Revived Outlook

Well, life got the better of me yet again. During my last post, I was fortunate enough to be sitting in the lovely town of Duck, North Carolina and basking in the southern sun.  Upon coming back home, I think life just became crazier than I would have ever anticipated and I'm just now beginning to settle back into things.  As always, pockets of my life remain something of a disaster zone, while I've been conquering other small areas of my life.

Maybe it's because of the seasons changing soon and the anticipation of fall and all of the things I love about it, but I'm feeling optimistic about life in general.  Most importantly, I cannot wait to wear fall clothes! I love everything about all that fall allows me to wear. Boots, coats, sweaters, leggings, leather.  All of it just brings sheer joy to me.  Other things I cannot wait to wear (though these are more of a winter item) are my new boats I just ordered. They're the first pair of Uggs that I have ever bought.  I figure go big or go home.

Ugg Heirloom Lace Up in apricot

Either way, I think the fall has a lot to offer and I'm feeling quite inspired by it.  Stay tuned. I feel this fall will be full of DIY and photographic evidence.  

Southern Living

So I'm writing this post with the most lovely change of scenery possible.  I'm currently sitting in the Ship's watch of our house in the Outer Banks and looking at both the sound and the ocean.  Life doesn't get any better than this.  As I'm sitting here with my coffee and thinking of what to write, I just want to ramble on and on about how gorgeous it is down here, but no one really cares about that without pictures...and I forgot my camera.

Life is good though, I'm working a bit from down here, which I don't even mind given the views from my "office" and my tan is steadily getting darker. I've bought some lovely new things that I didn't really need, but that's also okay. A splurge here and there never killed anyone, did it?

Regardless, life down here IS lovely and far less stressful than anything else I know.  Today's planned activities include going out to lunch and then one or two wine tastings in the afternoon and maybe some beach or pool time.  I'm sure I'll have more to write later, but til then, enjoy your day!

So close.

All I can say is that this summer has been shaping up to be nothing short of wonderful.  I've been lucky enough to see my great friends and family and enjoy this summer to the fullest that I can.  Do I work a bit more than I would like to? Sure, but that's life.  Isn't it?  

I finally feel relaxed and somewhat on the track I feel I am supposed to be on.  Everything is slowly getting accomplished.  I also know these posts may seem repetitive, but I need to keep writing them to reinforce to myself that I am in fact on track. I feel like my never-ending struggle to get things organized is slowly starting to come to an end.  The final organization is near.  Thank god.  This past week, I managed to conquer both of my closets and the tip of the laundry iceberg.  I even found a home for all of my shoes.  I just need to move them into it.  It's scary...the thought of being organized.  I'm afraid I won't know what to do with myself once I don't have that goal looming over my head.  

That being said, I cannot wait to get free time back.  I have all of these incredibly dorky things that I would love to occupy myself with.  I miss reading.  I miss scrapbooking.  I want to try about 1 million things I've found on Pinterest.  Amazingly enough, I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be able to do some of this before the end of the summer too!   Updates to come.  I swear someday, you'll get pictures of everything...once it's fabulous.  

Routine Change

So as I woke up this morning, I came to a conclusion.  I don't know that my current routine is working for me.  I'm not talking about the wonderful people in my life, or the things I do with my time, but rather how I spend my time.  I feel like if I woke up early in the day and had a more relaxed morning instead of the hectic ones that I currently have, life would generally run in a much smoother fashion.  I've never been a morning person, but I would love to work on making myself more of one.  I definitely think it could improve my mood in the morning and I just feel like it might be good to give a try.

This is my endeavor for the rest of the summer...to become a morning person (and of course get my life organized or close to it). By the end of the summer, I want to be closer to living a normal life for a 25-year old woman.  I feel like right now, I am not, but I would love to change this..so that is my mission.

Nostalgia of Summers Past

Do you ever wake up and think, "Oh my god, what happened to me?"  From time to time, I think that, but this is an occurrence saved solely for the summer.  I think of what my summers used to be when I was younger and it was amazing.  I used to wake up and play outside, whether it be from rope swings hanging from trees at the top of my grandparents' hill or just going to the local swim club.  Life was good.

This whole sense of nostalgia was brought on by a couple of pictures of me feeding a horse at Linvilla Orchards and my old Shark Watch and swimmer's badge to use the high dive at the swim club.  These few choice items summed up years and years of happiness and fun under the summer sun.

Not only was I lucky enough to have a great day-to-day life during the summer, but I was also lucky enough to go on vacation to the Outer Banks in north Carolina for a week or two each summer. 

Now, each weekend, I struggle to get to the pool for an hour or two in the late afternoon after work. Life is very different, but I feel like soon, it will have to pay off. I love my life now and am incredibly happy with it.  The only pitfall I seem to be able to find is my lack of free time during the daylight hours.  Hopefully soon, I'll be getting a bit of that too. Happy Summer.  

Craigslist Mogul

Well, the title pretty much says it all today.  I have officially sold something on Craig's List and it feels extremely gratifying.  I recently was given a new bedroom set and was daunted with the task of deciding what to do with the old one.  Simple.  Sell it.  Get rid of something you don't need and get some money in the process.  I didn't even want the money at first, I just wanted to give my old bedroom set a loving home.  (My mom had bought it for me while I was in high school, so I just wanted to turn the money over to her since she was the original purchaser.)

The end result is that my old bedroom set has new owner as of tomorrow in all of its teenage-girl glory.  It's white wicker....it has two possible homes - a beach house or a teenage girl's room.  I'm glad it found its destiny.  Even better yet, when I told my mom I was giving the money back to her, she insisted on giving me half of it.  So now I can attempt to get things back to normal and I have some extra money this month.  Not too bad.

I'll admit, I'll miss the bedroom set, but, the new one I have makes it much easier to say goodbye.  Once life is back to normal, you can see the new digs. Til then, say goodbye to the old. (Also, those pictures where you attempt to sell your furniture and make it seem as impersonal as possible are incredibly depressing.  Wouldn't you agree?)

Girl Down

So just hours after I posted that last picture of my freshly manicured feet, I may or may not have sprained my ankle.  (Spoiler alert: I may HAVE.)  So, my hot pink toes had a cankle to accompany them.  I may sound like a wuss, but an ankle sprain hurts apparently.  Who would have thought?  I tried toughing it out, but then to be safe, went to a doctor and had some x-rays done.  It was a sprain and I am now the proud owner of a air cast and a new gel ice pack.

Otherwise, life has been full of small victories.  I have officially cleaned out and organized my office area.  I have a desk and bookcase that are all in order and properly decorated.  It's a good feeling.  I even was able to include a touch of decor and personal style.  Pictures will follow at a later date.  Now to tackle the rest of my life.  I think the goal may be to complete the bedroom followed by the closet.   I think I have a sickness though. No one should have this many clothes (and still always think he/she needs more).  Pictures of my life once it's assembled will occur and you will be shocked it's someplace I inhabit.