with a little help from our friends (and family!)…

When Michael and I moved to Maine last year, we knew life in New England would be dramatically different from the one we were used to in North Carolina. The weather, for one thing, would present us with new and exciting challenges.  Even more significant than any amount of snow or negative temperatures, was the fact that we were moving away from such a broad support group of family & friends in North Carolina. We knew meeting friends would not come as naturally as it did to us in college. You could hardly walk across Carolina’s campus without making a new friend along the way!

After moving to Maine we never could have dreamed we’d meet a friend like Julia. Not only can she make us laugh ourselves silly, but she, too, graduated from Carolina! The same year as us! And now she was living in Maine also! Really, what are the odds?

We’re so lucky to be able to reminisce about college days or places we miss the most in Chapel Hill! When April rolls around, I’m sure we’ll all be dreaming about hopping on a plane to head south to experience the beautiful spring weather and bright pink azaleas- both things that Maine is certainly lacking at that time of year.

This weekend while we were on our way home from Kauai, we were most fortunate to be able to rely on Julia to pick up our precious dog from his kennel and make sure he got back to our house safely, while we were stuck on an airplane waiting for the airline mechanic to fix a leaking coffee pot. True story. As a thank you, we decided to have Julia over for dinner tonight! We snacked on brie & grapes, sipped wine, ate pasta and topped everything off with a delicious apple pie. The intention was to cook Julia a delicious meal as a thank you for taking care of Orvis, but she was the one who ended up bringing us a present.

Our first ornament that we’ve received as a couple! Could it be a more perfect ornament for two insane dog lovers?

Not only were we able to rely on Julia to pick Orvis up from “Camp,” Michael & I were also able to travel to Hawaii knowing he was among great company for the majority of our trip. My parents traveled to Maine with their dogs to experience some cold weather (and snow!) and watch Orvis for part of the time while we were in Kauai. Obviously caring for our dog and allowing him ample time to play with his best friends was a big enough help, but the generosity did not stop there. Michael and I came back to a few new additions to the house that have really helped turn it into a home. And a shiny, sparkly new sink!

I can’t help but always be thankful that even though we live nearly a thousand miles away from our old network of support, our friends and family still never cease to be perfect examples of just that – friends and family.  This holiday season, I’ll be trying my hardest to return the love!