We've Got Orders...

Today was a little rough. We finally got J's official orders and our move date has been scheduled for a couple of weeks from now. It's not like I didn't know this was coming but seeing it on paper made it so much more real. I felt like such a baby because I literally just looked at them and lost my shit and started crying like an insane person. Thankfully after a bit of consoling and teasing from J, I was able to lock it up. It just makes me so sad to think about being apart for the next few months, but we will get to see each other every few weeks and time will go quickly.

I think I've just been feeling a little bit overwhelmed because everything seems to happen all at once! On top of dealing with moving technicalities, I have been planning on doing my bachelorette this coming weekend for the last 6 months. Everything was organized, everyone was excited, and then out of nowhere a hurricane decides to pop up :( We are still on, but keeping a serious lookout on the weather channel these next couple of days. Thankfully everything looks like it will be passing north of us...but fingers crossed! (And pictures to come soon...)

I've also been in work limbo for the past month or so because we are in the process of PCS'ing so I've been feeling pretty discouraged. I'm definitely not the kind of person who can sit around and do nothing all day without feeling horribly guilty. The one thing I am looking forward to immensely in Durham, other than seeing friends and family, is having a full time career again!

Starting my real estate company down here was something I will always be proud to have done. I met amazing people, learned a lot about real estate in Florida, and expanded my skills as an agent and broker. But with that being said, I also have a whole new respect for brokers like my mother who run a company and manage to do their own business at the same time. And I can't wait to get back to being just a regular, old agent for a while!

I guess today was just one of those days, but I'm going to have a big cup of tea, put on my coziest sweats, and settle down with a good book and the pups. Everything will be fine and we will be stronger for it. Nobody said this life would be easy all the time, but taking a deep breath and counting your blessings helps. And wine. Wine helps too.

Let Me Just Be Basic For A Minute...I'm Ready For Autumn.

I've reached that point at the end of the summer where ALL I can think about are the cool days of fall. Anything to get some relief from the stifling, timeless, stuffiness of summer.

I want to be able to turn off the A/C and throw the windows wide open so that the smell of wood stoves and crispy leaves fill the house. I want to wake up and have that moment where the air is so chilly that getting out of bed seems impossible, until you remember how amazing that first sip of hot coffee is. I want to come home from work and be able to get cozy and curl up with a good book and a cup of tea, knowing that outside the world is slowly going into hibernation but I am warm and safe inside.

For the love of god, I really just want to be able to walk to the mailbox without having a heat stroke.

There is something so alive and exciting and comforting about the autumn. Even the names of the months; September, October, November carry a specific, cozy promise in the way they sound when they roll off your tongue. The nights get longer, the evenings chillier, and you can hear people going for walks and laughing on the street only to stifle their noise abruptly and disappear into the night. There is something about the fall that makes you want to whisper so as not to disturb nature as she slips into her yearly slumber. Not fear, but excitement and expectation. For me, it borders on awe as this colorful burst of life happens before everything slips into rest mode for winter.

Needless to say... my autumn Pinterest boards are overflowing, I'm trying to wear sweaters prematurely, and I'm getting the urge to start re-reading Harry Potter. The signs are all present. Now I just need that first leaf to turn...

A whole lot of change, in a short amount of time!

I'm sitting in a little cafe in downtown Pensacola sipping my espresso and enjoying the change of scenery. It can get a tad repetitive working from home. And as much as I love watching the olympics I have a thing for coffee shops and their eclectic atmospheres. As far as work goes, I am winding down my real estate business here in florida and gearing up for our next move.

We just put our wonderful home in Milton up on the rental market. I didn't think I would be as emotional as I am about moving out of this home since we've lived in other places together. But this was our first home that we really got to make our own since we bought it. I've loved having all of the extra space (more than two people need!), and the neighborhood has been so homey to live in, but we knew it would only be ours for a few months. So now the search for renters begins!

On another house hunting front, we are in the process of purchasing a wonderful little home in Durham. We thought long and hard about where to purchase our next rental since there are so many different duty stations in our immediate future, but we both new that having a little piece of Durham to hold onto was the right choice <3

In the next few weeks J will be finishing up his training here in Milton and will be moving on to the final stage of advanced in Texas. After a lot of thought we decided that I would not go to TX with him but would instead come to NC to fix up our little rental house and work for the family business through the holidays. With all of the chaos surrounding wedding planning, job searches, and the animals, it just made sense for me to be in Durham for the last few months of the year.

Every day I flip flop about if this is the right decision since I will miss seeing J every day, but we knew going into this relationship that there would be times where we couldn't be together 24/7. That doesn't mean I can't be a baby about it though! However, we both agree that me being able to have a more hands on experience during the last couple of months of wedding planning will be best, especially since we would be having to move around the time of the wedding and it would just be too many moving parts. Also, I will be able to have a full time real estate career in Durham again, which will allow us save some money.

All in all, we feel good about this decision and are super excited for the next 6 months! A wedding, a new house, and a winging ceremony all within a few months of each other. We must be crazy or stupid, maybe a little bit of both! The support system we have is INCREDIBLE to say the least.

If the first half of this year is anything to go by, I know that these next few months are going to fly by. So, here's to a whole lot of change in a short amount of time! Par for the course in this life of ours...

Durham (and TX), we're comin' for ya!

Holy August Batman!

I can not believe it is already August. This summer has seriously flown by and honestly, I am completely fine with that! This girl is ready for some cool fall nights, cozy sweaters, and pumpkin flavored everything. Basic I know, but there you have it.

I just got back from spending a wonderful week up in Durham with the family. We finalized some wedding details, had my first dress fitting, & did a little rental house hunting (more on that later!) I also got to see one of my favorite ADF performances (Paul Taylor), and pick up the new Harry Potter book at the midnight release from the old, local book shop where I bought the others so many years ago. Super nostalgic trip! Every time I go back to Durham to visit I feel so lucky to have been raised in such an open minded and forward thinking community. And luckily wedding planning keeps me going back and forth quite a bit!

It's hard to believe that in a few short months we will be saying our 'I do's'!! When we got engaged last December I kept thinking that our wedding date was soooo far out, but this year is flying by and I'm super thankful we started planning early. A lot of changes are going to be happening in the next few months leading up to the wedding and I am excited to see where these changes take us.

But for now, we are enjoying our last few weeks in the Milton House and spending time with all of our Florida friends :) One of the hardest parts about being a military family is having to constantly say 'see you later' to the wonderful friends you make along the way. The stress and love that comes with this lifestyle bonds you together with each other quicker and more intensely than most normal friendships and they are the glue that holds us all together.

As we approach this next PCS, I can't help but shed a few tears over the idea of parting ways with these wonderful friends and having to start over from scratch again. But if I've learned anything over the last couple of years, it's that distance over time and space have nothing to do with affairs of the heart, and while we may all be scattered across this planet nothing will cause this support system to falter. Also, we thankfully have the internet at our disposal so staying in touch is much easier :)

With all that being said, new beginnings bring a sense of excitement and adventure and we will be keeping everyone posted on our little journey right here through it all! Stay tuned...