Cha…cha…cha…Changes!

First and foremost, how do you guys like the new look of the blog? You’re pretty quiet readers right now - which is cool and all however I’m getting the sense that some of you are confused about all the changes.

Hopefully this way-too-long-for-anyone’s-good post will explain everything and perk all of us up a bit this Monday morning.

Last week you’ll remember that our blog looked like this, my DIY’d Wordpress site which gave me more fits that I could ever imagine just to keep it looking this ghetto.

Now you show up and it looks like this, a little cleaner and obviously designed by someone not named Amy Whited, over at designerblogs.com. In case you’re curious, our designer’s name was Monica and she is amazeballs. Tell her I sent you.

Things are looking a little more orderly, a little business-like.

So numero uno I want to assure you guys that have been loyally reading Triangle Honeymoon for the last two and half years that this blog on the new site will not really change. It’s still going to be full of DIY tips, furniture transformation, places to travel, eat and shop, stories about the pups- you name it.

However, with some recent life changes we’re planning for I thought it would be wise to get this side gig in a little better shape including a new name, a better store that more reflects my personal style and tastes in decor (meaning less pink, less bling, more Amy than you might have seen on the old Honeymoon at Home shop).

So what started all of this fuss?

We’re MOVING! Shocking right? I’m sure you guys already had it all figured out.

The twist is this – we’re not leaving Durham for another 18 months but we already know where we’re heading and when. You ask, how can this be when neither of us are in the military? Well, I’m not sure how clear I’ve ever been in blogland about each of our work lives – we try to keep things separated as much as possible - but Chad is a medical resident at Duke.

This means we were definitely signed up for five years in Durham while he trained to become a surgeon, five years which is complete summer 2014.

Naturally, the big question around the casa became do we

1. Stay here afterwards? Afterall, we have a house that we love, and I have a job that I love so much I literally get nauseous when I think about leaving it. Durham is great.
2. Do we move near one of our families afterwards? Meaning Texas or Alabama. Realistically we’re not getting any younger and kiddos may be on the way sooner rather than later and it would be great to live near family as we start down that path.
3. Or does Chad need to continue his training by doing a one year fellowship somewhere new in order to sub-specialize?

After careful thought and consideration, via scribbled pros and cons on the back of my checkbook during dinner at City Beverage one night. We decided that a fellowship really was the best next step for Chad’s career path. After all that’s what brought us to North Carolina in the first place – his career. Why not take it across the goal line?

So we entered what is called a match system.

Chad interviewed with accredited programs in different parts of the country and then ranked which one’s he liked best. The programs do the same thing, ranking the candidates they liked best, and a computer “matches” them up. It’s very similar to a fraternity or sorority rush if you’re familiar with that process.

All of this means that although you choose where to interview and how to rank your interviews – you have very little control over the actual process. Chad basically got an e-mail on Wednesday telling him where we’d be moving, and because there are none of his type of program at UNC or Duke – so we knew we’d be leaving the area. It was all very dramatic. Like I said, nauseating.

With all of that said…

Anyone curious as to where we’re headed?

MADISON, WISCONSIN!

Yes.

Madison, Wisconsin. Do you know where that is on the map? I didn’t.

It’s quite close to Canada my friends.

Barton, Lucy and I are still mentally preparing ourselves for a level of cold we’ve never experienced before. As well as for beer and cheese curds.

Have you guys ever been to Wisconsin? Anyone live there now? We’ve heard that Madison is actually an amazing small city full of good music, food, culture, etc. AND that it is the greatest place on earth during the summer. So we’re genuinely excited about all of this. I’ve been researching like a wild-woman ever since we got the word on Wednesday and it’s actually ranked as one of the best places to live, over and over again.

As thrilled as I am to be the tag-along to some exotic arctic land it’s also a bit scary. We won’t really know anyone there, and I’ll have to quit my job and start over with something.

Thus the site changes.

We won’t be in the triangle anymore.

So boom – we need a new name.

I’m not gonna have a job.

So boom – my store and furniture gig has got to look good.

And what’s with the new name?  Well, I’m from Alabama, whose state bird is the yellow hammer, and the logo was a cute play on DIY-ness. At least in my mind, so it stuck.

So things are pretty much the same for the next 18 months but the confusing website switcheroo is all just the beginning of a long-arse journey of two no-longer-honeymooners up to Madison, Wisconsin. One of which will very likely be unemployed and need your support.

Giddy up.

Update: The shop launched today so feel free to browse through it all. Every order this month receives a free tray! Also, did you see JT on the Grammy’s last night? He may have made my “list” with all that scooting around.