Tornadoes Tabatas & Thieves

As the end of February draws closer and closer I am struck with the urge to clean and declutter our home. Spring fever is going strong over here, even though a slew of tornadoes and rain brought another cold snap through last night. Of course, that would happen right after we get our new garden started, but with the exception of a couple of basil sprigs we weathered the storm quite well. Much better than many in our area unfortunately :( Thankfully, the storms weren't as bad as they could have been but the tornado did take out several homes and businesses. However, if one thing can be said of this community it is that they take care of their own. As early as this morning posts were going up all over the spouse pages about relief efforts and donation sites!

http://pulsegulfcoast.com/2016/02/photos-see-aftermath-of-pensacola-tornado-from-the-air

But back to the subject of spring cleaning...

When I say spring cleaning, I am also referring to cleaning up ones eating habits and shedding the layer of blubber that appeared out of nowhere over the winter months. We have been back in the gym attempting to get back on our clean eating and fitness regimen. It's a process. Down here in Florida bikini season starts at the end of march and that time, my friends, is fast approaching. 

Some of the easy ways I'm getting back in shape for the summer are:

~Trying to run at least 2 miles every day

~No fast food or junk food

~Upping my cardio game at the gym to 45 mins

~Portion control and smaller meals throughout the day

~Drink. More. Water.

~Tabatas that focus on the booty, core, and arms

When it comes to our home, some of the simple ways we spring clean include; opening the windows whenever it is nice out to get fresh air inside, diffusing essential oils like thieves/peppermint/tangerine to combat allergies, getting all of the pillows and linens washed and dried out, and filling the house with as many live plants as possible (which can be a pain in the ass since we have to get pet safe plants). 

New years resolutions are for people who don't want to deal with goals throughout the year! Theres no bad time to set a goal and make a plan to accomplish it :) I find it much easier to set seasonal goals anyways since I find myself having different focuses during different times of the year. Like eating all the carbs in the winter, and then having to spend half my life in the gym during the spring. 

For more ideas on fitness, clean eating, and oils check out my Pinterest boards ;)

Here:

What are some of your spring goals for your house? Body? Mind?

Ode to Summer: Part One

Ooooooh February, when are you going to be over? I know it sounds absurd but it has been super cold in Florida recently (aka below 65) and my body just can't handle it. I was not made for cold weather! Unless of course it is snowy and I am bundled up and there is a fire and I'm drinking wine. Lots of wine. 

Honestly though, the weather has been clear and beautiful but just chilly enough to where you would potentially freeze to death in a bathing suit.  And that just won't do. That being said, summer does come on very suddenly down here and once it does...were talking 80 degrees by 9:00am. But I LOVE it. The beaches down here are beautiful! White sand, clear aquamarine water, and little stands on the beach that sell mixed drinks. 

Since today is 67 degrees, with blue skies, and helicopters buzzing overhead like big, old birds (oooh base living) I have decided to put together a montage of summer things to get us through the next month before beach weather is officially upon us! 

Favorite Summer Things...Part One

1. Watermelon. Now, you may be saying to yourself...'what a weird summer thing to start with...' BUT watermelon is amazing. You can eat it for every meal. It is delicious, hydrating, and only tastes good in the summer. 

2. Beach Couture. Otherwise known as adorable bikinis, cute jewelry, gladiator sandals, and awesome beach gear. The more sparkles the better. Tie dye? Bring it on. Headscarves? Why not. Kimono wraps? Yes, please. 

3. Crazy sunnies. Personally, I love huge sunglasses that cover your face and border on ginormous insect eyes. But in the summer I feel like one can go a little further and rock some truly spectacular eye wear...

4. Outdoor activities! There are so many awesome things to do in the summer! Kayaking, tubing, hiking, surfing, sunbathing, water skiing, paddle board yoga...the list is infinite :) And it makes me super happy because I have a really hard time sitting still, so if I can be doing something fun WHILE getting tan and being near water. I'm in. 

5. Girly bevs. In my old age (cough cough 27 cough) I have severely cut back on my intake of hard liquor. Mainly because Ive found that I don't really have a taste for it anymore. I'm more of a red wine or coffee porter gal. But in the summer, something weird shifts in my brain and all I want are pina coladas, rum, and coronas...drinks which, when consumed on a beach in a bikini on a hot summer day, become "dranks". 

The list goes on, quite literally, forever. But for now I will leave you with these five awesome summer things to help stave off the cabin fever. It's almost time to plan those beach trips so hang in there! And don't forget to protect your skin with some yummy smelling, glittery sun screen so you don't grow up and look like a leather bag ;)

Peace, Love & Sunshineeeee

E

w o r k & p l a y

Hello friends!
It's been quite a while since I've had a chance to sit down and write and I'm so happy to be relaxing on my couch right now with a glass of wine (maybe watching the Bachelorette...) and taking a moment to reflect on the past couple of weeks. 

After the amazing week spent with family and friends for Kevan and Rebekkah's wedding, James and I were able to relax and lay low for a couple of wonderful weeks. We took the dogs to the beach, cooked dinner together, read books, and slept late! It was so nice after the stress of my previous job and API. However, during this time, through a series of crazy events, I came in contact with a wonderful real estate agent who ended up hiring me as her transaction coordinator while i work on getting my real estate license! It was such a relief after worrying about being able to find a job, and i couldn't be happier or more excited about how this job is going :)

This week is my second week at work and i feel like I'm finally settling in and understanding my place in the office. Even though the hours are a little longer than I anticipated, the time goes incredibly fast and I am learning SO MUCH about real estate in florida. It's very different from the rules and regulations in NC but luckily my three years in NC have given me a great platform to jump from and i can't wait to see where this goes.

On a completely separate note, I have somehow let Rebekkah talk me into running a half marathon with her in October! And I'm actually really excited about it. For my whole life I have lived under the impression that i can not physically run because i am a fat kid stuck in a skinny kids body. Welp, this experience has proven that...I was right hahahaha 

At this point in time, I can run a 12 minute mile without dying, which is two minutes more than i ever thought possible! You would think that after being a dancer and growing up as a fairly athletic person, I would be able to run, but that is not necessarily the case. There are three months though before the half marathon and the training program we are using seems to be keeping me on track so far...fingers crossed!

And the best part about this half marathon is that its in Durham! I can't wait to go back and see everyone and hopefully complete this crazy race before they close down the track and send everyone home ;) On that note, any tips on running are welcome in the comment below! I can use all the help I can get!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

F l i g h t S u i t F r i d a y

the past year has been so full of huge, life changing events and it seems like each month goes by more quickly than the last. so when i looked at my calendar today and saw that there is only one week left until july, all i could do was shake my head and wonder where the time has gone! friday was a huge day for James and his classmates because it was their Flight Suit Friday which is the first official day they are allowed to don their flight suit uniforms and celebrate being done with the horrible testing portion of API. and with the exception of the aviators themselves, nobody appreciates this portion of flight school being over more than the significant others! james and i actually got to hang out yesterday and go grocery shopping together! it was awesome. 

in this type of situation you have to learn to accept that more often than not its about the quality of time you spend together, not the quantity. its a hard lesson to learn and sometimes you have to remind yourself but its just the way things are and its always worth it in the end :) 

today we are going to go to the beach so we can enjoy the sunshine, drink some beer, and take a dip in the gulf. we honestly haven't been to the the beach in close to a month which is ridiculous considering we live about 15 minutes from it! however, with work, school, and life its been difficult to get out there recently. BUT NOT TODAY! this weekend has been all about relaxing, reading, playing video games, making pancakes, sleeping late, and all those awesome things that are so easy to take for granted. 

im also very excited because my parents are coming to visit a week from today! i can't wait to show them around pensacola and take them to the beach, eat good sea food, and just hang out. it will be a super fun week because I'm taking off work just to spend time with them AND get ready for Bekkah and Kevan's wedding of course, which is the next friday! its going to be a great start to july filled with family, friends, good food, celebrations, and fun. 

life is pretty darn good :)
so, on this wonderful sunday i hope all of you do something relaxing and enjoyable like us! and don't forget to call your daddy's and wish them happy father's day!

E

k i d k r u d

if you are a parent, teacher, or in my case a nanny, then you are most certainly familiar with what i refer to as the 'kid krud'. its that nasty virus that school age kids get EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. it comes complete with runny nose, horrifying cough, sore throat, and body aches. and the best part is, you don't get a day off when you are a nanny and the kids are the ones who started the illness because they can't catch it back from you! its not like you can say 'stay away from me you sick child!' when i see one of my kids being all sick and pitiful i can't help but want to make them feel better...so long story short, i caught the 'kid krud'. wah wah

however, i did get about 24 hours of fun in this weekend before it hit me! we went out for sushi on friday night (or i did, J had a video game date) to celebrate our friends' flight suit friday. its crazy to think that James will be celebrating his in a few short weeks! then we spent the day at the pool, drinking gin & tonics, reading, and relaxing. 

saturday night we had people over for a BBQ. its nice to know that we are surrounded by so many great people. our tiny apartment was packed with fun friends, good food, and lots of noise. we had to call it a night early because J had some studying to do for his exam, but it was a good time :) also i needed to chug about 4 bottles of nyquil. 0_o

today was the first day of summer for the kids i nanny for so my days will be beginning at the crack of 8:00am for the next couple of months. the camp schedule for these 3 is insane, and i spent most of the day running them to and from their activities while trying to get laundry done in between. we did manage to watch Mockingjay, play 3 rounds of checkers, take the dogs to the dog park, and make crepes today though which is pretty good for four sick people haha. hopefully in the days to come everyone will start feeling better so we can go to the beach!

oh! and for all of my durhamites, i will be back in town this sunday until wednesday morning for the Taylor Swift concert and to visit my family. sooooo, if you wanna get a drink or catch up, you know how to reach me! i promise not to breathe on you...

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 ;)

b a c k a n d f o r t h

two amazing whirlwind weeks of moving, unpacking, job-hunting, meeting new friends, beaching it, and spending time with my babe. amazing in every sense of the word. some moments were harder than others, but the most difficult part is over and we have settled in to our new routines fairly gracefully. 

except now, i am back in north carolina for a couple of weeks to wrap up some real estate deals and finish up my contract with the family i nanny for. however, since all of my belongings are down in pensacola...i am camping out at my parents house...with my two dogs.  not the most comfortable situation spatially, but great quality time with the fan before officially moving down and staying for good. or at least until the next move. 

the next three weeks here will be completely insane. somehow, i forgot about my CE for real estate and so i will be in class for the next two weekends, saturday & sunday, from 9:00-5:00. shoot me now. i have a feeling i will be writing some excellent blog posts during this time because god knows i can't sit that long without going crazy. i will also be working overtime with baby D so that i can make up for the last two weeks of not working at all. yikes!

i plan on spending as much time with my friends and family here as i can, enjoying spring in durham, going to Bulls games, lounging at Duke Gardens, drinking at my favorite bars, and trying not to lose the tan i got while in florida. haha but seriously. 

as amazing as it feels to be back here with all the people i love, i can't help but feel frustrated at all of the back and forth.it seems like i finally got settled in down in pensacola and then had to drop everything again and come back up. but all good things take time and i always knew this was the plan. change makes me slightly nervous so this is probably good for me haha. its like my dad always says; you're building character. so. much. character.

all i know is that i will be so happy to settle into my new job, home, and life with james. its not like i will never see my nc peeps again. I'm already planning my parents first trip down here, and my friends know they are always welcome to crash at our place and spend some glorious days at the beach. now i just have to convince molly and brittney to skip work and drive down with me for jazz fest in a couple of weeks....priorities!

f l o r i d a l i f e

wow, its been a long time since I've written anything here. but thats definitely not for lack of reasons to! the move has gone very smoothly. we have managed to get settled, explore a bit, and make some new friends. i still get lost every time i leave the house but thankfully I've finally learned most of the main roads. 

learning how to live with someone in a shared space has been easy for us since we've lived together for longer periods during j's time at TBS. the hard part has been adjusting to our schedules and learning how to communicate in a normal way now that he isn't in the field all the time! and to be honest, its a great problem to have because it means we get to see each other so much. 

for me personally, the most difficult thing has been accepting the fact that i will have to put myself out there in an unfamiliar place and meet new people. we've spent some time with j's friends and their significant others which has been great! everyone is super nice and they know from experience the things i am going through. last weekend a big group of us went out in downtown pensacola which was awesome. i was surprised at how fun the bars were! and with the exception of a slight alcohol induced bout of hysteria on my part, the night was a blast. we were also FINALLY able to go to the beach! it was beautiful. white sand, blue water, and sunshine!!

i was supposed to head home yesterday morning but decided to extend my trip through the weekend in order to lock down a job I've been chasing while down here. I'm excited to say that i think at this point it is in the bag. such a relief! i have to admit that i was terrified at the thought of being down here with nothing to do. i don't want to only be a marine girlfriend. thats not who i am. or its not the ONLY thing i am. I've grown up being a very independent, educated, and motivated person and its easy for people in military communities to box significant others in and assume the worst about them. its kind of sad. but i refuse to be one of those people!

james and i are planning on getting our scuba certifications when i get back down here in may which i am SO excited about. especially since there are so many coastal and marine archaeological sites down here! we even found out that the local colleges offer classes that i may be able to take that will add some credits to my grad school count :) 

in addition to working full time, going to the beach, (hopefully) taking some classes, learning the area, and trying to find a place to volunteer i am feeling much better about my schedule. the only time things get hard is when i have nothing to do, so staying busy, getting out and doing new things, and meeting new people will not only be my biggest challenge but my salvation here. i think that this is the beginning of an amazing adventure and i can't wait to see how we grow as a couple and as individuals on this journey :)