A New Chapter: NC to FL to TX

Ya'll. I made it to North Carolina and J made it to Texas. It has been a long couple of weeks getting ready for this move, but we are both settling in nicely and appreciate everyones help with the move both physically and emotionally!

I have never been good with change. I love the idea of it and crave it when things get too monotonous. But when it comes time to actually pick up and go, I dig in my heels. This move was no exception, and the added stress of not being able to move together didn't help. But after unpacking and getting into the swing of things again around here I've started to appreciate that we made the right choice.

Today was my first day back in the office. I even got to go show a house with my mom (a REAL HOUSE, not a trailer) PRAISE!! I am not made for the life of a housewife, at least not right now. The last three months have been so incredibly tough for me not having a career, and I can't believe how motivated I am to work 24/7 right now. At least now I can hit the ground running and make the most of my months here in Durham so that J and I can save money and I won't drive us both crazy with my bored antics! I'm definitely a lucky girl to be marrying someone who appreciates my mania and encourages me to do whatever makes me happy <3

There are already so many things going on...Wedding appointments are on the books as we only have 3 months until the big day, the Trinity Park House Tour is in a couple of weeks, the Durham housing market is not slowing down anytime soon, I just got my Durham Pure Barre Membership up and running, and this Saturday I am 'running' a 10k (if I die, Brittney is to blame). I can not wait to get back into a groove again. The moving process really throws off any chance of having a normal schedule, and I am a planner so that never works out well for anybody.

So, here's to the next chapter of our crazy, peripatetic life!

Stay tuned...

Picture that James texted me when we first started dating haha

Durham House: The Before Pics

After a few push backs we finally have a new departure date from Florida. The truck(s) will be here this weekend and then it's on to our next adventure. I have to admit that even though I'm still bummed about being apart, it will be very nice to finally get this move over with and not be in PCS limbo anymore.

Also, I am pretty darn thrilled that I will be getting to NC just in time for my favorite season of all! October is a great month in NC because the leaves finally start changing, the state fair comes to town, the farmers markets are in full swing, the nights are cool enough to leave the windows open, and its tailgate season. Aaaaand also, because halloween.

We already have our first couple of trips planned to visit each other and I'm feeling better about the situation now that we're almost in October. The rest of this year is going to fly by, and before we know it we'll be celebrating our wedding with everyone :) And then J will get his Wings of Gold, and we'll be off again!

Another positive about moving into a new place is that I get to feed my interior decorator addiction. I love moving into a new space and deciding where to put everything and how to make it feel homey. The Durham House (as we're calling it) is wonderful but tiny. It has old hardwood floors, a huge back deck, and great windows. But it is only 827 square feet! Which, coming from our Milton House, is going to be a huge change. Luckily for the most part it will only be me...and four animals...and J when he comes to visit. I'm actually really loving the idea of downsizing and getting rid of all the unnecessary junk.

So, now that it is officially official, here are some before pictures of our new Durham House...Stay tuned for the 'after' photos!!

kitchen area looking out to back deck and huge yard!

itty, bitty kitchen love

hallway from living room

ye olde bathroom

second bedroom which will be the office

master bedroom (bring your own cat)

living room!

I've got big plans for this baby, and a good old ikea trip in the making so check back to see what we've done to spruce this place up and make it our own <3

Love > Distance

We are officially down to the last few days in the Milton house. Our first home that we owned and made together. It is definitely a bittersweet moment. It will be sad the see the movers come through and pack everything up, take things off the walls, and move it all out of the house.

It will be even harder to know that J and I won't be in the same state for the next few months. Even though we weighed the pros and cons, talked about it for hours, and came to the same conclusion, I still find it incredibly hard to think about not seeing him every day.

Sometimes it feels like this is a lose-lose situation. Yes, moving to Durham will allow me to wedding plan on site, work a regular job, and be near family before our first big deployment (potentially overseas). But I will miss our little life together that we have created. I'll miss the wonderful friends we've made in flight school. And I also hate the thought of splitting up our family because Copper is literally going to mope around for weeks when he realizes J isn't coming with us. I might actually become the most hated human in all of dogdom for splitting them up. And yes, this is a legitimate concern and if you disagree you've never been around Copper at 9:00pm when he turns into gremlin dog.

Sometimes I hate that we have to make decisions like this and that we can't just have a normal life, whatever that even means. But then I think about it and realize how fortunate we are to have this life and everything that it affords us. Being a military family definitely has its downsides (potentially the biggest understatement of the year) but it is also a necessary sacrifice and an honor to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.

We only have a couple of months until the wedding and a huuuuge stack of things which need to be done that I have been putting off. I will definitely have my fair share of things to do while J finishes up his last chunk of flight school. Between fixing up our new house in Durham, getting the final wedding details done, working a full time real estate job, applying to grad programs (maybe??), and trying to get my yoga certification I'm hoping that time goes by quickly.

In the wise words of my sister in law Rebekkah, who is a Merchant Marine and is married to a Coastie, I am officially joining the ranks of the Professional Long Distance Wife club. And I have to say that I am very lucky to be marrying someone who respects and supports my dreams, and doesn't ever try to hold me back because of the restrictions of his job.

There is never going to be a solution or situation that is perfect for everyone. And a lot of times spouses of service members end up having to give up their life and goals in order to support their spouse. But I want people to understand that there are MANY ways to do that. There isn't just one path to be a supportive partner. And sometimes that path may break with conventional thought. Maybe being a stay at home mom/dad is the best decision for you. Maybe having two full time incomes is the way to go. Sometimes your jobs will have you working temporarily in two different places. There is not one solution. All any one of us can do is our best <3

Some Fall Wardrobe Favorites

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful book recommendations after my last post!! One of my life long goals has been to start a book club that doesn't immediately fail due to lack of organization and time haha so thanks for helping me keep the dream alive!!

One of my biggest chores of the week, in preparation for our move, has been to go through all of my clothes and shoes so I can get rid of all of the things I don't wear anymore. After being in Florida this long I definitely feel like my work wardrobe has dwindled down to flip flops and sundresses, which we all know will not cut it in a NC winter.

So, out come the three organizational piles! The donate pile. The keep pile. And the trash-it-before-anyone-sees-it pile. My favorite part about the changing of the seasons is being able to switch up my wardrobe. As someone who is constantly trying to focus on the NOW but who is always thinking way too far ahead, I get sick of the seasonal fashion trends really quick. After like 3 weeks of bikinis and short shorts, all I can think about are sweaters and jeans. After a month of so of hoodies and tights, I am ready for flip flops and rompers.

It's really hard work being this basic.

With all of that being said, I have been gearing up for fall by creating a list of my fall fashion staples. My favorite part about fall fashion is the juxtaposition of all of the textures and patterns. I love mixing a huge, chunky knit sweater over opaque black tights, with some Frye boots. And seeing all of the rich, jewel tones people mix in with their work blazer through scarves and accessories. Everything is so comfy but so interesting to look at. In my opinion, a perfect, oversized, knit sweater is the equivalent of your favorite blanket you curl up in on your couch. Except the sweater is not frowned upon when you wear it in public.

Speaking as someone who is obsessed with always making everything as cozy as possible, the fall is my absolute favorite time of the year for fashion.

Must Haves:
Black Tights: they go with everything.

Boots: ankle, over the knee, etc...all of the boots!

Nice Jeans: I prefer dark wash, but a nice pair of bf jeans are amazing for a more casual look.

  

Flannel Shirt: the fitted flannels from Madewell and J-Crew are perfection. They are very flexible and can be tucked into a skirt or worn over jeans to a tailgate.

 

Blazer: a fitted, fresh blazer is perfect for going from the office to dinner.

Sweaters: I love a chunky, off the shoulder knit that can be layered or worn in its own.

Flats: A dressy pair of flats can be worn with jeans or a dress and they always look good

There are so many awesome fall outfits to try and so little time to try them all. You could always turn the A/C down and completely jump the gun like I did this morning! What are some of your fall wardrobe necessities?? 

A Few Good Books

Today is September 13th which means; the movers come to pack our stuff up in 6 days, we move in 7 days, the first day of fall is in 9 days, and our wedding is in 123 days. Just a few random facts that I have been ruminating on this morning.

The week has ben very laid back so far as J wraps up his last few events and I work on getting us ready for our respective moves. It's crazy to think that this will be our last week living together for the next 6 months. But it will go quickly and we will definitely rack up some miles visiting each other! Speaking of...does anyone have a credit card that they recommend for getting miles? 

Oh! And we officially closed on the Durham House this week after a long repair period. I am very excited to see it again in person! Oh the joys of buying real estate from another state :) It looks like I'll be getting to Durham a few days before the truck so I will be camping out with the animals at my parents place while assessing the new digs for decor and furniture placement (which we all know if the best part of moving into a new place).

Since I've been spending the last few weeks practicing the good old game of 'hurry-up-and-wait' I've had time to burn through a few books on my never ending reading list! Keep in mind these books are all over the place and have absolutely nothing in common except that I really enjoyed them...

1. Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg 

This book is everything. If you are a woman in the work force, read it. If you are a woman NOT in the workforce, read it. If you're a man, read it. The stories and statistics discusses by Sandberg in this book are enlightening and empowering. I also added about 7 of the books from her bibliography to my next stack of books to read.

http://amzn.to/2cupArL

2. How To Be Parisian Wherever You Are
This book was very entertaining to me. Partially because it was so abrasively and stereotypically French that I found it hilarious. But also because in between the ludicrous Parisian 'snobbisms' there was actually some good advice about being who you are and not caring what people think about your faults. It takes like 3 hours to read and is good for a rainy day when you're feeling especially existential. Or bored.

http://amzn.to/2curit2

3. The Sixth Extinction - Elizabeth Kolbert
This was my second time reading this gem. I'm definitely a sucker for a good case study and anything anthropological. This book does an amazing job of bringing to light how patterns in nature have occurred over time and how humans are effecting the environment.

http://amzn.to/2cE89dg

4. The Fiery Cross - Diana Gabaldon
I love this series (Outlander) and this book has been especially fun to read because **SPOILER** it is set in NC. This story line never ceases to surprise me and I'm very curious to see how the book progresses...

http://amzn.to/2cE8pZB

What is everyone else reading right now?? I'm always open to suggestions!

Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe: Mission Miami

This past weekend was absolutely incredible. Somehow, Hurricane Hermine completely missed Miami and everyone was able to make it to the bachelorette! And we even had two beautiful, sunny beach days. I honestly don't know what I have done to deserve such amazing, kind, hilarious girlfriends but I am so thankful for these women who have been with me throughout all of the different stages of my life!

I have known some of these girls since we were children, some since college, and some of these women I have only just met in the past two years, but each and every one of these friendships has helped make me who I am today. If there's one thing in life that I feel like I have definitely always done right, it is surround myself with supportive and loving girlfriends, and I only hope that I can always be as good of a friend to all of them as they have always been for me.

We spent 3 hilarious days clubbing, laughing, playing silly games, laying out on the beach, swimming, and celebrating. It was such a wonderful experience to see all of my friends from different walks of life hanging out and becoming great friends with each other. It's one of those weird things that you don't think you'll ever get to see! You talk about your hometown friends to your military friends, and to your college friends about your childhood friends, but many times they never actually meet, so it was very special to have everyone together in one place. I can't wait for the wedding where we will all be together again along with the ladies who couldn't make it!

With that being said, I hope everyone had a wonderful labor day weekend and here are some of the more PG pics from my bachelorette weekend... enjoy!

Perfect beach day! Accessories courtesy of my awesome sister, Tempe!

Dinner at Larios: Elizabeth you are amazing!

Photo Op ;)

Of course you have to take a pic in front of a giant duck if you find one...

What hurricane??

I don't think I've ever laughed as hard in my life! Such a ridiculous night!

Brunette Mafia <3

Oh hey perfect beach day

My Mission Miami Maidens

Team America!

<3 <3 <3

As the Spice Girls say... If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends! I think J officially has the seal of approval from my ladies ;) T-4 months until 'I DO'!!!