Blake got a job in my hometown of Tallahassee, and we are officially relocating! Gosh, this has been such a journey. We sold our house a year ago, and have been renting with the intention of relocating in the mean time. It was nice that he got to job hunt slowly and eventually found what he thinks is a great fit. Throw a crazy housing market on top of that, and well, it's been a bit stressful the last few months.
Showing posts with label Life Update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life Update. Show all posts
While not meaning to fall of the face of the blogosphere, I'm sort of glad I did! My last post was almost exactly one month ago. My blogging break was an accident, but honestly I think I need to do it more often. In short, my real job has been non-stop for months, we were in the processes of selling our house and moving, and I just got burned out. Sometimes you just need to refill your cup, ya know? So, that's what I've been concentrating on. Cooking yummy meals at home, going to bed earlier and trying to focus on what was absolutely necessary. My future posts might still be irregular, but I wanted to pop in and say Hey!
December Update
Monday, December 21, 2020
Where to start? Well, surprise! Our house is under contract! We are selling! I can hardly believe it as I type those words. I feel like I have so much to catch you up on.
Surprise! We Sold Our House
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
This will sort of be a continuation of what we've been up to this summer! Our summers are so full, and sometimes I crave the fall season so things slow down a bit. Then I realize we have been having so much fun this summer! Minus my wisdom tooth fiasco, anyway.
Enjoying the Water!
We've been able to go out on my sister's boat several times this summer and it has been a blast. There is nothing like the wind in your face.
Also had a beach day with my cousin Anna, who lives in St. Augustine. Genuinely would love to do this weekly. The beach is so perfect there, and my sister and I love to stop at the outlet mall before we hit the beach. Here's a no-make-up-just-happy-faces selfie:
And enjoying the pool at my mom's place! I've really been enjoying the Alba Botanicals Sunscreen this summer. However, I'm still on the hunt for the perfect mineral sunscreen that doesn't make me white as a ghost.
Trying to master the half-tuck:
I am trying desperately to get the half-tuck right. Some people make it look so effortless! With my body style, I think it helps my proportions if I do it. Here was a day that I felt like I got it right, haha:
Breweries Galore
Since returning from Europe Blake has been on a quest to find this Belgium beer he fell in love with. We can't find it anywhere, and to ship it over is like $50 just for 4 bottles. So, we've been trying to fill the void with some craft beers. We actually love going to breweries, and boy, there are so many now!
We finally made it to Halpatters, which is the most local brewery to us. We had a really fun triple date night there, and had a blast! To be honest, Blake and I didn't love the beer we tried (there were a lot of choices though, and we haven't tried everything yet!) but, the atmosphere was great. You can't beat live music and hanging out with friends. They also have ping pong and foosball, which is what we were playing in the bottom picture. The lighting in that room was next to nothing, so Blake held up his flashlight which only added to the fun.
We also tried DEEP in Tallahassee, which was GREAT! Their beer is so good, and we bought some to take home. It's kind of in a neighborhood, and not the biggest brewery in town, so it wasn't busy at all. We really enjoyed hanging out with my mom and dad and dreaming of opening our own brewery one day. (4 people who have no idea how to brew beer...we just like to drink it...haha.)
Enjoying Our Own Home
We had some weird down time last week, because of the hurricane. All the projections in the beginning had it coming right up the State, and then we didn't even get a drop of rain. We spent some time prepping-which included buying a new grill. I don't think ours has worked since Irma in 2017, so it was time for an upgrade.
There was the very slightest hint of fall in the air as well! We know it won't cool down for real here until November or December, but I was really enjoying being outside without feeling oppressed by the heat. In fact, we even sat out on the front porch for a few hours doing work and it was so nice.
I love our new little fire feature! It was super easy to install, and adds so much ambiance. The grill works perfectly, and I was surprised that even though it's technically a big griddle, you still get grill marks.
Since this meal, we have since done some pressure washing and bought a little canopy as a grill station. It looks really nice! I'll have to snap a picture to share. We also decluttered and rearranged some of our outdoor decor and furniture. As soon as the temperatures decrease a little, I'd really like to have a dinner party on our back porch.
More Boats!
A big group rented 2 pontoons to take out on the St Marks River and into the Gulf. Oh my gosh, it was the perfect day! It was equal parts fun and relaxing. Plus we got to hang out with friends we rarely get to see.
I picked up this Columbia Tidal Tee and it is a gamechanger for the sun! It's perfect for covering up, but also dries quickly too.
Wisdom Teeth Saga Continues
Unfortunately, just as I thought my life was back to normal after having my wisdom teeth removed, I got an infection. My doctor said it was super rare, and not my fault. Apparently a tiny little hole in my gums got some bacteria in it and got infected.
I was working, and thought I was coming down with a cold. My sinuses were hurting, I had a low grade fever, aches and chills...so I went home early. That evening, it turned into brutal tooth pain. The next morning I woke up and my cheek was the size of a tennis ball. It was so painful. I went in to the doctor right away and he was able to help me out.
Essentially, they had to cut a hole in my cheek and put in a drain. It was so uncomfortable, but I was thrilled to get some relief. I will spare you all the details, but what came out of my cheek was pretty disgusting. That drain, plus 2 weeks worth of the strongest antibiotics have me feeling much better. Within 4 days the swelling was gone, which was the worst part.
This was me on the way to the doctor:
It hurts just looking a that cheek! Super interestingly, my doctor said that was the side that was the most straightforward as far as the removal went. In fact, when he figured out what the problem was, he started numbing the wrong area, because it's so rare to have a top tooth get infected like that. I'm glad I spoke up! It was such a rare reaction that several people in the office wanted to look. Great, right? Glad I could provide some entertainment! (No, but seriously, this office is great and I would recommend them to anyone.)
I still have a pretty big hole in my cheek, but I can eat fairly normally again and life goes on!
Desperate to eat something other than oatmeal, I tried the Chick Fil A Mac and Cheese! I've been wanting to try it, but probably wouldn't have ordered it normally. It's really tasty! Not healthy in the slightest, but really good!
Pupdate!
I always try to end these posts with some pug pics! You know my camera roll has dozens of pictures of these crazy dogs. They've been glued to my side as I convoless.
Told you there has been a lot of oatmeal in my life lately.
Let's Chat! Glad we could catch up! Leave a comment below and tell me how the end of your summer is going.
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Life Lately #7
Monday, September 9, 2019
Disney After Hours
I can't believe I haven't posted about this yet! Earlier in the month, Blake and I bought Disney After Hours Tickets - and let me tell you! This was the best money we've ever spent at Disney.
It's an additional ticket, but we did get a discount for being a passholder. Basically, you get access to the park 'after hours'. It takes place from 7-midnight. You not only get to experience zero wait times, but you get free popcorn, ice cream and bottled drinks. Every ride is open, just not the shows. Quite a few characters were also out for us to meet.
We are seriously considering not renewing our passes, and only doing After Hours in the future! The temperature is great. The crowds are minimal! Which is huge, considering the crowds have been unbelievable this past year or so. We literally walked on ever ride, except Slinky Dog Dash (which had a 15 minute wait.) They even let you skip the pre-shows, so you really do just walk on.
I definitely also filled my backpack with free bottled waters and sodas before we exited the park...
I can't say enough how much I love my Cricut! I don't think I got 2 or 3 days without making something. I hadn't anticipated how much I would enjoy feeling creative again! Vinyl decals are still my jam, but I've been experimenting a little bit with HTV (heat transfer vinyl) for t shirts and other fabrics! I've actually had 2 commissioned designs too. Just for friends doing their own projects, but it felt really good to save them a bunch of money.
It helps that I found a website that sells vinyl sheets for $.72!
I made myself a tank for Disney. I'm really happy with this design because I married a few designs together on my own. (You can buy a gazillion designs on Etsy, but it's always satisfying to make your own design.)
A decal for my (filthy) laptop:
A cup for my sister in law! This was my first time using foil vinyl, which looks SOOO cool. I bought quite a bit more. The rose gold foil is calling my name.
This was a gift for some family that was visiting. She loves french, and their cat is their baby. She loved this tea towel:
So, this was one of my favorite projects to date! It's a coloring t-shirt. You just use washable markers and the kids can color and recolor over and over again. These didn't end up perfect (Belle lost her nose!) but I am so excited to try more of these! Wouldn't this make a great party favor, in lieu of candy or cheapy toys?
My Niece and Nephew's Spring Break
Carter and Lennox - my sister's kids...Gia and Zane...Blake's sister's kids.
Even though spring is absolutely the busiest time for us, I wanted to make sure I got to spend time with the kiddos on their spring break. I played hooky and my sister in law and I took them to the Santa Fe Zoo in Gainesville. None of us had ever been, and it was really nice.
I thought it was funny that Carter couldn't remember what animals we saw that day to tell his parents. I do not blame him because there were Ocelots (not tigers or cheetahs), there were Gibbons (not monkeys) - lots of non-traditional zoo animals.
The Gibbons were amazing. The kids started 'ooh-ohh ahh-ahh'ing to one, and he started talking back! And then he called over his whole family! It was the neatest thing.
Carter's First Loose Tooth
So, I have to share this story. A little background though. I have this weird thing with loose teeth. I hate seeing kids wiggle their teeth. All my friend's kids have thought this was so funny over the years as they try to show me their loose teeth.
I really feel like it's because of my childhood. My mom would always trick us into pulling out our teeth. (I think this was because she hated seeing loose teeth too!) She'd be like "let me just feel it.." and then take it right out. Everytime. We fell for it everytime! I'm not saying my childhood scared me or whatever, but I just have this bad memory of loose teeth!
So, Carter has had a wiggly tooth for weeks. He also, giggling, loved to show me as I turned away! My mom and I were keeping him and his brother last week, and we both were over the loose tooth. He agreed to let my mom try to take it out, and then FREAKED when she did. The problem was it was now hanging on my a thread. It was like a nuclear meltdown. He freaked out even more when my mom said he might swallow it if she didn't get the rest of it out.
He finally calmed down enough and agreed to let me try. Well. I couldn't do it. I couldn't even raise my arm to his mouth. I went into a cold sweat and started feeling faint. I snapped myself out of it because I was holding Lennox.
Finally, mom was able to get the rest of it out. Carter also has a fear of blood-so when his mouth was bleeding the meltdown got worse. It was so bad! Mom and I just started laughing because it was such a terrible experience. I traded kids with her and I consoled Carter until he could relax!
My mom got him to snap out of it by saying let's go to the store and buy a big toy! The tears immediately dried up and he was fine. It was exhausting!!! My mom said my sister was just like that when she was little. But here he is, perfectly fine:
Family Time
We had Blake's cousin come stay with us for the weekend, and it was so nice to be together! We got to play golf, which is such a rare treat! Blake and I got really into golf when we were first married. We both have really nice clubs too. It's just so hard to devote a few hours to something like that with our current schedules. I love having family in town, because it's the perfect excuse to go do something like this.
It was a gorgeous day for it too! It's been warm here for a while, but this day actually had a wonderful breeze and it felt like spring is supposed to. One thing I love about golf is that it's slower paced, but you still get a good workout.
We ate at one of our favorite restaurants in town, and they had steamed oysters! It made me feel like summer is here!
Enjoying the little things in life.
I've been making a conscious effort to slow down and enjoy the little things. I take pictures like this all the time, but rarely share them. I thought this would be a good time to do so.
Is there anything better than fresh flowers on the dining table? I love tulips because they move around throughout the day.
I shared my hummus recipe 5 years ago! I still make it all the time. Most recently, I added fresh rosemary from my garden. 10/10 - soooo good!
My mom and I have been having lunch dates on Wednesday. I LOVE sitting outside to eat. This particular restaurant is called Little Italy, and they have the best greek salad. Mom and I always split a calzone too. Blake and I had our engagement party here, so it always makes me feel happy.
I planted a bunch of this kind of lavender plant in the yard this year, and they are doing so good! I love watching things grow.
The pugs! I actually didn't have all that many pug pictures in my camera roll this time. A rarity indeed! These guys are such a pain and such a joy at the same time. The weather has been nice enough that we leave our backdoor open in the mornings and evenings. Winston and Bailey love going out there to lounge on the couch. Meanwhile Delly sticks by me most of the time. I had to snap a picture when they were all 3 out there:
Can I just take a second to say how fortunate I feel to have chosen my perfect match? I am super sappy lately, but I just feel so proud of this guy. We are in our 9th year of marriage, but we've been in each other's lives for over a decade. Just thinking about who we were 10 years ago is crazy. It's crazy that you can change so much, but you can really grow together too. I have no problem saying he is the best thing about me. All that to preface this selfie that took many, many attempts!
You know what's funny? I have almost weekly thoughts about giving up blogging, and then I sit down and spend an hour typing up a post! There will always be something to share, I think.
Leave a comment below and tell me what's going on in your world!
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Camera Roll Diaries
Monday, April 29, 2019
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