Welcome Home

A new month. A new home. We are finally moved into our apartment in Okinawa, and it feels so good to begin putting down some roots here! It's crazy to think back to all of the times we have moved during the last few years, basically the longest amount of time we have spent in one place since meeting is just under one year. Not to mention, both of us lived separate but equally gypsy-like lives during college and the years afterwards. So as you can imagine, I am pretty excited to be settling into a home that we will get to be in for three whole years (knock on wood)!

Currently, we only have our clothes and a few random household goods since we are still waiting on our big shipment to get here. But the loaner furniture isn't terrible and honestly I'm just so glad they have stuff to lend us in the first place it wouldn't matter to me if it was made out of cardboard! Hopefully our stuff will be here this month though and I can begin to put everything into its rightful place, you know like putting clothes in closets (...I packed all of our clothes in the unaccompanied baggage shipment, and all of the damn hangars in our household goods shipment, yay me).

We love our location even though there isn't a yard for the pups and we are on the third floor, because luckily there is a park right behind our place and hellooooo booty workout going up and down those stairs eight million times a day! See? Always a silver lining haha!

I can't wait to do a 'before and after' post for our apartment. There is definitely something to be said for moving into a new place sans everything you own because it gives you a lot of time to think about what you really need and where to put things. Basically what I'm saying is my Pinterest boards are on fire right now. And maybe the is nothing I can do to get rid of the horrible yellow tile in the kitchen and bathrooms but a few plants and some good lighting will hopefully distract from its less than desirable hue.

One of the best things about our apartment is that it is located right next to a bunch of great restaurants and bars, the beach and sea wall are only blocks away, and there are tons of other people living around us. Our view isn't too shabby either :)

So far life here in Okinawa is pretty great.

Stay tuned for progress updates and some awesome pictures from this weeks adventures on island!

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

February Favorites

While February might have been a short month, it was jam-packed with great books, recipes, and Netflix shows to get us through the last of these cold, rainy days. Here is my list of Feb Favs that I want to share with you :)

Recently, I have been on a cooking show kick on Netflix and let me just tell you these shows are on point. They make you hungry but the music and imagery is breathtaking and I am convinced that I want to go to culinary school at some point now (terrifying, I know).

I've also been slowly making my way through a stack of wonderful books I got as birthday presents! Cookbooks, home decor books, and self improvement books are a huge guilty pleasure of mine. You know, the kind of books that most people just set out on the coffee table...I am a huge nerd and actually read them, over and over and over again.

 

 

Since the majority of the days in February down here are cold and rainy, we have been eating a lot of warm dishes for dinner. Classics like tomato soup and grilled cheese, chicken and wild rice stew, homemade buttermilk biscuits, and yo-yo ramen noodles (which basically means we make ramen and add a bunch of random yummy things to it).

The Buttermilk Biscuit recipe in the Fosters Market Favorites cookbook (above) in RIDICULOUSLY YUMMY. And easy to tweak and make your own. 

Also, cheese and wine. We go through a weird amount of bread, cheese, and wine in our house. Especially since I realized how easy it is to bake Irish Soda bread from scratch. Slap some local jam on it and it is a perfect snack during the day. 

 

There is nothing cozier than coming home from a long day of showing houses, putting some oils on the diffuser, getting some biscuits baking in the oven and settling down on the couch with a good book and some hot tea. 

I recommend all of the books above and would love to hear which recipes are your personal favorites!

xoxo Em

Weekend Vibes & Kitchen Update

Things have finally slowed down a little bit. I've been spending my time unpacking boxes slowly but surely, filling out paperwork for my new company, and nesting into this wonderful home of ours. It always takes a little bit of time to adjust and make a new house feel like a home, but this transition has been seamless and it already feels like home here. 

Even though it's November, it has been in the 70's during the day down here so we have been leaving the windows open and letting the cool breeze blow through the house. Not that I don't love warm weather, but it is definitely weird not having it be cold and snowy this far into the winter! To make up for the lack of wintery atmosphere I have been diffusing a Balsam Fir/Cinnamon/Peppermint blend to make it smell like home. I love the smell of all the spices swirling through the house as we sip our coffee and read under clean, warm blankets on the couch. That is definitely my happy place!

With the holidays upon us, I cant help but miss home and family a bit more than usual. It can be pretty isolating when you first move to a new place. And even though we've only moved a few miles closer to base I haven't had a chance to meet the neighbors yet so it has been a little lonely. But not for long! I am totally that nerdy neighbor who will knock on your door with cookies so I can introduce myself (maybe its my inner Realtor coming out...)

There is also so much to do that I haven't had much time to sit down and really think about all the changes we have been making! Getting a business up and running is no easy task! There are signs and cards to be ordered, advertising to be done, and paperwork to fill out. But, everyone has been so wonderfully supportive that I can't help but smile when I think of what the future holds. Not to mention, the decorating possibilities for a home office are pretty unlimited...and you know how much I love a good room-specific, home decor Pinterest board :)

Currently, I am in the process of getting some before and after pictures done of the house but there are still a lot of boxes to unpack and honestly, I am not in too big of a rush to unpack them! Whenever I move, the room I always unpack first is the kitchen. Kitchens are the eternal hang out room especially when they open up into the living space, which is why I think a good open floor plan is important. It allows the energy to flow easily from one space to another. Both my family and J's are foodies so somehow we always end up loitering near the food areas, therefore, the kitchen is the first room to get set up and ready to go! Here are some pictures of the progress we have made in the kitchen...

More to come soon! Hope you all have a great Saturday :)

-E

November First

I feel like I say this every month but, how is it already November?? I love this time of year, it has all of the best holidays, the weather makes everything cozy and romantic, and there is just something about the holiday season that makes the important things in life come to light a bit brighter than usual. Family, friends, love, hope, random acts of kindness, helping others, selflessness, warmth, good food, cozy decor...I love it all!

Also, I feel like after halloween it is finally acceptable to start thinking about Christmas. I know, I know, many of you just cringed and almost threw your computer. BUT, I already promised J that I wouldn't start really getting into the full swing of things until after Thanksgiving. Which, is completely fine with me considering all that we have going on right now. We are finally moving out of our tiny, dank apartment and into a real house. Maybe J never stood a chance with a Realtor as a girlfriend, but he has decided to buy a house down here and hopefully we will be moving into our new home in the next week or so!

Of course, I'm over here pinning like a madwoman and coming up with decor and paint for each room even though its not going to be our 'forever home'. That's one of the tricky parts about military life, you don't want to invest too much money, time, or energy into a place you won't be living for very long. But, at the same time, each place becomes your home because of the wonderful people so it's hard not to want to have that feeling spill over into the place you're living. With that being said, I'm moving forward at full speed ahead, but in a thriftier than usual style. This house will become a rental for us so we want it to be nice and homey for ourselves as well as those who rent it afterwards. 

So, before I jump the gun on interior Christmas decor I'm going to focus on FRIENDSGIVING! Friendsgiving is the Holiday that comes either directly before or directly after Thanksgiving. It is a time to celebrate with your friends, eat a bunch of good food, and remember how thankful you are for the good things in your life. It will be so wonderful to start life in our new home by celebrating with friends and filling our home with good juju. Here are some decor ideas for our new place from my Friendsgiving pinterest board.