a l i s t o f t h i n g s

things that make me happy:

1. peppermint tea

2. sunshine

3. good books

4. people who smile

5. fresh nail polish

6. clean floors

7. puppy snuggles

8. weird looking plants

9. being with people i love

10. cozy thunderstorms

so far, all ten of these things have happened today and its only lunchtime :) its the little things that make a good day into a great day, or a bad day into a worse day. the great part is, we get to chose what kind of a day it is!

n e w b e g i n n i n g s

spring is always associated with change, vitality, and new beginnings. but this year i am experiencing change on a whole new level. i have been in pensacola for five days and during that time i have managed to relocate and organize (almost) all of my belongings, learn a basic knowledge of the area, and find a job. its crazy to think that this is my home now, but it also feels incredibly right. 

not to sounds shallow, but one of the biggest things that has helped me get settled in has been setting up our home. it is slowly coming together in a way that is a perfect blend of my life and james' life, and its really cool to see. yesterday i took my first solo voyage out into pensacola in order to get some plants for our apartment at home depot. now, this may not seem like a big deal but i am quite literally one of the most directionally challenged people alive. in the world. ever. 

but with the help of my trusty iPhone, i found the store, picked up a bunch of pet-safe plants and made it back home. victory! I've been really excited about getting some greenery for our place because being in a town home we don't have a lot of natural light so it was great to find some plants that can survive darker places and not make my cats vomit everywhere. 

i went with a couple of boston ferns, some succulents, a giant arica palm, and (my personal favorite) a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree! i am not one little bit embarrassed to say that i have been obsessed with these fiddle leaf fig trees since i first saw them on pinterest a while ago. mine is still a baby but i plan on repotting it soon so it will grow huge and be a monster fig tree muahahaha!

i think that having plants has really made a huge difference in how homey our place feels. that and hanging up a bunch of twinkle lights everywhere...now we just have to finish unpacking our clothes and hang up some pictures. hopefully, we can get most of this done before friday because it looks like we are having three other couples over for drinks before we all head out to explore downtown.

its exciting to know that this move hasn't been a difficult one. it would have been easy to get really sad and wallow about, thinking of everything i left behind in nc. but it has been easier than i thought to look at this as an adventure and a way to make new friends and do new things without losing touch back home. its important to remember that it doesn't have to be one or the other. love can only be multiplied, not divided, and this adventure has already shown me that no matter where i am, it is possible to surround yourself with a support group both near and far. 

w e d i d i t !

we did it!
we moved a 26 foot penske truck, 4 animals, 2 cars, and all of our stuff from north carolina to florida. the drive wasn't as bad as i thought it would be and surprisingly the animals all behaved very well in the car and didn't have any accidents. thank the lord! 

we spent the weekend rearranging furniture, unpacking boxes, grocery shopping, and basically just stocking up on everyday things that we completely forgot you don't have after a move. its definitely been a tiring weekend, but I'm finally staring to settle in and feel at home. its crazy to think that after twenty six years in north carolina i have taken this step. I'm so proud of my self and i can't think of a better reason to have left home. its been amazing getting to set up a home with james and finally being able to see each other every day :)

even though i will only be here for a couple of weeks before having to head back to nc until may, i want to get as settled in as possible so that when i come back for good, it will be easier to jump in and fully get involved down here in pensacola. as for the apartment, it is much cuter and bigger than i was anticipating. it isn't huge but its just the right amount of space for us, its close to everything, and we actually know the couple who lives back door to us. I'm not sure how long we will be here, but I'm sure that we will enjoy it. and i will savor the time before we have to pack up and move again!

hopefully in the next few days i will get a chance to see more of the town and explore a little bit. i also need to go to the beach asap and see some sunlight!! its only 15 minutes away now so maybe later this week :)

l o o o o n g d a y

today was ridiculously stressful. i think everything is starting to catch up with me. organizing this move, working as a full time (overtime) nanny, continuing to sell real estate (which means working weekends), wrapping up utilities and insurances for the move, packing up the house, everyday life things like walking the dogs and maintaining relationships, all while living in a completely packed up house with no internet or COFFEE. 

i feel guilty ranting about something as silly as being a little stressed over a move that i am choosing to make at a time i choose to make it, but that being said, i am having a moment of weakness and ranting anyway. 

here it goes...stop reading now if you don't like rants...

today i was supposed to sleep in and then, after meeting some friends for coffee, have a leisurely day of packing, picking up the truck and getting a few loose ends tied up. but nooooo, of course i wake up at the ass crack of 5:00am. wide awake. because i am unable to stop running over my to-do list in my head. so, i get up and take the dogs for a walk while i wait for the sun to come up. of course, without my usual gallon of coffee before the sun rises, i am in a completely confused state of panic as to what i should be doing. i proceed to randomly wrap dishes in newspaper and put them into boxes, totally forgetting that newspaper makes your hands and everything they touch black. 

after getting a few final boxes packed up, i start getting ready to meet molly for coffee and just happen to look in the mirror on my way out and see that my face is covered in black streaks. so typical. i considered going out anyways and just pretending i didn't look like i had attempted to put on grey eyeshadow on in the dark, but decided that (at this point in the day..) i had more pride than that. i quickly washed my face and was heading out the door again when i remembered i was supposed to meet my aunt in greensboro for lunch. aaaand i looked like a troll. at this point i was already pushing it for coffee so i scrambled to get my makeup on and change clothes and managed to only be late for molly by about 15 minutes. 

thankfully, i got a skim mocha with 5 espresso shots and was able to catch up with my best friend, which is always amazing. but it was a short hour and chaos was impatient to resume its torture...

i quickly drove to the office because i realized i had a due diligence check to drop off for a client and only about 20 minutes to do so. i got to the office, jammed the printer, realized i needed to also print off a lease for my apartment that I'm subletting, printed it off, forgot it in the printer, and got nothing done because at this point my mom shows up and we have to leave for the 45 minute drive to greensboro. we decide to take my car so that on the the way back i can stop in mebane to weigh it while it is empty (so the government will reimburse us for this move since it is for the military). 

at this point i am feeling good, my caffeine has kicked in and i am at the place where nothing can stop me because...coffee. lunch is wonderful and catching up with my aunt is great. i think I'm sensing a trend here...food = happy haha.

on our way back we stop at the truck weigh station and pull onto the scales only to realize that i am too short by about 3 feet to reach the call button. i try jumping. i try running and jumping. i back the car up, reposition and try to stand on it to reach the damn button. finally i jump off of the car and manage to hit it. except the woman inside is busy with another customer so its not until the 4th time i jump off that i get a response. by the way, I'm wearing heels and it is pouring rain. 

we get the ticket and head back home. then i have a lovely 15 minute 'nap', feed the dogs and then run to my parents house so we can go pick up the penske truck in the opposite direction. of course it is 4:15 at this point and traffic is a nightmare going towards raleigh. after another 45 minute drive we get to the rental place and manage to secure the 26 foot truck. thankfully, my dad decides he should drive so i get to sit back and enjoy the stop and go traffic ride back to the weigh station (which is now an hour away). 

we weigh the truck, drive back, and with the help of my amazing neighbors park it in front of my house. whew!

then i change clothes, eat a grapefruit and run to work, because on thursdays i take care of my four awesome gerend kiddos. its a crazy day indeed when the most relaxing part is reading bedtime stories and wrangling four kids under the age of 10 into bed. but it was.

as i sit here on their couch writing this ridiculous saga, while all four of those quirky, sweet kids are asleep upstairs, it seems silly that this one day was so stressful. and i have to admit that it could have been a lot worse. its nice to purge this whole day out of my mind by writing about it, but also, looking back, i am so grateful and lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life who are willing to drop everything and help me through this move. its going to be so hard to leave them all in durham, but i know that this will always be my true home, and coming back will be that much sweeter :)

i have never been this excited to get into my bed and sleep.

tomorrow will be easier.

and after this weekend the move will be done. 

sweet dreams!

Zzzzzz....

t a s t e o f s u m m e r

the past couple of days have been absolutely beautiful! warm bright sunshine, clear blue skies...i even heard crickets the other evening! baby D and i spent the day walking around durham, hanging out on east campus, and soaking up this amazing sun. needless to say, my motivation to get those last couple of boxes packed up has been lacking. 

I've been really slacking on keeping up with the blog recently too because, although i haven't packed random things like dishes yet, i did manage to get a little over-exuberant and pack up the modem for my internet. typical. so I've been mooching on my neighbors wifi by standing in weird places and trying to follow the signal. hopefully no one has been watching in my windows because I'm sure i look like a complete nut job. also typical. 

luckily, today is my last day of work for this week so i will be able to focus these last two days before the move. it is bittersweet though because i won't see my sweet little chunk for two whole weeks since i will be in florida getting our new place situated. but it will be amazing to finally see james and start building this next phase of our life together. it also doesn't hurt that the weather is already hot and awesome in florida. i can't wait to check out the beaches and explore the area.

I've also set up several great job interviews for this trip to pensacola and hopefully i will find something that works out. since i will be maintaining my real estate license in north carolina, i figured i would just try to find a great nannying gig to keep me busy and make some extra money. who wouldn't want to run around the beach with kids all day? sounds pretty great to me!

on a less fun but still exciting note, tomorrow evening my dad and i are going to pick up the moving truck and take it to get weighed before we begin the harrowing task of filling it up with all of our junk. I'm praying that the rain holds off so we can move everything without having to deal with inclement weather but you know what they say...when it rains it pours. 

guess we will just see how this plays out! I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst so how bad can it be?

w e e k e n d u p d a t e

oooooh durham. why do you have to get super cool right when i decide to leave!? just kidding, durham has always been cool to us townies but still, new restaurants are popping up, bars, hotels, awesome music venues, you name it. on friday molly and i tried out the new bar Counting House which just opened downtown. it was really different and artsy which was fun. apparently the hotel is a modern gallery hotel so each floor will have a different exhibit. put together i think we tried every drink on the menu...so much for curbing my drinking enthusiasm for this cleanse.
(insert smug emoji here)

on saturday, the fam and i went to DPAC to see Kinky Boots. it was hilarious. it was also relevant, endearing, and the voices were great. i definitely prefer musicals to be funny since i find chorus actors hilarious at the best of times. maybe its my ex-ballerina coming out but the choreography that chorus members do makes me simultaneously gag and laugh hysterically. i literally cannot handle it in a mature or appropriate manner. long story short...my favorite musical is a tie between Young Frankenstein and Legally Blonde. judge me if you must.

today, since i am running dangerously low on time and energy with the move coming up, i decided to refinish an old dresser of mine with metallic spray paint. i think it turned out quite well ;) hopefully, now that i got some of my restless energy out i will be able to buckle down and focus on getting everything else situated in the next few days. i may also see if the vet will give me a couple of tranquilizers for the animals...

sheesh, a day in the life.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend and was able to enjoy this beautiful, warm, sunny weather as much as i did!

pr o g r e s s

pack, eat, sleep, work. 
pack, eat, sleep, work.

this past week has been a blur, and now I'm down to the wire. only four days until the truck gets here. at least I'm a semi-organized person and putting things into boxes is pretty therapeutic for me. I've also had the chance to go through everything i own and chuck a bunch of it. so liberating! i have almost finished packing everything up. only the kitchen is left, and a few things i will need until the last day.

then its time to load up all the animals and make the 10 hour trek to pensacola. i don't know if any of you have ever traveled long distances with your pets in the car, but if you have i would love some advice...i recognize its going to be horrible no matter what. however, any tricks or tips are welcome ;)

ironically, the week i will be down there getting us situated is spring break wooooo! i am totally going to pretend I'm on vacation. cold or not, i will be at the beach in a bikini. at least when I'm not interviewing for jobs wah wah.

this whole process has been so fast paced that i don't think I've had time to properly sit down and think about how big of a change it will be. maybe its better that way, I've made my choice and i am so excited about it! a whole new adventure. new people. new job. new town. it will be so interesting to start over someone else where i don't know everyone i pass on the street, or get recognized in every store i go into (sweatpants or not). 

i can not wait for this part of the move to be over. i just want to get down there and unpack everything so we can finally be settled in the same place together after a year and half of long distance craziness. it will all be worth it.

b r e a k f a s t

i am excited to say that the homemade moisturizer i made yesterday did not do anything weird to my face over night. when i spoke to james on the phone last night and told him what id done he seemed pretty convinced that i would wake up with hives all over my face. but in fact, my skin feels amazing! i can't believe I've never put coconut oil on my skin before. you would think it would be greasy and make your skin feel like it couldn't breathe but it goes on incredibly smooth and absorbs in right away. my makeup went on much smoother than usual and a lot of the redness from my most recent breakout has gone away completely. not to mention it smells amazing! my dogs seem to think it smells good too because they were trying to eat my face all night...

one thing that goes hand in hand with this spring cleanse and my use of essential oils is eating healthier. i always step up my game before bikini season, but the older i get the more i realize that this should probably be a year round thing. after all, I'm not talking about eating rice cakes or waiting until you feel like your going to pass out and then eating one cube of cheese (Devil Wears Prada...). I'm talking about eating real, organic, healthy foods that taste amazing. also, eating smaller portions of those foods and drinking A LOT more water. 

some typical daily meals for me include;
breakfast: coffee, half a grapefruit or an apple
snack: frozen blueberries, peppermint green tea
lunch: toast with an egg and some avocado 
snack: hummus and chips or peppers
dinner: leafy green salad with salmon and glass of wine

i have pretty consistently been eating renditions of these exact meals everyday which can get old, but its much easier to grocery shop, and it saves a lot of money that i would normally spend on going out to eat and drink. hmmm drinking, thats the other important part of this cleanse. i am not drinking during the week with the exception of a glass of wine after dinner occasionally. and surprisingly, it has been incredibly easy to give up. 

now if i could just get myself to chug more water during the day...

c o c o n u t o i l t i m e

another gorgeous day! sunshine, birds chirping, people out and about. sweet baby D and i have already looped the wall twice, run up to whole foods for some groceries, picked up some boxes from the smitten kittens, and made lunch. now its time to relax (or in Dillons case, nap) and sit outside on the porch. 

its crazy how much more motivated i am to do things when its nice outside. although i would love to be sitting on a beach with a HUGE umbrella drink right now...

anyway, the season changes are always especially difficult for my skin. i've tried different over the counter meds, prescription lotions, you name it. thankfully my skin has never been that bad, but getting these random breakouts drives me crazy! so, I've decided to take matters into my own hands and do this the all natural way.

today i made my very first essential oil & coconut oil moisturizer. I've been researching what to do for a few days now and figured i would go ahead and give it a whirl! coconut oil is an amazing little    ingredient. it can be ingested, applied topically, used in cooking, and is good for your hair, skin, nails and all around health. 

the essential oils i chose to include were; frankincense (anti-aging), tea tree oil (breakouts), lavender (inflammation), lemon (dark spots) and sweet orange (dewy glow...and it smells amazing). i prefer my oils to be more diluted than most people so i only added 3 drops of each to my coconut oil, mixed it up, and put it in a four ounce container. since coconut oil is one of the thicker base oils, i plan on using this mainly as a night cream.

can't wait to try it out tonight!

s p r i n g a i r

as i type this post, i am sitting outside on the screen porch, sipping lemon water and relaxing while baby D snoozes in his rocker. it is seventy degrees, a little bit overcast, but not too humid yet. i can see the storm clouds rolling in but the sky still has patches of blue for now. i love this kind of weather. the only thing missing is the sound of the cicadas in the trees and the ADF drums echoing across campus. these are the sounds that i identify with summer in durham. everyone is out walking around, riding bikes, throwing frisbees for their dogs. its just too nice to be inside!

this morning we went for along walk around the east campus wall, up to ninth street and back. its easy to go a little stir crazy when you take care of a baby all day, so when the weather is nice we take full advantage of being outside for as long as possible. 

we even stopped by my house so i could open all of the windows to let the breeze in. there is truly nothing better than being able to sleep with your windows open, and it looks like the rest of this week will be the perfect temperature to turn the heat off and get some fresh air into my home. with all of the boxes everywhere and nothing on the walls, it was beginning to feel a little depressing in there...but nothing a little spring breeze can't fix!

m o n d a y b l o o d y m o n d a y

well friends, its that time of year again. time to attempt the tedious job of getting ready for...dare i say it? bikini season. cue screams of horror. as a general rule i take care of myself, i eat pretty healthy, try to walk the dogs every day, the usual. but i would be lying if i said that i like working out. its horrible. back when i danced professionally, i just assumed that i was a fit person. incorrect. apparently the only reason i appeared to be in shape was because of hours and hours of rehearsals and being too tired to eat. who knew?! 

in conclusion, i have started a regimen of eating smaller portions, healthier, simpler foods, and am cutting most of the alcohol out of my diet for a couple of months. as far as working out goes, i really enjoy Kayla Itsines workout guides. they are totally straightforward but intense and you will be sore immediately (which, as a dancer is how i know I've been productive after a workout). pain is, after all, only weakness leaving your body ;)

lifting boxes and packing for a move is also a super good way to get in shape. especially now that i have packed up most of the smaller things and am having to take apart and box up furniture. damn you ikea! why do they make it so hard?? it looks so simple on the outside, then you open the box and 8 trillion screws, a ton of washers and bolts, and one tiny L shaped tool pop out. not to mention the instructions are always in swedish or they are those weird little illustrations of how the pieces fit together. my dad actually told me, after putting my ikea bed together, that if i ever moved again we were going to burn the furniture because he wasn't going to touch it again. 

thankfully, with Brittney's help i have gotten almost everything under control. yesterday was too nice to stay inside for long, but we managed to pack for like an hour before heading out to find drinks and a patio to sit on. sunshine!! i even got a little sunburned, it was amazing. we should be able to have everything packed up and ready for a yard sale this coming weekend. who knows how big of a shit show that will be. yard sales in trinity park tend to get a little out of hand.

all in all things are going smoothly though. my timeline is tarting to actually make sense, and the move is essentially lined up. only t-11 days until the truck gets here!