2014: A Year To Be Grateful

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To say that 2013 was a year for change would be an understatement. I don't need to do a "year in review" post for ya'll, you've been along for the ride. I also suck/refuse to make resolutions because, quite honestly, I never make it past January 1 even remembering what I hoped to do better in the New Year, so I'm going to skip a resolutions post as well (and damn, some of ya'll have some great resolutions...way to make a girl feel like a sloth).

But, surprisingly and despite all of my shortcomings, 2014 has a very clear purpose and direction for me: 2014 is my year to be grateful.

Looking back, I think that when you are in the midst of constant and major change in your life, you sometimes  don't have the room, time or energy to be grateful. Now that things have settled down a bit in our lives, I can't help but be overwhelmed by how grateful I've felt these last few weeks. And no, I didn't up my meds, and yes, I will freely admit that I typically don't do humble/grateful well, but I just seem to be reminded at every turn that Justin and I have major things to be thanking the universe for these days.

I never in one million years thought I would ever have said this, but I am so very grateful for this move to Maine.

Sand Beach, Acadia National Park

Justin and I always saw the benefit of the two of us starting fresh in a neutral territory, but we never expected to make that move the day we came home from our Honeymoon.

Anguilla, June 2013

I won't sugar coat things: our first corporate move was really, really ugly. Being apart for our first month of marriage, figuring out our roles after I left my job and was the spouse responsible for the move logistics while Justin tackled a new job with a new team, buying a house sight unseen...it was a new clusterf*#@& at every turn. But we made it. And now we honestly love our home, Justin honestly loves his job and we haven't died in our first Maine winter (yet).

White Water Rafting the Penobscott River, Mt. Kahtahdin, September 2013

Maine has also blessed us with a group of people that we are so lucky to have in our lives. Mark is no exception. He is not our roommate, he is our family. I thank my lucky stars for that kid every single night when he cleans the kitchen or when he walks into our house with a smile on his face just because life is good.

Our First Lobster Dinner, July 2013

Mark is also mostly responsible for bringing us the rag tag pack of Bad News Bears that have become our nearest and dearest here in Maine. Whether it's wing night on Tuesdays, Friendsgiving at 2am in my kitchen or a hungover New Years Day asleep on my living room sofas, this crew is always making us laugh and feel loved. Justin and I may be the oldest by like a a decade (not really, but pretty much) but living my early twenties again through them makes me both grateful that I've already survived it and grateful that I can witness it again.
And to my Lady Date, Melissa, my life here wouldn't be the same if I couldn't close down restaurants with you. I will always be grateful for that night at the bar when we were both sweaty and whiny so you gave me your number on a coaster because we were clearly soul mates.

2013 brought me one more thing to be grateful for: ya'll. All 129 of you who follow openly and the rest of you who read in secret (hey no judgment, this shit can get super ridic, I'd prob be an anonymous reader, too). I originally started this blog to keep our moms from calling non stop during the move to make sure that we were alive, but Newlyweds:North has clearly become more than that to me. Blogging has allowed me to be creative, to have an outlet that is just mine, to have a community that often surprises me with their support and generosity and to see our new environment through a lens of positivity (knowing at the very least a roque situation would provide excellent content for a blog post!).

I was lucky enough to have a 2 hour coffee date with Megan of Willow Way and Willow Crowns the other day and I could't help but be impressed with the blogging community. Here I was at a Starbucks in Bangor, Maine with a current Houston girl who grew up in tiny Brewer, Maine, just down the road from my new home. Megan found my blog and realized I was currently terrorizing her old stomping grounds and reached out to me. I love following her North to South adventures and was so tickled that she agreed to meet up with me. Two hours flew by and I can't wait to see her again this summer. Who would have thought this tiny little blog would lead me to such genuine people and simple happiness.

2014 is going to be a really, really big year for this set of Newlyweds.
I can't wait to fill ya'll in and hope you stick around for the ride!

All my love,

Stephanie

Linking Up with the Pop, Fizz, ZZZ girls Sam and Khala, because let's be honest, some days pledging to be grateful really is a hope and a dream!