Friday, August 19, 2011

New Name. New Address. Last Post.


When I was a kid, I found a slip of paper in my baby book that had a list of names on it my mother had considered during her pregnancy with me. I think the top, starred girl name on the list was "Melissa/Misty." Thank God they didn't go with that as a nickname. We had a friend with a poodle named Misty. "Holly" was also on the list, which I always thought would have gone nicely with "Hetherington." If I were a boy, they were thinking they'd go with "Brent."

Though they chose "Melissa/No-Misty," I answered to "Heather" for much of my life, thanks to my last name. Teachers often called me Heather. People who met me and forgot my name used that one in its place. Coworkers mistakenly summoned me by it.

The name confusion is probably the one thing I won't miss about losing Hetherington.

Actually, that and having to write or say 12 letters every time I spell out my name.

But even with the few upsides to changing, the thought of a different moniker has taken me awhile to fully accept. You might remember my freakout about changing my initials. And then there was the heel-dragging on filling out forms on MissNowMrs.com. I've stretched the process out for 5 whole months (yes, today is our 5-month anniversary) and now it's pretty much totally complete.

My new last name is actually a beautiful one. It means "of the sea" in Greek. Funny because Melissa means "honeybee" in Greek, so now I'm Honeybee of the Sea. Brings sort of a cute visual to mind.

I was messing around on Etsy the other day and decided to create a treasury around the idea of Greek seas. It sort of made my new last name feel even prettier...


So now that I've made my peace with being a "Maris" instead of a "Hetherington," I've decided it's time to retire this blog and move over permanently to 'S Wonderful.

I still plan to write goofy stories and personal insights over there, even though I initially started it to be a blog about married life. I will still be Mel Heth on the inside. Just with a bit of a twist on the outside.

I really hope you'll all follow me over there. Update your blogrolls and reader feeds.

It's been so great getting to know you all over here. Wonderful, really...

See you soon at http://ourlifeofwonderful.blogspot.com/

7 comments:

LesleyG said...

Sometimes we just evolve. My name isn't changing at all, and I'm probably going to end up with a new site. Here's to the new!

Oh, and five months goes fast! :)

SOMEONE'S MOM said...

IT'S BEEN VERY FUN HAVING YOU SHARE LIFE WITH US!!
CONGRATS ON 5 FUN FILLED MONTHS AND MAY THE PATH OF LIFE HAVE VERY FEW BUMPS IN IT FOR MR & MRS W.-- OF COURSE WILL CONTINUE W/ 'S Wonderful

Big Sister said...

This is sad, even though you will still be writing on the other blog. I like the name of this one better. The end of an era, and the end of my first guest blogger posts. Maybe I'll have to start one of my own.

saidi said...

sad ..lets follow each other
chuchu-chulala.blogspot.com/

Julia Posey said...

Dear Life According to Mel Heth,

I salute your journey & entre into the life of 'S Wonderful and look forward to the good life chronicled there.

I raise a glass to the fantastic journey immortalized on the virtual pages here, the tangled but clean angel undies on display in the communal laundry room, thong underwear & nothing else in meeting who would become future in-laws & the sweet (often tumultuous) journey of single life as a woman in L.A. I have read, laughed & wept.

Onward to S' Wonderful! But don't forget your roots because, Life According to Mel Heth, you are loved even with roots exposed.

Looking forward to the next installment of life, my dear. Buen suerte! Amor! Viva la marriage! (a salute bequeathed to me on my wedding day that still rings true a decade later)

Shannon Falkenstein said...

Hi Melissa! I recently met your "sister" Maureen in St. Louis. I mentioned I'm a coach. She mentioned you and Martha Beck. We realized what a small world it is because I'm a MB coach, too!!! She highly recommended you and your blog so here I am - just wanted to connect in the blogosphere and say HI and welcome to the tribe! You can find me at www.shannonfalkenstein.com

Have a wonderful everything!

Shannon Falkenstein

Mel Heth said...

Hee, Hee! I came across your blog after indulging in a couple glasses of wine and trying to sign into my Twitter Acct.

My moniker is Melissa Hetherington and my twiiter acct is Mel_Heth!

Unlike you this is my married name - I giggled at your mentions of getting called Heather and spelling out the entire 12 letters when declaring your name.

I love my new name (well it's 17.5 years old now) and I love how it sounds with my 3 offsprings' names - Spencer, Sarah and Wesley.

So, curiously I will follow you to see how another Melissa Hetherington relates to herself and her place in this big, big world.