A Year in Review - Moving to Charlotte

Even though we are a week into 2014, I thought it would make sense to post a "year in review" of 2013 in order to kick-start the blog.  2013 was an eventful year for my little family (my husband, Ryan, and dog, Jack).  Near the end of 2013, my husband was offered a promotion that required a move to Charlotte, North Carolina.  The decision to move was long and hard as we loved our friends and family in Florida.  But, we decided to move from Tampa, FL to Charlotte in January 2013, excited for our new adventure.

January

Charlotte, NC: Southpark area townhome

My husband and I visited Charlotte to find a place to live (and rent).  We knew little to nothing about the area prior to our relocation, but thankfully Ryan's counterpart at the company was able to provide some suggestions on places to look.  We lucked out and found a beautiful townhome to rent in a great close-in location.  

February

Snow in Charlotte, NC

We move to Charlotte!  The second weekend we lived in Charlotte, Charlotte had its only snow of the season.  Everyone told us it snows once a year in Charlotte, and we were here for it.
March

US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC

One of our sweet neighbors invited us to the Whitewater Center for St. Patrick's Day.  It is an awesome sports complex.  You can see a whitewater raft and someone kayaking in the photo.  They dyed the water green for the event.  I definitely want to try whitewater rafting next summer (when the water isn't green).
April

Sugar Creek in Charlotte, NC: Freedom Park

Charlotte offers many ways to enjoy the outdoors including Freedom Park.

Wisteria

Spring is a beautiful season to watch come to life. 

May

North Carolina Mountains

One of the great things about Charlotte is the proximity to both the mountains and the beach.  We live two hours from my parents' second home near Asheville, NC and enjoyed a weekend with them there in May.

Charlotte Skyline

We continued to enjoy the weather and our new city in May.  Here is a picture of the Charlotte skyline on May 31 taken at Vivace.

June

June brought some more great weather to enjoy.  We love to ride our bikes on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway.

July

Lake Norman Sandbar

Great boating weather! My girls and I on Lake Norman, the largest man-made lake.

August

Charlotte is just 3 hours from Atlanta, where we have a few friends.  Thanks to how close we are to Atlanta, we were able to see Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, and Eli Young Band at the Georgia Dome.

September

Windy Hill Orchard and Cidery

In September the weather started to cool down, but we were still able to enjoy outdoor activities.  Windy Hill Orchard in South Carolina offers apple picking, hard cider tastings, and hot and fresh cider donuts.

September also means fire and football.  My husband redid the patio of our townhome, and we have used it for entertaining many times. 

October

A tree in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood of Charlotte

Fall is absolutely beautiful in Charlotte and it's nice to have the change of seasons.

Pumpkin Carving Party

I hosted a pumpkin carving party as a Junior League social event.

The mountains are beautiful to visit in the fall.

November

Fall in Charlotte, NC

The leaves really did hold on until the very end of November.

Heist Brewery in Charlotte's NoDa

We did a "brewery day" with some friends to explore Charlotte's breweries.

The Green, Uptown Charlotte

My youngest sister and her boyfriend visited before Thanksgiving.

Late Fall in Charlotte

This tree became my favorite one to drive by and held on to its leaves long into the fall.  Here it is on November 23.

December

Queen City Christmas Tree

One thing I love about Charlotte is the branding the city has done as "The Queen City."  Even the garbage cans have crowns on them.  For our Christmas tree this year, I purchased a crown tree topper from Restoration Hardware (it's currently on sale)!

2013 was a great year and we have grown to love our new home even though we will always be missing friends and family we left in Florida.