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12 Year Blogiversary!

Yesterday marked the 12 year anniversary of Carolina Charm!

YES — 12 YEARS!

If you’ve been following along since the beginning, WOW and THANK YOU! I never anticipated this space to grow into what it is today and I feel so unbelievably grateful for this community.

So how did it all begin?

Well, back in 2011, Matt was spending his nights learning how to open his own law firm, The Law Office of Matthew T. Marcellino. It was a LOT of work and we would spend countless hours on the couch together on our laptops side by side.

While he was busy researching software, hardware, and equipment, building a website, searching for office space, furniture, and staff, marketing, and so much more, I decided to create Carolina Charm as a way to share and connect with my family and friends back home in Florida, document wedding planning, and share the food we were eating.

We were drowning in student loans, had very little savings, and ate SO many egg sandwiches for dinner. We didn’t know it at the time, but on that brown Cindy Crawford couch, we were both launching businesses that a decade later would grow into something bigger than we could have ever imagined.

Through blogging, I’ve met and made some of my very best friends (in real life!), shared 368 Five on Friday posts, received some incredible opportunities, learned SO much about photography, editing, SEO, bookkeeping, negotiating partnerships, and running a business.

I’ve built an amazing team through lots of trial and error, launched my own product, and last year I was able to leave my corporate job to focus on Carolina Charm full-time!

It’s been such a wild and wonderful (unexpected) adventure, and one that has blessed our family in many ways.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here and for reading along.

Over the past decade, this tiny corner of the internet has been a place for me to celebrate some of the happiest moments and seasons of our life — our engagement/wedding/newlywed bliss years, bringing our babies into this world and watching them grow, climbing the corporate ladder, navigating motherhood, learning how to balance our home, and so much more.

It’s also been a place of deep connection. I’ve grieved with many of you over the loss of parents and unexpected medical diagnoses, connected with many women going through the double mastectomy journey, and so much more.

If you’re new here, I thought it would be fun to re-share 12 fun facts about me! If you’ve been following along for a while, you may know a lot of these things about me already, let’s see…

12 Things You May Not Know About Me

  1. I’m 4’11” tall and I’ve never colored my hair before — a natural redhead! When I was younger, I would get so mad at my mom for not letting me color my hair with “sun in” (a true 80s kid) with the rest of my friends and siblings.
  2. I broke my left arm and my left hip in a rollerblading accident in middle school. And I still love to rollerblade to this day.
  3. Board and card games (paired with a margarita) are my love language.
  4. I had a prophylactic double mastectomy in 2015. You can read more about that here.
  5. I’m a former distance runner, certified scuba diver, lacrosse player, and surfer. Those days are gone. Currently loving tennis, mahjong, and strength training.
  6. I love to camp — the more primitive the better.
  7. I have good handwriting and love writing in mostly cursive.
  8. Nothing makes me happier than gathering people together in my home.
  9. I don’t know how to whistle. Or do a cartwheel. 
  10. French fries are my favorite food. And tequila is my favorite spirit (I’ve been working on my collection).
  11. I’m really good at loading the dishwasher and selecting the exact size Tupperware container needed for whatever I’m storing.
  12. My favorite jobs have been wilderness camp counselor and blogging (which I left my corporate job to focus on full time in 2022)!

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Caley

Friday 28th of April 2023

LOVE this, sweet friend! And so proud to have been around for all those blog design headers! Always been one of my favourites x

Jordan

Tuesday 25th of April 2023

Happy 12 year anniversary! I've been a reader since the very beginning. On paper our lives look a lot different - I live in Los Angeles, I'm Jewish, my kids are much younger, I've always been a SAHM - but you write about your life in such a vibrant and positive way that I've always felt like you're a friend. I love your recipes, party tips, but most of all, how much you love your beautiful family - that always comes through in every single post!

Darby

Monday 24th of April 2023

Found your blog via a picture on Pinterest of you & Matt reading your notes to each other at your wedding—and now I am planning my own wedding! I can tell you exactly where I was sitting when you announced your 1st pregnancy “our little pumpkin”. Thank you for sharing all the big and little moments with us!

Christina

Tuesday 25th of April 2023

Haha! I love it! That photo has gone viral!!! Congrats on your engagement and good luck with wedding planning, friend!

Amy

Monday 24th of April 2023

Local follower here, but we’ve never met in person. Super grateful for your guidance with my prophylactic mastectomy almost 5 years ago. I remember exactly where I was when I read your first post about your plans and how it seriously gave me the courage to move forward with mine! And I’m 100% agreement on the fries! Best food ever.

Christina

Tuesday 25th of April 2023

This makes my heart swell. So proud of you, Amy!! THANK YOU for leaving me such a kind comment. You are the best.

Sue Jones

Monday 24th of April 2023

Love your blog! Happy Anniversary!!!

Christina

Tuesday 25th of April 2023

Thank you SO much!! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by!