A House, A Home

So the Third.Big.Thing.

Life has been madness lately. But a good madness. The crazy that makes you sleep so hard each night and then make up dreams with sirens and alarms in the morning because you are still so tired that you incorporated your alarm sound into your dreams. It has been nuts, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

KGK and I just moved into our first house! We could not be more excited. Apartment living definitely has its perks, and we were happy to be in an apartment until the right house came along, and it did! We are thrilled.

So now, the packing, unpacking crazy cycle is in full swing. We have everything moved in and we are now trying to find everything. We went a few days already with just the basics. Food was scarce. We have been living off of hot dogs and left over pizza because we are still digging through our mounds of stuff and need to find our pots, pans, plates, etc. It is amazing how much stuff you can acquire in so much time and how much you actually use your stuff. So now we get to figure out where everything is going and where everything is hiding.

A few things I am especially excited about now that we are in a house:

*Having a garden.*

*Salvaging some of our older furniture, nicknacks, and other decor that have been in boxes and try giving them fresh paint, and giving 'em new life.*

*Making my own curtains*

*Finding a spot for everything and keep it clean and neat *

So these are just a few of my hopes for this new house of ours. I look forward to making this house of ours a home we can be in for a long, long time.

Stay tuned!

~AMK

Second Big Thing

Sunshine and butterflies. That is how things are right now. The sun is out (I thought it was suppose to rain all day??), spring and summer are in the air and it is glorious. I am loving this nice weather and wishing I was back on vacation. 

Oh, yeah. I went on vacation:)  KGK and I went on our honeymoon! That was the second big thing of the few exciting happenings this start to summer. 

Post-Grad life is Good :)

  

Back in the fall when we got hitched, we decided to take a shorter honeymoon (our “mini-moon”) because I was in school and we wanted to be able to take a longer trip with vaca time reset for work. We also wanted to use our big trip as a way to celebrate me being done with school too. So, last week, we had our honeymoon. We rented a beach house, which was just perfect. We went surf fishing almost every day of the trip, morning and then back again just after dinner. Our trip started off with some rain, but it didn’t stop us. We still went out and battled the chilly drizzle to try and catch some fishies. As the week progressed, the weather got warmer and sunnier and was awesome. We ended up catching several fish, but they were fairly small, so we decided to let them go and fatten up for the next time they get caught:) However, we did catch one “keeper”. 

Our one "keeper". Sheepshead

This is a sheepshead fish. KGK reeled this bad boy in. The skin on this sucker was crazy tough so we decided to freeze it and clean it once we got back so we wouldn't make too big a mess at the rental. Looks like we have a project to do now that we are home. We hear these are fairly hard to catch but that they are great eating, so we are excited about that.

Perfect evening on the beach.

We also went out to eat a few times to some yummy spots. There was this one restaurant that looked over the ocean where we could watch fishermen on the pier or surfers in the waves. It was great. And to top it off, they had some of the best fried shrimp either of us have ever had. YUM.

Needless to say, the trip was awesome. A much needed time for the two of us to get away from the normal routines and enjoy fishing, getting some sun, and relaxing.  It was glorious and I am ready to go back, like, right now. Who wouldn't with sites like these to enjoy...

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Some more vacation fun:

Fishing boat docked right outside our window as we had lunch.

Slightly inappropriate holding of the fishing pole (wasn't intentional, promise!) :)

Lots of reading happened on this chair.

And Lots of Rummy and Uno!

Needless to say, vacation was wonderful!

~AMK

Dear Future Self: Spring & New Beginnings

Dear Future Self,

This spring has been a crazy whirlwind for me. I am finishing up my last couple weeks of graduate school, working with a new system at work that is actually working quite well (woot woot!), a new little nephew on the way, and am loving having more free time now that the bulk of my capstone work is wrapping up. I haven't had free time like this in a while. It is NICE:)

A couple weekends ago, I helped host my SIL's baby shower. We made the felt letters, and they turned out so cute! (I will post a follow-up to that...it was quite a fun craft!)  It was great to see family and hang out with the mom-to-be!  Gotta love all those little baby clothes and gifts and showering the new little family with some much needed goodies.

In my last few weeks of school, I am really enjoying extra time spent with family and friends. I love having plans to do things on the weekends that do not involve getting up at 6am to do homework, but instead sleeping in a little, actually cleaning our home, and doing fun things with friends. I am very much treasuring this spring weather and time spent doing "fun" things.

Also, KGK went to a baseball game recently and thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the warmer temps while enjoying a hot dog, people watching (at least that's one of my favorite parts of going to the games!), an ice cold beer, and not having to wear a bunch of layers to tolerate being outside. I am loving spring!

Happy Spring!

~AMK

My future kids will eat dirt, and I'm ok with it.

This past weekend, KGK and I went camping with his Dad and a friend of ours Heidi. KGK loves cold weather camping. And when I say love, I mean, he is disappointed when it gets too warm. TOO WARM. He wants it to stay below 50 degrees during the day and down in the 20's at night. And if it snows--bonus. Yeah, I don't understand it either. I like warm. No, correction: I LOVE warm. Warm is a wonderful thing. Why would you want to be cold when you can be warm? I married a wonderfully strange man:)

Well, the weekend was actually a tolerable cold. It was chilly, but it was easily remedied by a large fire, hot coffee and plenty of layers. Whenever we have one of these chilly trips, KGK and I have a deal. I will go camping in the cold as long as I do not have to move from my parked spot by the fire. I do not have to gather firewood, do extensive cooking or do anything that will require me to leave my warm spot by the fire. I get to be lazy. He thinks this is great because I will at least go, even if it means I won't venture far from the radius of the flames.

Don't be mistaken though, I am an avid camper. I love all that is involved with camping. I am not typically a lazy camper. The preparations of packing just the right clothing and equipment to make the trip just right is fun to me. I love going out and gathering firewood, using my hatchet to split the larger pieces into kindling for the best fire starting, and setting up the tent so that your stuff is in just the right spot in case you need to grab anything during the middle of the night and you don't want to emerge far out of the cocoon of the mummy sleeping bag. All of it. It is fantastic. I like being a part of it all. But when it comes to the cold, warm wins. :)

Now that I am married, and getting a little older, my mind now dreams of trips KGK and I will take with our kids one day. They will get to experience the great outdoors just like KGK and I like to experience it.

I didn't do any camping growing up except for once in a great while when we would setup the tent in the backyard. But to me, that's semi-fake-camping. True fake camping is setting up your tent indoors (yup, been there, done that too).  Those are not real camping.  My parents weren't big on real camping. My dad would take us on all types of hikes and do a lot of projects outdoors. So I definitely got a LOT of fresh air as a kid, but we just didn't do the roughin' it camping. This is something I am excited to do with my kids. I want them to know what it is like to turn off all cell phones, tablets, computer, video games, and just be outside. Enjoy the day and be creative--talk by the campfire and play 20 questions while you cook hot dogs over an open flame on a stick that you twiddled down yourself. I want them to accidentally eat dirt from their hot dog they drop on the ground and have a couple days where they have to go to the bathroom outside. Yes, I really want these things. They should know what it is to be roughin' it! They will know a comfortable life, I am sure, but I want them to know the glory of being outside. Of relaxing and just taking in the quiet and adventures and possibilities that come from being in the woods. I can't wait to share this one day with them.  Oh, and I want them to go camping with their Auntie Heidi too. Heidi and I have been camping together for years now. They need to go camping with her. She always goes on fun little adventures, and they will love that too.

I am so glad that I started participating in that outdoors club in college...it is now so worth being able to love the outdoors even more than when I was a kid. Thank you college clubs:)

It is funny, I always want to take pictures of our outdoor excursions, and I have had people ask me why I don't have more pictures on fb from these trips. Honestly, I think about taking pictures when I am out there. I want to document all of it. Every minute. But, being outside, in the woods, by the fire, huddled with my camping coffee mug, and breathing in the fresh air, I want nothing to do with electronics. And, why leave the fire to go get your camera that you stowed away in your bag, which is in the tent, when you could be soaking up all the warmth from the fire?

Each trip, the ones where it is chilly, and I don't leave my post by the fire (I told you I love warmth).  After these trips, I come back with a glow about me. Not a glow like, wow, the woods did me so good that I am beaming with happiness. Well, maybe some of that, but really, I actually get pink, like sunburned from being by the fire. It is glorious.

Camping takes a lot of prep and a bit of roughin-it spirit, but it is so worth the mounds of laundry after and the disaster of your home with all your gear to put away from that short weekend trip into the woods. You should try it if you haven't ever done it. What's stopping you?

Happy Camping!

~AMK

Let's Give 'Em Somethin' to Blog About: Inspiration Destination

"Let's Give 'em Somethin' to Blog About" is an effort for me to share a blog posting that I have read somewhere or an article I have found interesting. I will give my thoughts that rambled on through my head as I read them or have been marinading since then. Some I may have just read within a few hours and others may be ones that have stuck with me through the weeks, months or even years, and I want to grasp something from it and remember. They are a way for me to look back and remember.

Today's Post: Our Wedding

Young House Love. What else can I say besides...LOVE! These two are fantastic (well, and Clara & Burger too!). John and Sherry are full-time bloggers with so much energy, quirkiness, and creativity that you can't help but soak up all they write. Amazing. Many of their projects and ideas have inspired me to think beyond what I actually see and create from that canvas to something so different you can't believe the transformation. They LOVE their ORB (I am a huge fan of it too, Sherry!), painting everything they can white or yellow (have I said before that I just love yellow?!), their ceramic animals, and crisp clean lines with bold burst of color and soft gray contrasts. I did not love gray or yellow or ORB or being crafty..at all... until I started reading their blog a few years ago (wow, has it already been that long?!). So it wouldn't surprise anyone then to say that their DIY wedding was a HUGE inspiration for me as KGK and I started thinking about our own wedding ideas. With that said, let's get into the pure simplicity and merry of their DIY backyard wedding. 

John and Sherry bought a house in Virginia and planned to have their wedding be as relaxed and friendly as their awesome personalities are. They had those cute vintage touches with the water and mint lemonade in the wine bottle, and string lights overhead to set the scene. Everyone looks so happy and soaking up the love of the day. They really focused on their guests and how much they appreciated them coming to their wedding and being a part of their lives.  There was also a photo booth where guests could commemorate the occasion with awkward yet funny pictures with friends and family, and enjoy the peaceful setting of a backyard cookout. How fun does that seem! 

So when KGK and I were planning our wedding, having it as relaxed and "us" was the focus. We wanted it to be as outdoorsy and inviting as we possibly could. Laughter, eating, catching up with family and friends you rarely see, and enjoying the time with people you see often was the main focus of our wedding. It was perfect. 

College friends!

Fall Centerpieces

Yeah, I love this guy ;)

So thanks, YHL, for the inspiration to keep it simple and you through the whole shebang. It made it so worth it. 

~AMK

Embracing All Things Fall-ness

KGK and I had a wonderful honeymoon. We went to the mountains and enjoyed some cooler temps and some small, mountain town loveliness. We had a beautiful view of the mountains and the river from our big bay windows and loved going through the small shops and local restaurants. I just love experiencing the smaller, quainter places. The ones that may barely make the map but are filled with awesomeness (yes, awesomeness).

In this small mountain town, they were fully decked out with all their autumn and Halloween goodness (or badness?). There were oranges, reds, yellows (oh, goodness, do I LOVE some yellows!), scarves, hot coffees, and boots. I love when I can bring out my boots! It was the perfect picture of fall all around us. Leaves were barely starting to change, but all the little shops had their decorations holding the fall-color-changing wonderfulness scene until they were ready (why is this post full of so many -nesses today? Guess it helps me set the scene:) ).

Well, all the -NESS was happening. AND to top it all off, they had a scarecrow contest throughout town. Every shop made a scarecrow, and they had a contest where you could vote for your favorite. There was one that WON ME OVER. It was love at first sight scare. It combined 3 of my favorite things...AUTUMN, OWLS, and KGK:) It was my unicorn moment @Enjoying the Small Things! It was fabulous.

The best scarecrow ever.

How are you embracing all things fall? Does it give you that feeling to use "ness" way too many times?

Happy Fall! :)

~AMK

Change of Seasons: Energized and Excited

Autumn. I love it. Cooler temps are welcomed around here! But, I don't like COLD. Make sure we clear that up. :) But cooler than 90 degrees is good. And for those that are pumpkin spice latte fans, you are in luck, as they are back! I am very much looking forward to this fall.

With the changing of seasons, I am always inspired and energized by the potential for something fresh and new. Any season really. I like change and try to embrace the energy that comes with the ideas, events, and happenings of another time of year. The shifts to different schedules and the expectation of the holidays around the corner get me all sorts of giddy. Autumn...here I come!

One thing this fall, I would like to be better about is taking pictures. For one, I just don't have time to take pictures on a nicer camera, upload, edit and then post. So I apologize for my lousy picture taking. I intend on improving this one day soon...promise:)  I use my phone for pictures which = boring and blah photos. I try, I do. I'm working on it and hope to make strides here soon with inspiration from the changing of colors coming up. I LOVE the way instagram edits photos simply and quickly, but they just don't show up as well on the ole blog. So one goal of mine is to be better in this time of changing colors and seasons to include some more quality photos. Here's hoping:)

Another wonderful change I am excited about is being able to include some recipes meant for cooler weather. Like homemade chili and muffins and casseroles. YUM. Having a bowl of chili on a 101 degree day just isn't as inviting as on a 60 degree day. So I very much am looking forward to these autumn days ahead.

Lastly, I cannot wait to start up camping again! My camping days seem to be fewer lately with wedding planning and schoolwork. I also want to try a backpacking trip once the wedding is over. Gotta start thinking of what, when and where:) KGK probably has some ideas:)

Hope you too are enjoying these glimpses into fall days! :)

Until next time...

~AMK

Dear Future Self: Time Enjoyed

Dear Future Self,

Remember: Life will always seem crazy. We usually fill our 24 hours of the day with a lot of busyness. Sometimes it is TV watching, homework, working out, or hanging out with friends. ETC. ETC. ETC.

Cup number 2 of the day

I know that these very busy days we have been having lately (and have scheduled to happen in the next several weeks as we lead up to our wedding), and they need to be treasured. So here are some things that I want you remember when life is so different several years and decades from now. [like...Do you still run on coffee as much as I do right now??] So here is your life as an engaged girl in the last month of preparing for your wedding:

Soon-to-be ~ AMK

~Name Change. This is the last month that I will still be technically single. I will have this last name for only 1 month more, then I will have a new last name and be known to people only by that name. People who have known me forever will know me as AMM to AMK. But people I will meet after our wedding day, will know me only as AMK. That is so crazy to me, but also so exciting! (Future self, how is it to be AMK? Do you ever accidentally sign your old name even though it has been changed for years now??). I wonder these things:)

So very tired...

~Sleep. I am a person that needs a lot of sleep. Like, 9 hours a night. (You are probably laughing at me future self!!) Otherwise, a lot of my stomach issues start to act up and can cause me to have several weeks or months of issues. Therefore, sleeping is a wonderful thing for me so I can tackle my days fully and completely. I don't understand how some people can operate on 5-6 hours a sleep a night and be ok. Now, I don't always get my 9 hours that I like because let's face it, life doesn't work like that. So I try to do what I can to get as much as possible because I feel so much better when I do. But right now? Not happening. After work, I have just a few precious hours before I start to do the head-bobbing, crash on the couch until the TV wakes me up, bit. So after work, I try to fit in a workout, do homework, cook something for dinner, and do wedding preparations. That's a lot for just a few hours before bed. Oh yeah, and laundry or cleaning. HAHA, yeah, that doesn't always happen. ;)

Having a beer with homework? Don't mind if I do! ;)

~Homework. I LOVE school. The deadlines, the task lists, and the ability to further myself. Right now, I am trying to get ahead on my work so I won't have to do anything while family is in town for the wedding and I am NOT logging in during my honeymoon...NO WAY. :) But it takes a toll and doesn't allow much times for breaks. But I have a weekly checklist of all I need to do for that week and then the start of readings for the next week too. Trying to get ahead! :) It feels good when you actually do get ahead!

~Cleaning. Let's face it. This goes to the wayside (as mentioned above). I do my best to keep up, but it is just so tough. Fortunately, I have an awesome fiance that picks up behind me as I leave a trail through the apartment. :) He is an enormous help and I am so grateful for that.

Caught 3 fish but put them all back...they were too small to keep. But it was SO FUN!

~Social Engagements. KGK and I went fishing this past weekend, and it was just what I needed! Some fresh air and a break from all the craziness. I love that boy:) In addition to outdoor adventures, going out to eat with friends is one of my favorite things to do (and I have the waistline to prove it, unfortunately---hence the working out point that's next...hehe). I love going out and being with the people that make you happy and you have a good time with. I also enjoy that a lot of our friends have kids now. It has added such a fun dimension to our friendships and the types of gatherings we have now. A dinner filled with laughter now has the additional shrieks and laughter of little ones. And we used to talk about what we wanted to do with our lives, now its what they will do with theirs. I love it.

~Working Out. My goal this school year has been to incorporate more working out than I did in my first year. It is hard when you work full-time, are planning a wedding, have homework galore, and still have normal life stuff to get done (ie. cooking, cleaning, sleep, laundry, grocery shopping, etc.).--we all have our own crazy version of this list--- But, I know that physical health gives you such a boost to your mental and emotional health too. And it doesn't hurt to make up for those "out-to-eat calories" I mentioned earlier :)

These are the things on the top of my list that I think about on a daily basis, future self. The things that consume my thoughts when I am not allocating my brain resources elsewhere. I find that to get through the times where so many thoughts are swirling, I need to make a good old fashioned LIST. It is like an escape for my brain. If I write it down, I can make room for another thought in my head instead of trying to cram it all in there and the fear of forgetting something.

So today is list-making day...to plan for the next month of my life. It will have things crossed off quickly and other things will be added. But, at least it will help with my sanity:) We gotta do what we gotta do! :)

So, future self, what's going on? How's my life going? Is it time to make a list to get through this crazy time?

Sincerely,

~Almost AMK

Sun-vantage & Puppy-Love

I have been trying to soak up every minute of these cooler temperatures the past week or so...aka it hasn't been in the upper 90's! We have actually had the lower 80's some days so that has been so nice!

Homeworking Outside

Because school is in session, I have tried to bring my readings outside onto the patio. Always more enjoyable reading textbooks outside rather than at your desk.

 

I also had the chance this past weekend to bring Buddy to the Bark Park with his girlfriend Abby (yes, they are in love). We also met up with another friend and her dog, Sadie.

Buddy checking out his ladies;)  I think he likes what he sees :)

The 3 had SO MUCH FUN! The chased each other, wrestled, and barked a whole lot. They definitely got a lot of energy out...Buddy has been sleeping for DAYS because of it. That makes this Momma happy:)

That's a happy pup right there!

Thanks Heidi for the great shot of the love-pups on the ride back home:) Tired puppies!

I also have been working at keeping our plants alive. And when I say working, I mean, it is a J-O-B! Whoever said that if you can keep a plant alive, then you can keep a pet alive had a SERIOUS green thumb because plants die so easily. At least a dog will "tell" you when he is ready to eat!

colorful water can

But, I have been faithfully watering our flowers on our patio. We transplanted them into larger pots, and  they are doing much better now. So we have some happy flowers to go with our little sunflower bird house (that has had a hummingbird scoping it out in the past couple weeks)!

The sunflower bird house we got from the garden center at our local farmer's market.

I hope the little guy makes that his permanent residence because they are such interesting creatures.

Until next time, enjoy some sunshine! :)

~AMK

Hiking, Showers & Homework...

Last week and weekend was a busy one!

Here's the run-down of life lately: My grad classes started back up, I have worked out several times, had the stomach bug, celebrated our friend Megan's birthday, played some baseball at a local field while Buddy ran around and barked at anything that went by, saw the Hunger Games for the second time, attended 3 showers, and had a busy work week last week and into this week on top of that!

Over the weekend, I took Buddy on a hike. It felt so great to be back on the trails. With all the crazy going on, I am not out as much as I would like. So it was a spectacular day to hike.

I also had 3 showers this past weekend! THREE! Two on Saturday and one Sunday. One was a bridal shower for my friend Can-dance (real name: Candace, but Can-dance is so much more fun to say:)), the other was a baby shower for our friends Kristin and Brian at church who are having a little girl in September, and then on Sunday, a few of my AWESOME friends threw a shower for me. It was the BEST time. I appreciate all the wonderful ladies who were able to come out. Everything was perfect down to the smallest details. I have been beaming with happiness ever since:)

In addition to the hiking and showering of love and gifts, I had an oddly insane amount of homework for it being the first week of class. But 5 chapters later, 4 discussion boards, and other activities done, I went to bed a little late, but got it all set and done on time.

Now, my goals for the rest of this week are to continue to work out and be motivated! I also have a few recipes I am hoping to tackle. 

Until next time!

~AMK