thoughts

catching up

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. So I know you must have missed my posts!

We have a lot to catch up on. But where to begin?

Michigan peonies

The last time I blogged was before the official start of Summer…. and now it’s August. Insanity.

I’m not going to give you some lame-o reason why I have been so silent. Like, “oh I was busy”. We all are busy. We all have commitments, families, responsibilities, unexpected life events – and we all have the same hours in the day as Beyonce. It’s all how you prioritize and manage your time. And it’s safe to say that I’ve sucked at that lately. A lot of times I find it extremely hard for me to just write, draw, or do anything random that I enjoy in my free time. But as with anything you love, you pick back up where you left off. So here it goes.

June flew by. We made our yearly vacation back up to the Mitten. We spent a week trekking across the state – hitting Chicago, Detroit and everywhere in between.

Chicago Riverfront

I swear, there is never a dull moment on these Michigan trips. Every year I bring a book along with me and am lucky to crack it once. Sure, it’s a little ironic because you go on vacation to relax, and we do get some down time, but it’s more like relaxed chaos. Everyday of our trip seems to get booked up with commitments as we try to cram a year’s worth of hangout time into 1 week. It always seems to feel hectic when we go home. You’d think being there for a whole week would be long enough to see everyone we know and love, but it’s amazing how each time I go up there are people we miss. I guess it’s one of the hard things about having family and friends spread out. And you know, deciding to live about 1,500 miles away from your hometown. But really, there’s no other feeling like being back at the place you will always call home….that place that takes you back to your roots.

And by the way, I had the best freakin’ time in Detroit. Being downtown was absolutely phenomenal. There’s revival in the air and I’m proud to see it coming back. I just had to shout that out to the world.

Oh and if you find yourself there, do yourself a favor and hit up Detroit Institute of Bagels. I bought one… and then followed that up with a whole dozen for the road.

Our summer in Texas has consisted of lots of river tubing and picking back up with what seems like the endless list of renovating and maintaining an old house. Don’t get me wrong, I love our 1954 ranch and would not trade it for anything. Okay, mayyyybbbeee an oceanfront home on 30A, but that’s about it. I can’t wait to share some of the details and some other new things happening around here in some future posts.

It’s good to be back to blogging after my sabbatical. Hope you are enjoying your summer too!

Texas Sunset

five.

On this day 5 years ago, my life was about to change. I was excited and hopeful. Maybe a little stressed because of the rainy windy, 35 degree Michigan morning. Our pup, Maci, was about 6 months old, and as I took her out for a walk, my thoughts were a mix of calm and chaotic.

I had just completed the nearly year long task of the wedding planning rollercoaster. Self-labeled as “the biggest party of our lives” for nearly 200 guests, I couldn’t believe I was actually going to pull it off, planning it all from 1000 miles away. More importantly was the realization that today I was giving my life to another person. For me this has always been a big deal. I wanted to marry someone I could see myself growing old with. Someone who you consider a best friend. And sometimes as girls we get caught up in the planning, but this is one of the most important decisions you can make. After 6 years of being together, I felt so ready to be his wife. We felt like we knew it all, but really we were just 25 year old big kids, ready to take on the world together.

So back to that chilly morning- I was so exhausted running on about 3 hours of sleep. The bridemaids and I cut watermelon til almost 2 in the morning the night before, but dammit we were going to have those Strawberry Watermelon Mojitos I planned or else this whole event just couldn’t go down.

I didn’t consider myself a Bridezilla, but as an interior designer, I couldn’t have been too far off. Design is in the details. I DIY-ed everything. From the invites to the centerpieces, to the drink picks to the name cards.

That morning seemed to fly by. You feel like a Princess or celebrity. People running around, catering to your every need. Something I definitely am not used to. Hair. Check. Makeup. Check. Get dressed. Check. Alright now hop in this car and we need to get you to the Church and get you married.

We got there a few minutes late. But that’s okay because they can’t start without you when you’re the bride, right? As I was standing in the back of the church, there were people trying to sneak in, thinking they were late, but nope it hadn’t started yet. It made me laugh but also almost cry seeing friends and family I haven’t seen in years. It was one of the best feelings knowing everyone was there from near and far just for you. Really, all I could think was wow I’m about to get married. It all just felt surreal.

Walking down that aisle was a moment I will never forget. I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t nervous. I really just couldn’t stop smiling.

It all seemed to go so fast. The whole world just seem to melt away and it was just us. We said our vows and then POOF we were married!

you may kiss the bride

And then it’s easy coasting from there. Because all the things you stressed out about for months during planning just seem to come together. Finally I could relax, let go, and just have fun!

bridesmaids hidden lake gardens

I may be biased, but it was the best party I’ve ever been to. We danced all night. We got to hang out with our friends from all different points in our lives, from Elementary School to new friends we made in Florida. It was so incredibly weird yet so exciting to have them all under one roof. Every chance Nate & I got back together to dance or check in with each other, it was like “OMG I’m having so much fun. Isn’t this the best night?! ”

MSU roomies nate & paul the fam dance

Words cannot describe that day really. It’s more like this overwhelming amount of love you receive from all angles. I felt so happy. Like I was in some type of daydream that just happened to be true.

So basically what I’m trying to say, is if I was to do it all over again, I’d do it the same way.

Nate, you are my heart and soul. And my (heart-shaped!) rock. You made me a believer in love at first sight. You have been there for me when I’ve needed you the most. And I hope I can find ways to love and thank you for another 50 years. I love you thiiiiiiiiisss much, Hun.

Love, your Precious.

(Photo credit: Silver Thumb Photography)

thursday thoughts: the truth about you

Read it and believe. We may not always feel that we are brave, strong, smart, or loved, but it is true. Smile because you are blessed and people care about you.

Oh and don’t forget to have a wonderful day! 🙂

NCIDQ exam + life updates

Nobody puts baby in the corner. Unless the baby is your blog. And you have a massive test to pass that takes over 2.5 months of your life.

Good news is that it’s all looking up from here! I took my NCIDQ Practicum test a week ago Saturday. It’s the last section in a series of 3 that I have to conquer to become a Registered Interior Designer. I’m just so excited to have it behind me, go back to normal life, and get back to some blogging!

The week leading up to it, my mood was consistently somewhere between frazzled hot mess and a snapping turtle. It can be so difficult to balance work and life alone, then throw 2-3 hour daily study sessions into the mix and it was enough to make me feel insane. (It makes me really wonder how all those Moms out there do it!? Major props to them!) I even was dreaming in test mode. Not to mention, feeling extremely nervous. You practice drafting techniques and memorize those codes until you can (literally) recite them in your sleep, but you still don’t know what scenario you will get on test day.

I’ve found in any situation that is scary and unknown, the best thing you can do is just tell yourself “you got this”. Believe in all of the work you have put in and be confident you are ready to take on anything. Setting yourself up for success is also helpful! I Googled “brain foods” and “what to eat before a test” because I feel like I needed every ounce of brainpower working with me on test day.

I woke up that Saturday at 5:45am. I got to the test site about 45 minutes early. For someone who is habitually late I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to get there and get comfortable. We tested for 4 hours, had a 1 hour break, and resumed testing for 4 more. In the last couple hours I had a headache and felt like poo, but as you’re racing against the clock you just have to keep going. I finished with about 5 minutes to spare, just long enough to review a previous exercise.

Leaving there, I felt a sense of overwhelming relief mixed with exhaustion. It was done and over. I felt positive about it and accomplished. It went about as good as it could have! YES. Now it’s time to get some Chinese take out and call it a day.

Later that night and the days following was what I like to call the “oh sh*t!” phase. Oh sh*t did I label that correctly? Oh sh*t did I remember to dimension everything? Oh sh*t did I make that counter the correct height and long enough? Oh sh*t?! These thoughts would enter my head randomly – like during the workday or in the middle of the night. Then I would panic, try to remember back, then either breathe a sigh of relief or ultimately just try to forget it since what’s done is already done.

I think you just want to succeed so much that your subconscious keeps all these thoughts right there in the back of your mind. It’s like your brain tries to come up with reasons why you passed or failed so you can have clarity on your outcome, instead of feeling like you’re stuck in limbo waiting for your results. I tend to over-analyze everything, but since I wont find out the results for 2-3 months, I’ve accepted that I need to let it go. So that’s where I’m at… just hoping for the best over here!! 🙂

Guadalupe River - New Braunfels

The last few months have been a blur with how busy things have been. It being April already is unreal, but I’m excited to see what this month brings. I feel like it is almost like a new year for me again. I’ve started to set some more career and personal goals. The wildflowers are in bloom and we went river tubing for the first time this year!

In other exciting news, I found out over the weekend that I won Tracery‘s giveaway, so I get a copy of their new book! So super excited to get my hands on this pretty little treasure. You should all get a copy too! I’m sure it will be fabulous!

xo.

(images link back to their source)

feeling like i’m back in design school

Lately my life has been taken over by this little thing called the NCIDQ interior design exam. AKA my licensing exam. AKA what I have labeled as my career defining test. For the latest couple of months, I’ve been studying in the evenings after work, and I tell ya what, these drawing exercises have definitely been putting a cramp on my weekends.

Maybe you remember in the blog’s earlier days me mentioning that I passed the first two sections of this test. Yes, it was awesome – but, moving on – I still have the other 8 hours to pass. This time it’s the hand drafting portion of the test. And honestly, this FREAKS ME THE F OUT.

floorplan sketch

Let’s be serious here: it’s the first time since college I’ve picked up a drafting board, templates, and triangles. So… 7 years?! (Wow, I feel like a dinosaur.) My house currently looks like a studio bomb went off. Tracing paper on the floors. Study guides on the chair. Books haphazardly thrown about. Drafting dots on the dining table. Laptop with about 27 tabs open, with crucial info that I CANNOT FORGET or else I will never forgive myself.

I’ve always been a pretty good test taker, but by that I mean I am a pro at cramming info in my head and regurgitating it correctly on exam day. This test is different – it’s a series of 7 drawing exercises. There’s no way to cram – it’s all about understanding, being a quick problem solver, and having legit skills. When I started this whole process I was so rusty at hand drafting it’s not even funny. Despite all of these uneasy feelings, I officially registered myself for the test last month on the day before the deadline. (Commitment issues? Maybe. But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t wait to the wee hours.)

Anyways, I take the test 9 days from today, next Saturday. Excuse my absence from the blog as I get through home stretch. If anybody has any strategies, thoughts, or good luck charms they want to pass on I will love you forever. xo. Okay, rant over. Hope you are having a great week!

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