Where Have I Been?

   

Written by:

I have been a very bad blogger these past few months, but gosh! the end of the year has been a whirlwind– Nay! A tornado! I could express my dismay for neglecting my blog, but who wants to read about that? Here is the juicy stuff:

Jackie & Jon Get Hitched!

Remember back in January when I announced that I baked delicious blackberry mini-pies and also got engaged? Well, Jon and I sealed the deal on October 22, 2016! We had a small outdoor wedding among crimson and golden mums and trees that were beginning to change color. The ceremony was short and sweet, which is a relief because I spent most of it crying in front of 60 of our closest friends and relatives. Plus, it was a bit chilly, but at least it didn’t rain! Or more impressively, at least it didn’t snow.

Then we herded indoors to a warm room decorated with copper and teal to feast on lasagna (because I like to live dangerously in a white dress) and wedding pie from Grand Traverse Pie Company (because wedding cake is so overrated) while sipping apple cider.

I also engaged in awkward conversation because I have as much social grace as a hermit crab.

We moved!

Back in September, Jon and I both took a step up in the company we work for. My manager left, so I am officially THE accountant. So far, I haven’t lost my mind entirely, but the first two months were a bit rocky. Jon transferred to another franchise about an hour away to take on the role of the Move Manager (and to put this in context, we work for a moving company). Needless to say, spending two hours each day commuting was becoming draining for him, so we plopped down right in the middle.

We relocated from the state’s capital, which (only) had about 100,000 citizens, to a literal village of less than 3,000 citizens. But, I think life here will be more my speed (which is about 25 mph on most streets “in town”).

We moved on New Years Eve day, rang in the New Years by sleeping through the ball drop, and then enjoyed a hearty breakfast at a diner called the Feed Bag, which is situated across the street from a grain elevator and a livestock feed depot. It’s the kind of restaurant that has customers that greet you when you walk through the door even if you’re a stranger. They order “the usual” and talk about how they’re eating early today because their husband has to teach both of the children’s’ church services that morning. The one waitress working joins in on conversations at the tables and even offers you a coffee to go before you even realized you wanted one. Perhaps most importantly, they have delicious sausage gravy.

The unpacking process is moving slowly, so I do not have pictures yet. But, I’m happy to announce…I finally have bookshelves!

I’ve missed you, dear readers! How did you ring in the New Year?

10 responses to “Where Have I Been?”

  1. Captain's Quarters Avatar
    Captain’s Quarters

    Congrats matey!! And I just read the entire catalog for the pie company and I want pie!
    x The Captain

    Like

    1. Jackie G. Avatar
      Jackie G.

      Oh my gosh, their pie is exquisite. Their Mountain Berry Pie seems to be the favorite in my family 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Kaja Avatar
    Kaja

    Congratulations, Jackie! Wow, it seems like you’ve had an interesting couple of months. And I absolutely love the description of that diner, you painted it so vividly! 🙂 I hope things will settle down soon, I know moving is stressful enough without the added stress from work and all. Happy new year!

    Like

  3. Mom Avatar
    Mom

    This reply has nothing to do with your topic. I just noticed the coffee mug pictured below. I bought a card for Becky to congratulate her on her recent graduation (hint: send her a card) and it’s your coffee mug!

    Like

  4. Greg Hill Avatar
    Greg Hill

    Congratulations! And on the promotions/ move too. Hope you have a great start to the new year! Love the Grand Traverse Pie Co!!

    Like

  5. Jenn (@quiteanovelidea) Avatar
    Jenn (@quiteanovelidea)

    Wow! Such great news! I can completely relate to feeing like you neglected your blog. The last few months of 2016 were a whirlwind for me also. But I’m looking forward to finding balance and some type of structure for my blog this year.

    PS: First time on your blog but I’m sure I’ll be back 🙂

    Jenn

    Like

    1. Jackie G. Avatar
      Jackie G.

      Hi Jenn! I’m happy that you stumbled upon my little ol’ blog today 🙂

      Structure and balance is something I’ve struggled with ever since I started blogging. I’m crossing my fingers that I find it in 2017!

      Like

  6. Lola Avatar
    Lola

    I am glad to see you’re back to blogging! Wow sounds like a lot has happened in your life! Your wedding sounds lovely. Eating lasagna with a white dress sure is risky, but I am sure it was worth it. And congrats on the move. Your new town sounds like one of those small towns you read about in books! And unpacking your bookshelves and books is the most important part ofcourse ;).

    Like

  7. DoingDewey Avatar
    DoingDewey

    Congratulations on all your big life changes!!! Your wedding sounds like it was wonderful. Good luck dealing with all the boxes 🙂

    Like

    1. Jackie G. Avatar
      Jackie G.

      Thank you so much!
      The boxes are the worst. I thought packing was terrible, but unpacking is even worse. This is our third weekend in the house, and we’re still unpacking.

      Like

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

ABOUT BGO!

Hello, my name is Jackie. I’m a thirty-something mother of a rambunctious toddler from a small town in Michigan. When I’m not toddler-wrangling, I’m often seeking refuge from life’s most chaotic moments in a cup of hot tea. I also love getting lost in stories—both in books and virtually. I enjoy speculative fiction the most, and I am especially eager to read fantasy novels and horror novels. When I’m feeling especially indulgent (usually after everyone in the house has gone to sleep), I like to dive into video games and explore the sprawling worlds in Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect.

%d bloggers like this: