On Moving to Vermont and What's Next for "That SUP Couple"

In case you missed our big announcement on social media, in September we closed on our very first home together and relocated to Vermont. We’ve officially been in our new home for over a month now. We’re knee-deep in boxes and house projects while also attempting to take advantage of Autumn in New England. But before we let too much time pass by, we wanted to actually address this sizeable shift in our lives and what it means for this platform, our tiny corner of the internet, and the SUP community we’ve been a part of.

First, on moving: The decision to leave DC was difficult… but also not. We had been there between 15 years (Meredith) and a lifetime (Scott) and during that time, we built a community of friends that turned into family, turned hobbies into passions, and helped cultivate the DC SUP community. (Not to mention this is where we met, fell in love, and got married.) If you had asked us five years ago whether we’d ever leave DC, one of us would have said maybe and the other would’ve absolutely refused (we’ll let you guess which was which). But over those last five years a lot has changed for us and then, the pandemic hit and, like so many people, we start to assess how we were living our lives and noticing a gap in how we really wanted to live them. We felt like there was something missing and there was big potential we had yet to uncover. We can bore you with the details on how and why we ended up in Vermont and how long it actually took us to get here, but we’ll save that for anyone who wants to have that conversation at another time. In the end, we listened to our hearts and trusted our guts to embark on this next adventure.

On what happens next: Well, we ultimately hope you stick around for the journey. Our physical location may have changed, but over the last few years we’ve been trying to intentionally share more content relevant for anyone, anywhere. In addition to having moved, it’s why we’ve chosen to rebrand as That SUP Couple (anyone else notice that change before our big announcement?!). We’re still hoping to instruct both privately and with outfitters, though we’re taking our time on this front as we get settled and learn more about the community. We’re not trying to be those people who show up and think they know best. We have ideas and aspirations, that’s for sure, but in the meantime, we’re looking forward to adventuring in our new state and connecting with the community already here. We still plan to race so expect to see us around. And, we’ll continue to share SUP guides, paddle tips, and other content on our site and through social media. We already have things lined up in the queue! And, finally, we might start opening up our lives a little more beyond just paddling. Of course, we’ve shared our winter adventures and other travels with you in the past, but have typically kept our personal lives very separate. We’re not saying we’ll start over-sharing, but perhaps you’ll get some glimpses into the process of making this house our own or more non-SUP adventures.

Earlier in this post we called this our tiny corner of the internet, because we don’t see ourselves as changemakers or even influencers of any kind. But that doesn’t mean that this tiny corner doesn’t hold a huge place in our hearts. Each and every one of you who follows us, asks us questions, takes something away from what we share, or just cheers us on on from afar, means a lot to us.

We hope you’ll stick with us and keep paddling with heart. And, as always, if there’s help you need, questions you have, or something you’d like to see, pop it in the comments below. We’re happiest when we’re connecting with you and serving a purpose.