For readers of this blog, you know that 2023 was a challenging year for our family for many reasons. We left behind our home of over 2 decades, all of our friends and creature comforts of almost 3 decades, our kids both fledged from the nest for college, a new job…. it was A LOT. But here we are 6 months after the move, and we are settling into new routines. I won’t say the change was always easy, and we are still learning to navigate this “new normal” living arrangement, but I am optimistic about what 2024 will bring us.
I did not realize what a sacrifice the move was socially for my husband until we went back to Chapel Hill for the holiday break. He packed in so many social engagements into that week. His friendships are around social networks (who you work with, play tennis with, watch stupid college basketball with). So by moving, he lost all of those social networks and friendships. My friends are my friends, regardless of where I live. I know his extroverted self will find those new social networks here, but it is much harder to find friends approaching 50 years old. I am very proud of the work he is doing with his partner from Duke to build this new private practice. He not only is learning to navigate an entirely new hospital system, but he is covering 4 hospitals, all while also recruiting new people to join this practice. I know he will be successful. He doesn’t know how to do anything else.
For me, this is the first time since I was 14 years old I am not working for a paycheck. And that was a strange transition, especially since we are working hard to still pay for college for two kiddos without the Duke college tuition benefit. But I am writing, gardening, and even back into the animal rescue world (which I never thought I would do again). I was given an official book editor yesterday, which means I am on target to publish in June of 2024. And even a possible Audiobook at the end of the summer. I am heading up the partnership and outreach program for a national big dog rescue after volunteering with them the last 6 months. But what I am MOST proud of??? My vegetables. The feature photo for this post is one of collards I grew. We ate them on New Year’s Day per southern tradition for good luck. I converted one of my chicken coops into a Greenhouse as well. Ok, so it is not technically a greenhouse… but calling it an indoor growing shed makes it seem like I am growing illegal things out there. I am currently growing Asian greens, kale, mustard greens and peppers in a hydroponics system. I lived in the woods for all of my adult life, and I tried desperately to grow vegetables with limited sun. I would give my Wild Azalea Lane self an A for effort, but I did not grow very much. Cutting those collards to eat on New Year’s Day felt like my triumph to the gardening world. I have made it!
And as I eluded to in my Anniversary Redo post, we are going to be getting back into camping in 2024. We have identified two campers that we could do boondock camping with on the weekends and will be checking them out next weekend. We need this time together to reconnect and discover places in the Low Country with the pups. So bring on 2024. We are ready!