Progress

Five truckloads, a few bruises, two room dilemmas and one scared kitty later, the fiance and I are officially in the new house. It was a lot of work, but we managed to move all of our possessions in one weekend (Observation: if you want to deter hoarding, make a person pack and move all of their own ish by themselves).

It might be a few more days before I post again since it's super busy around these parts: Unpacking the new place, cleaning the old place, Thanksgiving, Apple Cup, the fiance's parents coming to town, preparing for my cross-country road trip, still no Internet at the new house ... So I wanted to share a glimpse of the early stages of the living room pre boxes and miscellaneous furniture overflow. This picture might be more for my sanity and serve as a reminder it did look semi-normal at one time.

By no means am I a professional interior designer, and the living room and office are proving to be a little challenging. But I like to keep it real around here, so I present to you the unfinished and unstyled living room.

And now it's back to cleaning the old place ... Maid service anyone?!

Sunset from the backyard ... Pardon the leaves.

Change of address

Tomorrow, the fiance and I will say peace out to wannabe-porn star, rhino foot-stomping, dog-barking, chain-smoking, cupboard-slamming, grimy neighbors ... You know, all of the joys that come with attached-space living. And if leaving the Jerry Springer Show rejects wasn't relief enough, we get to call an incredible space with loads of potential home.

I'm beyond stoked to start decorating (expect a few mood boards). Our landlord has good taste and already painted the walls gray, updated the appliances and fixtures, installed a pretty backsplash in the kitchen, put hardwoods throughout and painted the front door a gorgeous red. Other highlights include having a dedicated work space (no more office-slash-guest bedroom for this girl) and a fruit tree in the front yard. 

And can we just discuss the effing pool?!?! That basically sold me on the house at first sight. If you've ever been to the AZ, you know a refreshing aquatic source is essential to surviving the sweltering summers. 

I feel so blessed that we found a house that met all of our requirements. And did I mention it's in one of the best neighborhoods in Phoenix?! We looked in the area upon arrival to the AZ, but nothing was available. I'm chalking up hitting the house lottery as good karma for dealing with some grade-A next-door asshats over the past 20 months.

Take a mini-tour of the townhouse before we move. Sketched-out neighbors not included.

Guess who's back?!

So apparently I needed an entire month and a half to recover from the shock kick-assness of turning 30. The truth is my absence from around these parts was a combination of traveling, lack of inspiration, taking over as president for our Arizona/Southern Nevada alumni group and searching for a new place of residence. So there's been plenty of fun ish transpiring. 

I'm most stoked about peacing the eff out of the townhouse and moving into our gorgeous HOUSE. Yes, a real grown-up house with a pool!!!! More on that radness tomorrow.

In the meantime, I figured what better way to come back than with a complete blog revamp. I really loved the previous layout, but it was definitely time to freshen up my little corner of the Internet. Practicing on my own blog helps me learn coding and try out ideas for clients while refining my own style. Hopefully you like. 

Check out more of my work in my studio portfolio.

30 candles

A little older; somewhat wiser; always young at heart. 

Happy Birthday to me.

[via]

Five for Friday: Twenty-nine was divine

In a few hours, my Birthday Weekend will commence. The fiance and I will be on a plane to Colorado, ready to kick off my next year. I admit, turning 30 is a little scary. But the plan is to rock it out and embrace the gift of another year.

It's a little hard to leave 29 behind because it was an amazing year. I felt settled in Arizona, started my own business, traveled around the country, saw my family a lot more, started getting healthy and became involved in my college's alumni association. 

It's incredible the difference a year makes. Twenty-eight was full of transition and uncertainty, but it built a foundation for how great 29 was. So here's to 30 being even better and another 365 days of growing, loving, experiencing, laughing and learning.

1. Open for business

I really never intended to start my own studio, but it's been such a joy. Using my design skills in a different medium has been an incredible creative experience. The blog also celebrated its first Birthday this past year.

2. Adventure is calling

Working on a newspaper copy desk didn't allow me the opportunity to travel much, so I'm making up for lost time. Exploring the country (and world) is one of the best things a person can do for themselves, and I was blessed to visit California, Colorado, Connecticut, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Texas and Washington this year, crossing off a few more from my 50 states checklist.

3. Family ties

I traveled home to Washington a few times this year, and even though the trips always seem short, I cherish the moments I do have with my family. Celebrating my nephew's first year of life and being home for Christmas for the first time in five years were some of the highlights of 29.

4.  Workin' on my fitness

One of the best decisions I made this year was getting back in the gym and eating better. I'm not big on the 30-before-30 types of things, but I am proud to say I've lost about 30 pounds just in time to turn 30. Continuing to make my health a priority definitely isn't going to stop at 30.

5. School spirit

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a little obsessed with my college. And through the Washington State University Alumni Association, I've had the opportunity to channel that love into organizing events for our local chapter and beyond and meeting fellow alumni. October will see me represent our Arizona group at the fall meeting in Pullman and attend college fairs here in the AZ to recruit out-of-state students to WSU.

Revisit Fridays of the past here.

A healthier me: Mission accomplished

Sometimes all it takes is getting off the couch. Three months ago, I set a goal of getting healthy. And Saturday, I completed my first mud run, a three-mile course with mud pits, balance beams, hills and a lot of fun.

I felt a great sense of accomplishment, making all those times I forced myself to make a gym appearance worth it. I won't lie. Some days I didn't want to go. And some days I didn't (even though I felt super guilty). But the aches, hours of cardio and pushing myself to the limit culminated in crossing the finish line at the Dirty 6 Mud Run. 

It was publicly announced yesterday that former WSU and New Orleans Saints football player Steve Gleason has ALS, a terminal disease that damages the nerves that control voluntary muscle movement. The Times-Picayune ran an incredible story on Gleason and one of his quotes has resonated with me.

By no means am I comparing my fitness journey to Gleason's courageous battle. But what he said is so true. I was fearful of putting all of this on the blog because what if I failed?! I was fearful in signing up for the mud run because what if I couldn't complete the training?! Well, I'm here to say that once you let go, anything is possible.

A childhood spent playing in dirt piles and my natural clumsiness combined to lead up to this defining moment.

Find out more about my journey to a healthier me here.

Five for Friday + A healthier me: The moment of truth

Well, friends, the time has arrived for my first mud run. Tomorrow morning you can find me at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler getting dirty with a few hundred crazies. This journey to a healthier me is far from finished, but I can't wait to put the hard work of the past few months to the test.

I wanted to share my fave posts from the past few months in this edition of Five for Friday. Future topics will include fun playlists, nutrition and potentially training for a half effin' marathon! Thanks for all of the encouragement I've received via your wonderful comments and emails. They mean so much!

1. Back at the beginning

2. Where the magic happens

3. Sassy support

4. Mileage milestone

5. Thrice as nice

Find out more about my resolve to get fit then delve deeper into the Five for Friday archives.

Said it best: Assignment accepted

Things are quite busy around these parts, but in a completely good way. I'm gearing up for my first mud run and an alumni event at the D'backs/Giants game Saturday, finishing up a client's blog redesign, working on my letter of intent to take over our Arizona and Nevada alumni chapter group and finalizing plans for my 30th Birthday adventure in Colorado.

So when I came across these beautiful words (and amazing typography treatment), they really hit home. My world is anything but what I expected it to be at this point in my life, but everything I'm throwing myself into.

[via]

More inspirational words await here and here.

50 states: Big Sky Country for two

This adventure to Montana has been over a decade in the making, and today I'll be able to check one of my top travel destinations off the list. But it's much more than a check mark. I'm not only going to Big Sky Country for myself, but the journey is for my Dad, too. We made plans to someday visit the area together, but didn't get the chance before he passed away.

So when I see Missoula, Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park during the next week, it'll be that much more special. 

What to pack: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 | Picture via

50 states: On island time (Part II)

Our San Juan Islands adventure was so fun, it had to be broken up into two parts (check out the first half here). The latter portion of the trip was spent at Stuart Island, Orcas Island and a night at the marina in Anacortes. 

We enjoyed a spectacular hike to an old schoolhouse and a lighthouse, incredible sunsets, an unexpected but very cool tour of a tugboat, a yummy feast the fiance's mom made for his 30th Birthday, checking out a wedding venue (come back for more on that) and delicious meals at two of our go-to restaurants (Calico Cupboard and Rockfish Grill) in Anacortes.

I already can't wait for next year's boat trip!

Come along with me on my past adventures here and check out more of my photography here.