I never thought I'd write this blog post.

Products c/o Deep River Outfitters 

Sounds dramatic, right? While not meant to be entirely "clickbait," it's sort of the truth.

When I moved back to Statesboro almost three years ago, it felt like coming home. It was my "safe space" away from a terrible year filled with stress, disappointment, broken hearts, and too many other challenges to name. I knew Statesboro was a place of growth and also of healing for me. With CJM in Savannah, it was as close as I could be to him during pharmacy school, and was a place where we both wanted to end up eventually. Statesboro felt like home; like a place we could envision getting married and raising a family.

We definitely have made a lot of memories in Statesboro. We've made new friends, grown personally, and laughed a lot. CJM took a job out of town after graduation, and in the fall, we realized that this continuation of our long distance relationship was not going to work for us. While I am thankful for my independent spirit, I crave creating a life with my husband.

I'd like to actually see him every day, even if it's late after a 12 hour shift, instead of just once or twice a week. I want to create friendships and memories with him, and grow together as husband and wife. And that doesn't happen easily when we sometimes have less than 48 hours together each week.

After more or less exhausting our options in Statesboro, we began to consider where we were being led. Both of us had an innate feeling that we were supposed to be near family and where he could accomplish very specific career goals. I've spent the last few months being supportive and watching all of the pieces of our new life somewhat fall into place at the exact moments I needed them to when praying for guidance, encouragement, and confirmation. I've only just recently begun exploring my own personal options, with the ever-growing realization of all that I'm leaving behind.

In just a few short weeks, we will be packing up the home we came home to from our honeymoon, and moving to Dublin, Georgia; CJM's hometown. We have found and fallen in love with what will be our very first home, and I can't wait to share with you once we close and officially move in around the middle of February.

I'm actually getting excited: the idea of decorating our true first home, making it our own, and all the memories that will come along with it. But I'm also a little nervous about finding a job, as well as making friends, in a place that I truly know very few people. I haven't had to do that in a while, and I know it will be an adjustment from seeing my best friend almost every day. I've spent the entire time of knowing Christopher saying I would never live in Dublin, but here we are, getting ready for another big change.

So the next few weeks will be a rush of getting rid of all the junk I've collected the past few years, sorting things into what room they will be living in at the new house, and boxing up each space one room at a time. I've got a running list of all the place to eat at in Statesboro that Dublin doesn't have {El Som anyone?}, and I'll probably be stopping in Walker Boutique once a week to try and get my fix, as well as pick up a few new pieces for the new house.

But we are excited. We have been so supported by family and friends in Statesboro and throughout the South during this time, and I'm forever grateful for these lifelong relationships. We're also super excited about these really cool hats. No, we don't normal twin like this, but I discovered Deep River Outfitters and the Hometown Traditions "Calling Home" hats in our new area code on Instagram and thought they were so cool!

Similar in style to the well known Aviate collection, these hats feature local  Georgia area codes like 912, 404, 770, etc. They're available online, and also at local retailers like The Exchange in Dublin! They come in a few different colors depending on the style. I love the idea of building the sense of community with your brand, and Deep River definitely does that through their products and their motto, "Live Deep." We're going to be living deep in the Dub very soon!

Be sure to follow them on Insta and show them some love like they've shown to us and our move--if you do place an order, let them know you found them through my blog! And of course, continue to follow here and on my Instagram to see more about our upcoming adventures.

Photos taken by the bestie, Kirstie. Thanks for doing life with us. Dublin is less than two hours away. No excuses.