For those of  you that have been following along our crazy little life journey, we finally have some official news to share. Scott and I recently found out that he snagged an amazing spot in the newest class of orthopaedic surgery residents at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. This is such an huge accomplishment and a direct result of his hard work and dedication over the past four years in medical school and I couldn’t be more proud.

Within 36 hours of getting the news, we went under contract on a perfect little house in the Plaza Midwood area and are set to close in 2 weeks if all goes well. We are so excited to finally plant some roots as a family in the queen city without all the traveling back and forth we have been doing through Scott’s time in school, especially with little Marshall on the way here in late May. We are also very grateful we get to stay in NC, close to our family and friends and thankful that I have a job that goes right along with me without skipping an beat. And man, it’s simply just so nice to finally know where we will be living for the next 5 years! I’ll be sharing some pictures of the new place and office when we get all set up in June.

So this is a little secret I have been holding close on the professional front for almost 22 weeks now. I always struggle with how much of my personal life my readers really want to see on my blog but I have learned over time that these posts are the insights into our lives that make us relatable and real, a bit more than just website designs and brand launches. I often find myself enjoying the little personal life snapshots my fellow designers and bloggers post the most. It’s so refreshing to hear them share their story, their struggles and their life experiences. So I made a new years resolution to do the same and be a little more open on my blog from time to time. To put real person behind this thing I call Salted Ink. I just hope I don’t bore you guys to death.

And with that resolution in mind, I’m coming out of the gate with some pretty big news on the personal front. Scott and I (and of course Finley and Bailey) are so very pumped to share that we have another dude joining this family at the end of May. We are so seriously grateful for this gift and the opportunity to start our family. This one, Marshall Everett Dart, will hopefully shed a little less and be raised to have better manners than his older, furry brothers.  But of course, in this house we can’t make any promises. We are just lucky if he is potty trained by age 10.

Most of you know that Scott is also on the home stretch of med school, graduating from Virginia Tech Carilion in early May. But here is another fun fact – we have no clue where this baby will be born until the residency assignment ceremony on March 20th.  We will then find out where Scott “matched” and will be rushing to get settle in before this little monster gets here and Scott starts his job in mid-June. This has been our impending doom ever since Scott left for school.  We always knew we were going to be assigned a residency spot (with little control) that would determine where we spend the next several years so we are very anxious and ready – I think. There are several places we could end up, mostly on the east coast, but we are crossing our fingers and toes for one of our top picks for sure. Most of all, we are looking forward to finally settling into a place we can call home together for a while instead of the constant back and forth between cities and states. And I will also simultaneously start my official countdown to our move back to the beach when the residency is complete. Oh how I miss that place and those people.

So that’s a little peek into our crazy lives here at the Dart household. This year should be packed full of exciting, challenging and life changing events and I look forward to sharing a bit more with you guys as we carry out our little journey. That along with some lovely brand designs, of course. Here’s to an unforgettable 2015!

It’s been an awesome, busy and blessed year and I am so excited to end it with some much anticipated time off.  Scott and I plan to spend the next two weeks enjoying time with family and friends and taking advantage of not having a schedule or being tied to our computers…it’s been a while since we have done that!  Next year holds so many exciting things for us both professionally and personally and I look forward to sharing it all with you in 2015!  Until then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours.  The office will be reopening on January 5th.