the blog is back!

Hello again!

I should start with a sincere apology for my absence on shell & chinoiserie, which was unanticipated and the result of becoming physically and emotionally overwhelmed by our move. However, I am happy to report that I am starting to feel settled here in South Carolina, which means it is time to get back to blogging!

After a very long month of August--mostly spent purging as much as possible and then packing the rest--we said a sad goodbye to our life in Boston and began our next journey, which started with the three-day drive south to Charleston.

For me and Eloise (our very discerning 10-year-old pug), the trip in our new CRV was almost enjoyable, as it allowed for some much needed me-time, which I used to reflect on my years in Boston and all of the good friends and memories they brought me. It also allowed for lots of 90s on 9, blue tooth phone calls (which I still consider to be quite the novelty), and air conditioning, which was more than my poor husband could say for his "drive" in the old U-Haul (as half of his trip was spent not driving, but sitting in New England, New York, New Jersey, and then Washington D.C. traffic). As they say here in the South, bless his heart. But alas, we achieved what we considered to be a newlywed right of passage, and an all-considered successful move.

Our first stop in lovely Charleston was at a storage facility, where we shoved what was left of our belongings into an entirely too-small storage unit (there was a lot left). And then finally, we retreated to our temporary home, which is the house I lived in as an adolescent, but now serves as a vacation home for my father who moved after my mother passed away. The house makes for the perfect vacation home, as it is located on a rather remote, boat-access barrier island--no cars, no stores, sometimes close to no people! It is truly the perfect place to escape reality...and to write a blog! But ironically, Internet access is erratic at best, so bear with me (if the cell service is any indication, it may be time to reload my Starbucks card...).

Despite the island's perfect recipe for relaxation, we barely had time to breath a sigh of relief upon our arrival. Instead, we turned around two days later to head to a wedding in San Francisco over Labor Day Weekend. We took advantage of our trip to the West Coast and spent a few extra days in the area to visit family and--of course--wine country, so stay tuned for a Sonoma-inspired post!

But now we are back in Charleston, back to blogging, and finally beginning to find our new routine and our new reality.

It feels good to be back...