An ode to the beautiful, charming city I’ve called home for the past 10 years…

First of all: check, check, check. Is this thing on? It’s been a minute, right? I’m fairly certain no one but me is hanging around this blog anymore, but here I am. So anyway…

After a decade of glorious Lowcountry living, our family is saying goodbye to this coastal city we’ve come to call home. And what can I say about leaving the first place I’ve lived that ever truly felt like home? I’ve been hit with endless waves of nostalgia as I say goodbye to this gorgeous, colorful, vibrant place. So much life happened here - good things, bad things, in-between things, unexpected things. There is no way I can even begin to capture it all, but here are a few of the ups and downs from the past decade:

My son was born here
My career took off while living here (and enabled this move to Australia)
We suffered through a pandemic and all of its accompanying traumas
We fostered (and adopted, and lost) some very special hounds
I reconnected with art and earned a certificate in illustration
I started designing jewelry again
I ran a whole slew of races
I suffered the scariest health situation of my life when my retina detached

But Charleston. Oh, Charleston! It felt like home the minute I set foot in this city, and it will always feel like home to me, no matter how far I go away from it - even to the other side of the world to Melbourne, Australia.

There are so very many things I’ll miss about this place: the city, the beaches, the food, the oysters (although Australian oysters are on point), my kid’s school, our neighborhood and all of its little independent shops and restaurants (and the neighborhood Costco - peak suburbia unlocked).

But…I can’t cover them all, so here are some highlights from the past decade of things I’ll miss:

THE LOWCOUNTRY SCENERY + THE VIBRANT DOWNTOWN

This scenery - both in nature and the uniquely special downtown area of Charleston - really speaks for itself. These views will always tug at my heartstrings. The peninsula’s mix of history, stunning architecture, greenery, and a near-Caribbean, tropical vibe make it hands-down one of my favorite cities in the world, and I’m so lucky to have called it home.

And I’ll miss the warm, salty smell of the air, occasionally mixed with pluff mud, but that always signaled “home” to me when I stepped out of the Charleston Airport after a trip. There is no other place on earth like the Lowcountry.

Vibrant building with palms trees in front of it.

THE SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM

Our family has loved visiting the aquarium over the years, and going to some of their special events like Aquarium Aglow and Sealife Under the Starlight. It’s a small but mighty aquarium that does a lot of rehab and rescue work for sea turtles and other sea life, and I’ve thoroughly loved visiting it regularly.

THE RACES AND RUNNING COMMUNITY

While I haven’t run a ton of races (or…any) in the past few years because of well…life, I do love all of the races and the running community here. There are several races I’ve run more than once, and that have become traditions for me, including the Charleston Half Marathon, the Turkey Day Run, and the Reindeer Run.

The medals from all the Charleston Half Marathons. I wish I’d have been able to run this one more time before moving, but it just wasn’t in the cards.

The one and only time I ran the Bridge Run. That’s me X’s 3 in the pic. I have a bone to pick with this race and had hoped to come back and run it faster, but it is what it is at this point.

OUR AMAZING HOUSE (and community)

Our house has been my dream house. I don’t know if I’ll ever live in a home I’ve loved as much as this one, although I hope to! It has everything I ever wanted - a pool, a just-the-right-size yard, a space for an art room, a separate office space, a double front porch, and lots of living areas and little nooks for curling up and reading or relaxing.

I’ve loved coming home to this place. It was a haven during Covid and the place where I rediscovered my artistic spark, and I’m sure having that dedicated art space helped since I was able to just keep my supplies out and available at all times. Decorating this house for the holidays has also been so fun - trees in every room!

And in addition to loving the house and the general community feeling, I’ve also really enjoyed all of the shops and restaurants that opened recently within biking and walking distance, and my son’s wonderful elementary school.

Holidays like Halloween and Christmas feel extra special here as the whole community comes out with amazing Halloween decorations and streets are absolutely flooded with kids trick or treating; and on Christmas Eve, the community puts out sandbag candles throughout the entire neighborhood and everyone rides around on their golf carts, taking in the sights. It is truly a special place to live.

While I know things will be totally different in our new city, I’m hoping to find a similar “village” feel in our new city, and eventually, a house I love as much as this one.

CAROLINA COONHOUND RESCUE

I’d be remiss if I didn’t call out this wonderful rescue where we volunteered as fosters and from where we also adopted Ruby, Dolly, and Ziggy.

I love this organization and I wish I’d have gotten even more involved with them during our time in Charleston. It’s one of the few regrets I’m leaving Charleston with. When we lived in Charlotte, we were deeply involved with a rescue there, and it was so rewarding. But even with our limited involvement with CCR, I got to meet some wonderful people who love beagles and houndies as much as I do. And I welcomed some amazing dogs into my life, thanks to this rescue.

A whole bunch of sweet beagles: Dolly Joy (RIP, sweet girl - July 1, 2023), Ziggy Stardust, Autumn Rae, Ruby Skye. Dolly, Ziggy, and Ruby are all Carolina Coonhound rescues.

OYSTER ROASTS

I love oysters. Love. Can eat my weight in them. And I love oyster roasts. I haven’t been able to determine if they are thing in Australia (I don’t think they are?), and wow, I’m going to miss them. We used to go to Saturday oyster roasts at a local restaurant and take our dogs there until that restaurant (sadly) closed. But those were always one of our favorite weekend activities. I mean, who wouldn’t love all-you-can-eat oyster buckets for just $25/person?

Many times in Charleston, oyster roasts are paired up as fundraisers for worthy causes and also have silent auctions with items from local businesses, vendors, and designers, making them even better.

Fittingly, our last oyster roast in Charleston was the annual Carolina Coonhound fundraiser.

And there are a bunch of other things and places I’ll miss that have come to be part of our lives here like our dogs’ vet, Park West Vet, the amazing restaurant scene here, the vibrant design/maker community and art markets, trivia nights, boating, and so many other things.

And so, as I leave this beautiful, coastal city that felt like home immediately upon arrival and that will always hold a very special place in my heart, I’m excited for the next phase of this journey, especially since the feeling I get from Melbourne is similar to the one I got from Charleston when I arrived. It feels like home. And I’m going from one wonderful, coastal city to another - I will never not be coastal, that much is certain. We found the most wonderful area of Melbourne we want to live and I’m looking forward to establishing a new life there.

So Charleston, thanks so much for the decade of memories - far, far too many to capture in a single blog post. I’ll forever cherish the time I spent there, and will always think of it fondly and as a place I truly called home.

Farewell, Charleston

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