1 year in georgia
today marks a special day: i have lived in georgia for exactly one year. to think, at this time last year, i was hours away from arriving in atlanta in my 4runner, probably in tennessee somewhere.
it was hot (HOT), sticky, and so different than anything i'd ever experienced-- and i was nervous. yes, nervous, to say the least. ryan was already here (he left a few days before me because he had to get to orientation for school), and he'd found us an apartment, and we were preparing for a new life in a new state, which felt sort-of like a new planet at first.
i remember driving around with a map on the front seat at all times, getting really lost and ending up in strange podunk towns, and getting really excited when i knew how to get somewhere without a map.
since then i've gotten a nanny job (and made friends with the sweetest 8 year old boy you could ever imagine), tearfully quit a nanny job because my art career was able to support me again in this new place, gotten engaged to the love of my life, become busier than i've ever been in my life with projects that i am thrilled about, canoed on a swamp, gotten my artwork into several galleries and shops, learned what it's like to live in a humid place, become part of this supportive blogging community, and countless other milestones, and it just makes me wonder if any of this would've happened had we not moved to georgia?
i'm so happy with everything that is happening in my life, and i love knowing that i will look back on this first year of living in georgia with such distinct memories. it has been such a crazy, emotional, inspiring, and sometimes exhausting year. so, there's really no point to this post other than to serve as a way for me to look back on this past year and smile. i feel proud of myself and of ryan, and of us together. we've grown together so much this last year, and i have grown in ways that i didn't realize i could grow. so, thanks for indulging me in this little georgia post. i so appreciate all of you. :)
(this is still my favorite photo that i've taken in georgia since i've been here. we drove by this sign one of the first days we got here and wondered what we'd gotten ourselves into!)
it was hot (HOT), sticky, and so different than anything i'd ever experienced-- and i was nervous. yes, nervous, to say the least. ryan was already here (he left a few days before me because he had to get to orientation for school), and he'd found us an apartment, and we were preparing for a new life in a new state, which felt sort-of like a new planet at first.
i remember driving around with a map on the front seat at all times, getting really lost and ending up in strange podunk towns, and getting really excited when i knew how to get somewhere without a map.
since then i've gotten a nanny job (and made friends with the sweetest 8 year old boy you could ever imagine), tearfully quit a nanny job because my art career was able to support me again in this new place, gotten engaged to the love of my life, become busier than i've ever been in my life with projects that i am thrilled about, canoed on a swamp, gotten my artwork into several galleries and shops, learned what it's like to live in a humid place, become part of this supportive blogging community, and countless other milestones, and it just makes me wonder if any of this would've happened had we not moved to georgia?
i'm so happy with everything that is happening in my life, and i love knowing that i will look back on this first year of living in georgia with such distinct memories. it has been such a crazy, emotional, inspiring, and sometimes exhausting year. so, there's really no point to this post other than to serve as a way for me to look back on this past year and smile. i feel proud of myself and of ryan, and of us together. we've grown together so much this last year, and i have grown in ways that i didn't realize i could grow. so, thanks for indulging me in this little georgia post. i so appreciate all of you. :)
(this is still my favorite photo that i've taken in georgia since i've been here. we drove by this sign one of the first days we got here and wondered what we'd gotten ourselves into!)
12 comments:
ohh this post makes me miss living in the south... appreciate it while you can : ) drink sweet tea and eat cornbread for me... and biscuits. Everything is better with a biscuit!
congrats on one year!
oh jess! this post made me smile so big!!! congratulations! you are such an inspiration.
big hugs to you!
aw. what a sweet post! congrats on your 1 year in Georgia. I've never been there :)
happy anniversary! maybe that sign was about you ;)?
Aww...so glad to hear things are going so well! I'm also glad to know a rising art star of the south! You have come so far...you should be proud. Oh, and that sign is crazy...I see very similar ones in NC too.
happy 1st anniversary in georgia! the deep south is such a gorgeous part of the country! we're headed that way soon (savannah). p.s. love the last photo; we have our share of those in kansas too!
oh you guys! you are the sweetest, truly. it's been a wild time getting used to living in the south-- it is very endearing in ways (Biscuits indeed!) Krissy, if you ever make it down here, you'll have to call me up!
and aimee and diana: do these signs crack you up every time you see them? i thought this was the funniest thing i'd ever seen!
Have fun in Savannah, too, Aimee!
I used to live there, well in Norcross to be precise. I hated it!!! But... I was only in Georgia a couple of years and it was an adventure kind of like yours. I moved there because of my husband's job and I was used to a milder climate and had to adapt in a hurry! The heat (oh the awful heat!), the humidity, the rednecks, the crime, the traffic, the sprawl, the worst-in-the-nation public schools, the litter/pollution, the bird-sized mosquitoes, the drought... that which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger! And yeah, the biscuits were darn good :) What an inspiring post about making the most out of what life hands you. Sometimes a move is just what you need to shake things up a bit. I'm enjoying your blog - thank you and continued success to you!
When life gives you peaches, make yourself something sweet! Sounds like you have and then some. Congratulations on your milestones!
this was really nice to read - I have been down in the dumps about living in Georgia lately so its nice to read about someone enjoying it. Congrats on being here for a year - it sounds like it was a fabulous one!
Oh jess, this is such a wonderful post. Really, a lot of things seems to have gone well for you since you'd moved, so happy for you! Congrats on so many fronts.
Congrats! ALL so exciting :)
Anne
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