Navigating Communicationthe lawn clippings

marriage
Navigating Communication
Keeping an eye on the conglomeration of our belongings that we had brought with us was my responsibility. Securing four wheels to transport us and said luggage around the country for the next week was his. Excited as we were to be celebrating a decade of marriage with a getaway in Ireland, our fresh-off-the-plane, haven't-slept-in-24-hours, nervous-to-be-in-a-foreign-[...]

The Fireplacecurating the common

curating the common
The Fireplace
I stood in front of my pristine, white fireplace - metal file in hand - and took a few deep breaths. Knowing there was no turning back from intentionally scratching the surface of our unblemished mantle, I wanted to be extra certain of myself before making the next move. Within moments, I was overcome with courage and quickly discovering that distressing the fireplace[...]

Rosemary Lemon Spritztwenty-one plus

food and drink
Rosemary Lemon Spritz
Normally when I think of herbs, I think of savory dishes made from scratch or perhaps even freshly baked bread. And yet lately, every time I cut rosemary from our window box I find myself craving a cocktail. (Thankfully I only gather herbs on occasion.) For a long time I stuck to sweet and tropical beverages, but lately - thanks to a little guidance from the Mister -[...]

A Casual-Yet-Not-Too-Relaxed Outdoor Spacecurating the common

our nest
A Casual-Yet-Not-Too-Relaxed Outdoor Space
The brick was the first thing I pointed out about this house. I instantly fell in love with it and was especially thrilled to discover that it covers the entire exterior - which means our outdoor living space just happens to have that "exposed brick" wall that I've always wanted. I almost couldn't believe it myself when within a few months I was considering painting o[...]

strawberry spinach saladno recipe needed

food and drink
strawberry spinach salad
Raise your hand if you are like me and find yourself making the same reliable dishes over and over. It isn't that I don't love being creative in the kitchen, the problem is simply that I don't have a menu of everything I can make to pick from and am left with the top-of-my-head-go-tos the majority of the time. Last week I was shopping for overnight guests - which h[...]

Making this House a Homeour nest

our nest
Making this House a Home
We closed on our house the Monday before Thanksgiving. The next day, a semi-truck filled to the brim with our belongings pulled up in the driveway and unloaded something like 362 items (including boxes, pieces of furniture, etc.) into our new-to-us 1.5 story house. Wednesday brought the realization that unpacking was going to take a lot longer than I thought, and Thur[...]

Tennesseans# t h e e l l e i n r e l o c a t e | ten

the KM files
Tennesseans
We've been Tennesseans for over five months now and it's crazy to think that we've already owned a home in the South for longer than we lived as renters uncertain about their next move. It's just another reminder that although being in the midst of it may feel like an eternity, it turns out to be but a blink of an eye once it's all said and done. That's a truth I f[...]

The Good Life# t h e e l l e i n r e l o c a t e | nine

the KM files
The Good Life
There was a brief moment about ten years ago when we considered moving away from Nebraska. Back then, Kel and I were both working for the same insurance company. A recruiter approached my husband and invited him out to Raleigh where he was given a tour of the office, introduced to his potential new boss, and taken around town to look at houses. Within days of his visi[...]

of all the places# t h e e l l e i n r e l o c a t e | eight

the KM files
of all the places
I had a hard time letting go of the possibility that we could go anywhere or do anything. It wasn't that I desired that sort of freedom. In fact, I think it's pretty obvious in this story that the lack of direction was difficult for us. What I really struggled with was the thought that we might mess up this opportunity by making the wrong decision.
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