h o u s e t o h o m e

one thing i have learned from the many moves I've made in my life, especially this cross country one, is that i am a minimalist trapped in a pack-rats body. if anyone were to ask me what my ideal home would be, i would probably answer that i love industrial and scandinavian styles with bright pops of color and plants everywhere! 

that being said; i can't keep greenery alive to save my life, i have way too many books stuffed everywhere, i prefer to have a million animals, and i always end up with really loud, eclectic pieces of furniture. in short, my home always slightly resembles the Weasley's Burrow from Harry Potter. not necessarily a bad thing, and definitely homey and cozy, but also furry, erratic, and cluttered. 

somewhere between the pristine, white, minimalist home in my head & the hodge podge of hand me downs, dog hair, and bright red ikea furniture there lies a beautiful balance. and i actually think that after this last move we may have gotten pretty close.

the most important thing, in my opinion, when it comes to making a house a home is being able to identify those important, key things that make you feel completely relaxed and comfortable in your space. after all, your home should be a place where you feel completely at ease, it should be your sanctuary. a place to entertain friends and family, but also a place where you can hide away from the world and do your own thing. 

when i think about what i need to feel perfectly cozy in my home i can think of several very important factors that play a huge role in how i chose to decorate my house. 

1. fairy lights: i LOATHE overhead lighting and would rather sit in the dark and talk about politics than have a horrid, white light blinding me from above and making me look paler than i already am. 
fairy lights are warm, they add character to any space, and they make any room instantly cozier.

2. blankets & pillows: there is nothing better than curling up on the couch with a good book and wrapping yourself in a snuggly blanket. also, i am always freezing so my blanket collection is extensive to say the least. 

3. oil diffuser & candles: with four animals and a marine in the house things can get a little smelly. i always have candles burning to make sure things stay fresh. my oil diffuser is a miracle worker. we basically have this thing running 24/7. my favorite oils to diffuse right now are peppermint, sweet orange, and lemon. this mixture is perfect for hot summer days, it is revitalizing, and it isn't overpowering. 

4. books: James and i both have an astounding number of books. we seriously need about 3 more book shelves because every surface in our house has stacks of books on it. i love to read, and even though i will use my iPad occasionally, there is nothing better than holding an actual book in your hand and flipping the pages!

5. tea: peppermint tea. all day. every day. i don't know how i would ever get water into my body without tea. end of story.

6. my pets: as i was thinking about how nice it would be to have an impeccably clean, fur-less household i realized how boring and quiet and lonely a house would feel with no animals. suuure i spend about 60% of my life swiffering, cleaning up dog bone, dusting, and washing linens, but i mean, what do people who don't have animals do with all of that free time?? i would probably just eat. pets are definitely a must have for me :) the companionship, entertainment, and responsibility that comes with having pets is well worth the effort of keeping a clean home. 

sure there are lots of other things that make a home comfy and personal, but for me, these are a few of the big ones and i always make sure to take them with me wherever i go. so the next time you're thinking about moving or decluttering a room in your house, think about what you love to have around you and maybe it won't seem so hard create a space that you want to be in :)

-E

m e m o r i a l d a y

this weekend James and I dropped the dogs off at the boarder (for the first time), drove the 8 hours up to Charlotte NC, and spent the weekend with his family celebrating the life of his late uncle. it was a beautiful weekend and so much fun to see everyone, especially J's aunt who has been super kind and helpful to us during our move! if it weren't for her we wouldn't even have a couch right now!

once we got the drive over with, the weekend was full of laughs, good food, remembrances, and family. you know how they say, 'you don't just date the person, you date their family'? well, i am very lucky that james's family is so awesome and welcoming.

we didn't get a chance to see my parents but I'm super stoked because I'm flying up there at the beginning of june to go to the T-Swift concert with them and my sister wooooo!!! 

its weird how easy it is to get wrapped up in life and every day things when you move away, and i can see how quickly falling out of touch can occur. it makes me so sad and i want to make sure i do a better job of staying in touch with everyone. just yesterday, someone (cough cough TEMPE, my sister) wrote on my wall something snarky about remembering she existed and i was completely shocked to realize i hadn't talked to her in like a week!! what did i do last week? was i busy? did i not have a free second to call? honestly, i can't remember what i had for breakfast so who knows. but it made me think, i need to be much more proactive about communicating with my people back in NC. 

And yes, Der if you are reading this, i do remember you and you are awesome and I'm going to make you wear flower crowns with me to the Taylor Swift concert. kthanksbyeeee, #loveyoumeanit

on a separate note; HOW IS IT ALMOST JUNE?!?!

i really can not understand why time is moving so quickly. it seems crazy that 2015 is almost halfway over! we have been lucky to meet so many wonderful people down here and make some truly amazing friends, but its really crazy to think about how short our time will be in pensacola. and once flight school is over, everyone will be scattered across the world to different duty stations. but, thats the name of the game. at least there are endless opportunities to make new friends and hopefully run into old ones. and having friends all over the globe definitely has its perks!

for now though, we are just trucking right along :) James is in the midst of API so he is studying like a mad man 24/7 and flying through his material (pun intended). i am about to start working double time since the kids get out of school this week. and hopefully on the weekends we will get a little bit of spare time to relax, grill out, and enjoy the beach. 

its going to be a great summer with lots of fun things happening! we've got weddings to attend, new babies to meet, family and friends to party with, and lots of things to be thankful for. 

its looking like summer 2015 is going to be one for the books...

m i d w e e k m o n t a g e

its wednesday. not quiiiite friday enough for me, but it'll do. I'm sitting here thinking about my to do list for this week while my kids are in tutoring, and realizing that netflix has been playing a major role in my procrastination recently...

even though New Girl isn't currently on. And I'm waiting on the new season of Scrotal Recall. Aaaand Candidly Nicole. Oh yeah, and Bachelor in Paradise (just because i love 'Onion Girl'). 

oh yikes, see what i mean...netflix is an epidemic! 

a wonderful, entertaining, watch-it-at-the-gym, or during your lunch break, or at night while you're cooking dinner EPIDEMIC. 

right now, the bf and i are binge watching Scandal, i know, were behind on the times with that one. But it is so addicting!

secretly i am watching the Bachelorette and hoping that Britt gets hit by truck full of glitter, and it explodes and showers sparkles all over the bachelors and their amazing abs, but its not looking good. however, i am only 37 minutes into the first episode so i think theres still hope. 

but back to this horrid to-do list!

right now i am trying to find a decent dog boarder in pensacola so that we are able to go on several trips this year without me having a conniption about copper and tucker the whole time. let me tell you this for free: 3 days before memorial day weekend is a TERRIBLE time to be looking for a pet boarder. TERRIBLE.

i finally found a place that had a vacancy left, but it was my 4th choice out of 7 potentials and I'm not thrilled about it. i know its only for a couple of days and that they will be under the supervision of professionals blah blah blah but it looks like a doggy jail in there! 

obviously this is more of a 'me problem' than a copper/tucker problem since they just want food, water, and lots of belly rubs. but i don't care if I'm a crazy dog person! i want constant video feed of my dogs while I'm gone (cough cough NETFLIX should get in on that business opportunity) and a direct line to their room so i can talk to them. okay, that sounded crazy...but I'm gonna go with it anyways. 

i mean just look at these faces:

how could i not worry about them? 

but they have been in the car with me way too much this year because of our move, and it wouldn't be fair for them to have to be crunched up in the backseat so we can drive all the way back to NC for the weekend. 

also, i really want to be able to go to the Wizarding World this year and i don't think they allow dogs in the theme park yet so this will be a good trial run. 

on that note, i have completed my last minute task of the day! so now I'm going to get as much Bachelorette in as i can before the kids finish their tutoring ...shhhh!

I M B A C K!!!

i have been a huge slacker with the blog these last few weeks, and truly there is no excuse other than: because life. on that note however, here are some pictures from the past few weeks to catch everyone up! 

we have been crazy busy down here in pensacola. i started my new job working as a nanny for a family of five and they are great. J has been busy studying and finished IFS within 2.5 weeks. he is doing amazing and even had his first solo flight. 

we have been spending time with great friends, getting to know the city, hanging out on the beach, and settling in to this new life :)

yesterday we went with some friends down to Destin to check out the outlets and go to the beach. the water down here is SO blue and the sand is a shade of white we just don't have in NC. its really beautiful!

for the next couple of days, even though i will be working, we are going to enjoy ourselves because J starts API this week and once that starts things will really pick up and get busy. so for now...its all about that brunch & beach ;)

d e l a y e d r e s p o n s e

it has been SO long since i've had a moment to breathe. as you can imagine, a moment to write has been even harder to come by. but the crazy is officially over. after 2 weeks of moving, 3 weeks of nothing but work, an 11 hour car ride, and more unpacking, i am officially in pensacola. it feels so amazing to finally be down here with James and starting this chapter. 

our tiny, eclectic apartment feels homey and perfect. even though the internet is faulty, and there are only two windows downstairs, it has never felt so right to be somewhere. my new job starts on monday, I've made some great friends, and it is so warm and nice down here! goodbye cold rain! i was made to live in 80 degree weather. its just a fact.

the past few days have been full of rearranging furniture, getting utilities set up, shopping for curtain rods that never seem to be the right length, meeting new people, and exploring this new city. I've met some great women down here who are also girlfriends or wives of people in flight school and it is so nice to have people to talk to who understand what you're going through. this military community truly is accepting and strong. a few of us have even set up a weekly coffee date and yoga night. disclaimer: just because one is an ex-dancer does not make aerial yoga easier!

i spent yesterday at the beach while J was golfing and studying (of course). and then we had a nice dinner out on the town. 

i think I'm going to like it here!