Something that has been important to us since the day we started this blog was to prioritize our friendship above anything else. We’re best friends first, and blogging partners second. That’s the way we approach this move, as well. Many of you know we met in college, and actually were in the same sorority so we roomed together almost all four years of school. Since then, we’ve never lived more than a couple minutes from each other. Now, we even live half a mile apart and see each other a ton during the week and weekends. So, this is going to honestly be an adjustment for us.
With that being said, our friendship has only strengthened since planning the move. While it’s obviously going to change things, we know that it might even bring us closer together. We already text all day, every day (seriously, we aren’t exaggerating here) and talk on the phone, and now we’re planning weekend trips and constant FaceTime dates.
XX,
A & H
Our friendship
- Haley, how did you react to the news?
- H: For as long as I’ve known Ashley, I’ve known that her heart was in California and that our days in the same city were numbered. So when a few months after telling me she was seriously thinking about making the move, and she said, “I have some news,” I knew exactly what she was about to tell me (and, if we’re being honest, I finished the sentence.) But, even though I wasn’t surprised, I was still shocked, and sad, nervous and anxious…but all the while excited, supportive and so happy for Ashley and Ben and this next chapter. I know it is something that they have both wanted for so long, and will be an amazing adventure. And while I will miss having her just a few blocks from me more than anything, I don’t mind having an amazing reason to make a trip to the sun and the sand a few times a year.
- Do you have plans to see each other next?
- A: Actually, very soon! Haley surprised me with an early Christmas present and got us Stagecoach tickets for April!!! Um, I’ve never been more excited for a weekend! I was almost crying tears of joy. We’re both huge country music fans and have talked for years, but haven’t made it happen. Well, looks like 2018 is the year! So, the next time we’ll be seeing each other we’ll be singing to Luke Bryan in our cowboy boots. Get ready!
- H: I knew the move would be so much harder if we didn’t have a set time that we’d see each other next and something to look forward to. So, Stagecoach seemed like the perfect gift and time for a mini-girl’s trip! I am so so so excited for a weekend of sunshine (which I will probably be desperately needing by this time), country music, and of course, catching up with my best friend.
- Are you nervous about not being in the same city?
- A: We really are. Like Haley said, we both kinda knew we’d be separated at one point since this move has been a goal of mine for years, but that doesn’t make it any easier. We spend a ton of time together, and the longest we’ve gone without seeing each other since freshmen year of college is probably three weeks. But on the bright side, I think it will just mean we have to get into a new routine and know we’ll still be as close as ever.
- H: Obviously! Ashley and I fell into a rhythm of seeing each other at least a few times a week…every week, so it is going to take some getting used to to no longer have this schedule. However, I know that I can always call and she will always answer, so I’ll just have to adjust to seeing her via face time a few times a week instead.
The blog
- Will SDD continue now that you aren’t in the same city?
- A: Absolutely! To be totally honest, we asked ourselves the same thing right when all these decisions were being made. But, it quickly became clear to us that we love this blog and it’s brought so many wonderful things to our life. It’s brought us closer together, it’s made our friendship stronger, it’s introduced us to an incredible community here in Seattle we would have never known without it, and it’s allowed us to work with really amazing brands and partners. Things will look different, we won’t be going to events together anymore, but we will most definitely be continuing this blog. And we thank all of you for following along!
- H: It’s been nearly 2 years since Ashley and I began discussing what Simply, Darling Duo could become, and since then, it’s truly become part of us – individually, and, of course, together. While I will miss having my guaranteed partner to Seattle events, trusted photographer, and person to quickly gut-check any and all outfits, I am excited for this next chapter of the blog and our story.
- Will this change the content of the blog?
- A: Yes…no…probably…maybe not. Basically, we don’t know! We’ll just kind of have to both get in our own rhythm apart from each other, which will change things slightly, but we hope you all won’t notice it. We have always been each other’s photographers, so that will definitely be different. However, we still want to talk about all the things that we love and our actual content won’t change. We’ll still talk about fashion, travel, food and our homes. Plus, we’re excited to get a little more personal with you all in the new year. We’re both semi-reserved people and have a hard time talking a lot about our personal lives, but want to do a better job of sharing more with you! We are excited to continue blogging in the new year, and look forward to re-prioritizing things and continuing to share our tips, tricks and favorite things with you all.
- H: Ashley said it well, we’re going to figure it out as we go! But, I think this transition is also a great time for us to be carefully considering our content and thinking about how we can continue to improve! Like Ashley said, we both have goals to continue to share our real-life moments more regularly and to get to know you all. But I imagine we’ll also be reaching out to hear about what content you like to see, and what you would like to see more, or less of. However, I will say it’s pretty safe to say that you will definitely be seeing more beaches and palm trees in the feed! Don’t worry, I’ll be jealous too.
Leave a Reply