new things, which has led to me finding some special places and people in the Charlotte fitness scene. We’ve built a home here, beyond the walls of our apartment - found friends and community and a full life.

Being closer to my parents has been huge. With all my snarky comments about midwestern winters (which, for the record, I DO NOT MISS), being closer to them was the number one reason I wanted to move down here. Being able to hop in a car and see them within a couple hours has made a world of difference to me.

I’ll admit, there are some aspects of the south that I’ve been less stoked to get reacquainted with. Roaches, for one. Bugs in general, really (my arsenal of bug-repellant has become almost comical). And the summer heat in Charlotte is a lot. When we pictured moving to North Carolina, we definitely imagined being more in the mountains, like my parents, where the temperatures are about ten degrees cooler on average. But I’ll take hot summers over long winters. That’s what A.C. is for.

Of course we miss our friends and family who are still in Chicago, Michigan and New Orleans — but as someone who has now called three distant cities home and whose friends are scattered across the world, I know that relocating to a new place only serves to grow your circle. You don’t cut ties with people just because you don’t live in the same place. I’m lucky to have so many places I can call home, not because of where my furniture lives, but because of the people who have become family.

So, happy anniversary, Charlotte! As we look to put down some roots here, this next year promises to be just as big as the last one. I can’t wait to see where we end up.