Yesterday evening I dropped Rob off at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to catch a flight to Charlotte because today is his first day on the job at his new project. On my quick drive home, I was sort of overwhelmed with a mix of pride and nostalgia.

I thought about how smart and successful that husband of mine is, and how proud I am of him every day. And then I thought about those first few months of long(er) distance, when we went from Roanoke to DC every weekend to Virginia to Minnesota once or twice a month. From being within driving distance to booking a flight and requesting a day off from work. There were restaurants and coffee shops we visited in parts of town that we didn't recognize, and then I moved and less than a year later they became places in our favorite neighborhoods, where the bartender wonders where we've been if we skip a Saturday lunch one week. There are still so many new things to discover here, but we have managed to find a place to belong. 

We have come a long way since that weekend in January of last year when Rob went to Minneapolis to look at apartments. And yet last night, alone in our home, I started to feel a little sad. I am determined to make the most over these days that I have to myself--going to bed early, spending time with friends, and watching as much Gossip Girl as humanly possible. Transitions often throw me for a loop, but this one is so exciting, and I don't want to wish it away yet, even if I have to muddle through some melancholy to get there.

A new city, new friends (and old friends!), a new apartment, new adventures. I am so excited to get to Charlotte, but I will forever be thankful that we took a chance on Minneapolis.

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;


Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,


And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.


I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

— Robert Frost

I remember graduating from Longwood University like it was yesterday. Those last papers, senior week, and packing up that college apartment that had truly become my home. It was a whirlwind of meaningful moments and books with dog-eared pages. Underneath my cap and gown, I wore a dress borrowed from my best friend Emma; and my parents brought me a bouquet of flowers.

It doesn't feel like four years have passed, but then again, sometimes it does. Two offices and a coffee shop. One master's degree. Three cities, two states. Three apartments, fifteen months at my parents' house, and a year of long distance with one boyfriend who turned into a fiancé and is now my husband. Ten months of self-employment.

Four years later, I am finding roots and settling down a bit more every day. But in 2010, I thought I already had it figured out. I didn't know who I was or what I was going to do, but I had an idea of who I wanted to be; what I wanted to do. I moved into an apartment in Roanoke and bought dishes and a bed and a couch and felt very sure of myself. I didn't like living alone, but the place was beautiful and my parents were nearby, and my friend Andy would sometimes come over and sleep on my couch.

Rob still had a year of undergrad to complete, and I had started working at a job I didn't love before very quickly applying to graduate school at Hollins University. I never really knew what one might do with a master's in Children's Literature, but I loved it and I wasn't ready to be done with school, so I started a two-year journey toward my M.A. I kept working full-time and going to class, and life felt very transitional for the next few years.

When I was almost done with my thesis, I panicked. I visited Longwood and sat in one of my favorite professor's office with a cup of coffee and told him I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do anymore. I was working for a software company and had this blog but I didn't feel like I was doing anything with my degree. He told me not to worry, to just keep going. He said one day I would wake up and some random thing would happen and it would make sense, maybe even suddenly and all at once.

I kept doing what I was doing and in August of 2013, I found myself setting out to join Rob in Minneapolis and blog "full-time." Living halfway across the country from everyone I knew and loved was never a thing I thought I would want to do, but it seemed worth a try. A few months later, once again in a panic, I frantically began applying for jobs. I worked a few little part-time gigs for a temp agency in between blogging and wedding planning and traveling, and then last week, I got a call asking if I was interested in working at a children's book publishing company for a few weeks. It felt a whole lot like the moment I had been waiting for.

As amazing as it is to go in and finally see what happens in an office where everyone has shelves upon shelves of children's books above their desks, I started to realize that entering data into an Excel spreadsheet is the same no matter where you work. At first I felt disappointed, but I recalled my college professor's words that comforted me so much two years ago. I am learning a bit more, every day, to be grateful for my experiences, and to trust what's next.

Some things just take time. And sometimes--most times--you're doing the right thing. Keep going. We all have to start somewhere. Where did you start out?

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by State Farm via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of State Farm.

It all started with, well, I guess I can't really remember what started it. Maybe it was high school, and my friends, and the early meetings at the coffee shop for caramel lattes before class. Or the cross country practices where we set off toward downtown to do the Market Run, sneaking by the front desk of Hotel Roanoke and asking for those warm chocolate chip cookies they give to guests when they check in.

It could have been college, with the books and the parties and the professors who taught me so much more than they may ever know. Living with my girlfriends, figuring it out, getting my heart broken, putting it back together, and first crossing paths with my soon-to-be husband on that ridiculous October night. Longwood and Hampden-Sydney and big brunches with the friends that became family every Sunday morning in a dining hall somewhere.

And then, of course, was grad school--moving to Charlottesville and the coffee shop where I worked and my master's thesis and so many Disney princesses. The first place Rob and I really shared a home, even if we were both living the lives of students. Our friends Patrick and Chad lived across the parking lot from us and Shawna and I ran together and had coffee and met for lunch every week.

At this point, I even look back what seemed like challenges as good times. Rob lived four hours away in DC for a time while I was in Roanoke, and we had some of the best weekends. Getting to know new friends and exploring a new city; having him come home for the weekend and just lying in bed together on Sunday mornings (sometimes with Rocky, when he'd let me put him between us and then actually stay there--he hated being on anyone's bed but his own).

When Rob first moved to Minnesota, I stayed in Virginia for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest was so I could spend more time with my dog. It was hard enough leaving him in August, but now I treasure the extra six months we spent together before I did finally move. We went on walks and I gave him treats and in the middle of the night he would walk down the hall from my parents' bedroom where he slept and fall asleep next to my bed until morning. He made me laugh and I sang to him in weird voices and took him to dog fairs and the Saint Patrick's Day parade where we had to stop every few feet to let some little child approach and pet him. They're good memories, even when I miss him so much that it hurts.

I have written about this countless times, and thought about it even more. It's nostalgia, and I love it even when it makes me cry. Looking back and writing about the past has always made me feel lucky to have such a wealth of treasured memories within. Everything back there looks golden and dewy from here.

And it has taught me to periodically take a step back, look at my present, and truly be thankful for it. Because time will continue to pass over golden years and (I've said it before and I'll say it again) those were the days, but so are these.

This post is in response to the following prompt: "What is your anchor, what you trust and know and can come home to over and over in your writing?" (From Old Friend from Far Away, page 238). If you've written a response of your own, please share it below in the comments!

P.S. Visit this post for next week's prompt.